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(Okay, just to clarify some things about the last chapters… Carla is the cook and she used to read stories to them and play games with them, the reason they didn't attack her when she came near was because she didn't mean them harm, Aurora is the little girl, and I DID mention her in TWoW, just not by name… And you will all probably hate me if you figure it out… :P Sorry about that.)
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Chapter 26 Part 1; Persevere
Aaron was still in shock over the two children, especially when Bernard gently shook the boychild awake and lifted him to cling monkey-style to Aaron's back.
The boy clung desperately around Aaron's neck, nearly choking him, knees bending Aaron's weak, unhealthy feathers and snapping off a few.
Aaron didn't tell his father that it hurt, he could feel the absolute terror and weakness rolling off the little boy and decided having a few feathers pulled and broken was a small price to pay… He hooked his fingers under the boy's wrists to keep the bony little appendages from completely cutting off his air supply and watched his father as the man inspected and began to unhook the little girl from the machines.
Sticky little pads were gently pulled from her temples and brow, the machine monitoring her brainwaves disconnected. He read the words on the IV bags, making sure none of the medications were dire, glad that both bags, though empty, were just saline.
After she'd been completely removed from the machines and wires and tubes Bernard removed his coat and slid an arm beneath her, startled when his hand slid across her smooth back…
She didn't have wings…
Gently lifting her he inspected her back, making sure there weren't scars that meant the sickos had removed them, but there was nothing… He wrapped his coat around her snuggly and picked her up, cradling her to his chest and nodding to Aaron over his shoulder.
"Time to go…"
Aaron nodded, relief washing through him that they were going to leave. That they were going to get out of this horrible antiseptic smelling place and back into the open air.
He liked the open air… Just not the BigBigBig sky…
They walked out of the room, passing the still unconscious Harold La Fleur… Aaron paused by him a moment, and poked out his tongue hatefully.
The boy on his back giggled and tightened his grip.
Aaron continued on, following his father, feeling an odd warm bubbling in his chest when the boy he was carrying had giggled. It made him feel good…
And then there was a noise…
A distant, rolling sound… Like thunder…
Bernard stopped, a shiver working its way up his spine, and turned around.
The hallway behind them was long, the doors and lights shrinking off into a pinprick in the distance… And despite the fact they couldn't see anyone or anything down there… Bernard could feel someone or something watching them…
"Dad?"
Bernard didn't speak, or react, he just kept staring…
A breeze kicked up, quite suddenly. Making Aaron's hair flutter, and a chill raised the hairs on the back of Bernard's neck.
Why was there wind? They were underground, there shouldn't have been wind…
The thunder sound rolled again, accompanied by a low, metallic groaning. Bernard related it to the sound of a boat on stormy water… Stressed metal seemed to groan like a dying man…
"Dad?" Aaron's voice seemed to be swallowed by whatever was happening and Bernard tossed his head at the boy.
"Get moving… Fast."
Aaron didn't need to be told twice, he started jogging, the little boy on his back tightening fingers around his neck.
The soft breeze seemed to pick up, whistling in his ears and Bernard could have sworn he heard a buzzing noise, not like bees, or high voltage electricity, but the buzz of hungry little mouths chew chew chewing away.
He was oddly reminded of the book 'The Langoliers'… And a sick feeling settled into the pit of his stomach. He imagined horrible toothy mouths without minds eating and eating and eating… Bloody and wet and hungry…
If he hadn't already wet himself, he would have done it then.
He glanced downward into the small girl's face… And IT happened.
Their eyes connected and instantly it felt as if cold, sharp spikes stabbed deep into Barnard's head, digging, and searching like voles in his mother's garden. Tunneling away like voracious worms… Wriggling and touching everything.
Images flashed in his head, memories replayed themselves at high speed… and suddenly the spikes were ripped out, almost violently.
Bernard grunted, white flashing behind his eyes, blinding him, his back arched, head dropping backward on his neck and his legs gave out.
Aaron turned and watched in a sick kind of curiosity as his father fell, skidding on his side, the girl still clutched protectively in his arms. His head made a dull sound, like a melon being dropped, against the tile when he hit.
For a few seconds, Aaron just stared at him, not sure what to do.
The wind continued to build and Bernard didn't move…
Suddenly there was a woman in blue scrubs and white sneakers, running at full tilt.
Aaron didn't recognize her, but she saw him, and didn't stop to ask questions, didn't stop at all… She just kept running toward the door he and his father had come in through her face a pallid mask of terror.
"Dad?" He called hoping to be heard above the wind.
But he didn't get an answer.
The little boy on his back groaned and clutched tighter, almost choking him and Aaron stumbled forward, dropping to his knees, shaking his father's shoulder. "Dad, wake up."
The little girl twitched uncomfortably in his arms and her eyes roved around searchingly.
"Oh, Aurora, you DIDN'T!" The boy slid off Aaron's back and padded bare footed to her side, bending and petting her lovingly. "He wasn't gonna hurt us! You saw! He's gonna takes us home and buy us pretty things and do hugs and kisses on us like Carla! Fluffies and pushpins for sure!"
Aaron had no idea what the child was talking about. He didn't know what a 'Fluffies' was, or what 'pushpins' were… But what he did know was that the girl had done something to his father.
"Dad, Daddy, wake up!" He shook him frantically, his mind focused with laser like precision on the fact that if his father wasn't awake, then whatever was coming on that fell wind was going to get them. Was going to do bad things to them. Needles, and knives, and cages and darkness…
The boy at his side went rigid, eyes widening, hands tightening in the dress like smock he was wearing.
And something hot puffed against the back of Aaron's neck… Breath-
Hot, putrid smelling breath and soft clicking noises…
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I broke this chapter up into two parts because Paul is so freaking slow at editing stuff for me that I just gave up and posted what he had done… Blame him for the cliffhanger.
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