Once the two girls had made it to the ending point, they broke off into conversation about their plans for the week. At the weekend, Aaliyah was going to go and visit her parents, which meant Sabrina would be alone from Saturday until Monday morning when she returned. She made a note to ask Lockwood if she could stay at Portland Row while her friend was gone, not liking being at the house alone.
Just as their conversation ended, Sabrina went to mention a dog jumper she had seen that she thought would look cute on Piper, when her eyes were caught on something. She noticed that the floats had begun to approach them, but they no longer seemed to be moving. As far as she knew, they were at the right part, this was where the floats should end up.
Frowning, she fully turned from Aaliyah, wondering why the float had suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. As she squinted and looked closely, she noticed the cause, a familiar apparition stood before Lucy, the girl wide eyed and frozen in place.
It was a pale, bent thing, stooped and thin, with yellowed, diaphanous rags coiled around it, although its outline held firm, its substance bubbled up and over like boiling water in a pot on a stove. Glimpses of a rib cage, of a folding, twisting spine, of flesh and sinew welled up, stretched, and were sucked back in again. The head was lowered, the white arms crossed over the face as if it feared to see the people before it, fingers splayed above like splintered horns.
The two Fittes agents watched in horror as Lockwood and Co gripped their rapiers, standing closer to one another. Before an attack could land anywhere near them, the second ghost bomb landed. Not thinking twice, the girls gripped their own rapiers and made their way towards the float as quickly as they could. Sabrina watched in horror at the adults on the float, all stood as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening - almost like it was nothing but an odd breeze passing them.
Once the two had made it to the float, they pulled themselves onto the truck. Sending an uncertain glance at Penelope, Sabrina adjusted her rapier, smoothing out her skirt. When Penelope went to open her mouth, to question the girls arrival, the screams begun. Reacting to the outcry of the cry, they turned around, noticing that a few startled dignitaries had also begun to rise from their seats.
The first ghost moved, its head rotating impossibly as it flowed backward, through the nearest seat, straight through its occupant, a short tweedy woman that Sabrina was certain had an odd name. Threads of plasm lingered on her contours as it pulled around her and away. Her eyes rolled upward, her arms jerked in rhythmic spasms; she slid soundlessly onto the floor. The scene was horrifying and Sabrina felt an ounce of guilt hit her as she stood frozen, her grip tightening on her rapiers hilt.
"Medics needed!" Lockwood called out from where he stood with his associates, and Aaliyah, who Sabrina had failed to notice leave her side.
The blonde girl took a step closer to Penelope as she looked across the float. A wave of fear had engulfed the company; people had begun to throw chairs back, milling back and forth, too stupid to wait and listen to their senses. Sabrina knew that the first rule was never to panic, never let the fear show, it only made the ghosts stronger, they fed on that fear.
Sabrina was frozen where she stood at Penelope's side, watching helplessly as two men collapsed to the ground as the visitor brushed past them. She did not know what she could do, all she had was her rapier but it offered no defence against the Visitor that was stalking along the decking. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Lucy readjust her grip on her own sword, ready to attack.
Before she could raise her sword, a Rotwell agent stepped in front of her with what Sabrina noticed as a magnesium flare. Eyes widening, she took a step towards the group. "No! Not here, idiot!" She called out at the same time as Lucy, both voicing their protests.
Apparently oblivious to their calls, he threw the flare and it shot straight past the ghost, bouncing from the seat. Sabrina grimaced as it exploded against the side of the platform, fragments of wood blasting into hundreds of pieces. Moving her head to the side, she avoided the flying parts of wood, as well as the Greek fire that had begun to rain down on the crowd. Despite her attempts, she could not help the piece of wood that had landed in her hair.
Turning back around, she glared at the Rotwell agent but she could not get any words out as she watched the platform on the opposite side of her give way. The entire section crumbled, propelling three people onto the street below. She grimaced as she looked away, turning her attention back to the Visitor.
It had been peppered with burning iron, plasm steaming from its sides. Sabrina noticed that George and Aaliyah were attacking it, although it cringed back from their blade. The Visitor had no facial features, which greatly unsettled the girl as she loosened her tightening grip on her rapier, her arm beginning to cramp up. She was unsure how she was meant to help from the front of the platform, other than ward off the Visitor from attacking Penelope or Steve.
Beside her, she noticed that Steve had drawn a sword, one which was longer and thicker than an average rapier. On her other side, Penelope had taken her hair band off, shaken her dark hair free. The hair band was something Sabrina had always loved, it was a crescent moon, sharp and made of silver. She held it like a knife, her eyes meeting Steve's as she gave him a slight nod.
Using that as a signal, Rotwell jumped down among the seats, swatting a chair aside. He strode toward the second Visitor, one that Sabrina recognised as a Phantasm - which several of his agents had pinned back. Near to him, the blonde noticed that Holly had been shepherding people to the far corner of the platform. She reached beside a fallen woman, and knelt down at her side.
"Help get people off safely, Sabrina." Penelope announced, her grip tightening on her weapon as she looked at the carnage occurring before them.
Sabrina furrowed her brows, glancing at the people screaming and then back at the woman. "What about you?" She asked, not wanting any harm to come to the woman who had been alike a mentor to her.
Waving her off, Penelope gave her an encouraging smile. "I can protect myself, they can't." She reassured her and Sabrina bit her lip before nodding.
Jumping from the front of the float, she moved to Holly's side, her rapier remained in her grip as she nodded at the ebony haired girl. She followed her footsteps as she used her free hand to help an old woman off the ground.
Motioning to where Holly had been assisting people onto the street below, she helped the woman walk, noticing she had a slight limp. With the hand on her shoulder, she walked slowly and mumbled words of comfort to the woman as they arrived by Holly's side.
The ebony haired girl smiled at the two, her tone warm and comforting as she assisted the woman. Finally letting go of Sabrina, she held onto the railing of the float, still shaken up from her fall. Using the railing, she went down the steps and onto the street below where other Fittes agents had been assisting the injured people to a safer location to get checked out.
When Sabrina turned to Holly, she gave her a slight nod and she turned around, looking to see if there were anymore injured people. As she did a once over of the float, she noticed they had successfully moved everyone to safety. Yet, when she glanced around, she noticed a man had begun to walk quickly, with purpose, in the direction of Penelope.
Glancing at Holly, she noticed the girl had a rapier by her side, just in case. Certain that she could protect herself, she adjusted her grip on her rapier and followed behind the man. Keeping her steps light and unnoticed, she watched as he reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out something small and black.
Not even attempting to see what it was, Sabrina gripped the man's arm from behind, pulling him towards her as she twisted his arm. A gunshot sounded as he pulled the trigger, hitting a plastic lion behind her. Pulling from her hold, he aimed the gun at her but before he could shoot, she was pulled out of the way by Lockwood, his hand wrapped around her waist as he tugged her towards him. Removing his hand, he gave her a quick once over, while she furrowed her brow at the unicorn in his hand.
"Didn't take you as a fan of unicorns, Anthony." Sabrina mused as he let out a quiet chuckle, his shoulders moving to create a brief shrug.
As the man aimed towards them once again, Lockwood grabbed her hand with his free one, pulling her towards the railing. "I'm full of mysteries, Sab." He replied, the two breaking into a slight run to avoid the man's bullets.
As they made it to the front of the float, Sabrina rushed towards Penelope, the woman stood fearfully, her eyes wide as she looked at the girl. Just as she went to speak, her eyes were focused on Lucy. The man she had been fighting against had suddenly stopped, a sword pierced through his chest. He swayed slightly before collapsing as the blade was removed, landing in a crumpled heap on the floor.
When he dropped, his body revealed Steve Rotwell, sprayed with blood, holding his blade with a stoic expression. The remaining assailant had turned from his associate's unmoving body and back towards Lockwood. From the other side, Sir Rupert Gale strode forward, rapier raised and moving fast. The man paused and readjusted his target, firing at Sir Rupert, but his bullets missed.
Groaning, he mumbled a spring of complaints before shaking his head. Turning around, he bounded along the platform, realising his efforts were futile and he would end up just like his comrade.
Watching the man run, Lockwood grabbed his rapier from where it had fallen midfight. "We can catch him yet, Luce," he exclaimed, looking at his associate, "come on!"
As they ran in his footsteps, Sabrina turned her attention to Penelope, shaking her head as she looked at the woman. Checking the woman was okay, she frowned, wondering why someone had attempted to attack her. None of this made sense, why had there suddenly been Visitor's, who had put them there?
A hand rested against her shoulder and she met Penelope's eyes as the woman gave her a comforting smile, making Sabrina feel as if there had been nothing bad happen to them. It was odd, how a singular smile could make her feel sane.
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Words~1896.
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