Michael looked at the flames, rapidly approaching as Hook and
Christine finished shooing the last of the children down into the tunnel
entrance. The tunnel was the only way out but if those flames reached the
entrance before they could get out the other end, the result would be the
same as if the children had stayed inside the mill.
"Go!" Michael motioned for the others to follow the children down into the tunnels. He moved towards the flames resolutely as Hook quickly sized up the situation and then turned and headed down. He had never tried anything on this scale before but he would hold back these flames, no matter the cost. Not again, that fire was not going to repeat itself once more. Suddenly Michael herd footsteps and looked down to find Breanna moving to stand next to him facing the wall of flames.
"I can help." The girl bit her lip nervously as she spoke. She wasn't really sure if she could do this or not but didn't she have to try if there was a chance she could help at all?
"No, go with the...."
"Professor, I can do it, I know I can! I've practiced lots!"
Breanna cried. "I didn't want to blow up the potions lab anymore and...."
The flames suddenly jumped forward towards her face and she jumped back,
closing her eyes as suddenly the flames faded into nothingness.
Michael watched this carefully. Perhaps Breanna could really help but at the same time he was reluctant to allow a student in his care to expose herself to unnecessary danger.
"Please, Professor, we don't have much time. Maybe with both of us, we can stop this," Breanna said quietly. She could feel a pressure building inside from absorbing the small flames. What would trying to absorb even more do? But she had to try.
Michael nodded, motioning for Breanna to move behind him as he stretched out his arms, bone chilling cold suddenly finding a home in the heat of the inferno. Now if the others would just hurry, if Mary and her friends could find the second bell quickly....
Lona bit her lip, trying to keep from screaming as they moved through the tunnel. At least the area was free of smoke and she could actually breathe but.... The pains were worse, almost constant now. Why wasn't this baby here already? Not that Lona was any more eager to give birth in the tunnels under a mill that had burned over one hundred years ago than she had been to give birth in a hospital that burned over sixty years ago but..... Suddenly there was another pain, sharper than before and she couldn't hold back the scream this time.
"Lona?" Elmer stopped, not sure of what to do. He looked down into her pale face, tears now slipping down her cheeks as the pain gripped her. He looked around frantically for help, for Hook or Christine but all that he could see was a continuous flow of children, a large number now stopping and staring at him in puzzlement.
"Move!" Antubis growled at the children, shoving a few forward impatiently with his snout as he came over to Elmer, taking a testing sniff of the air as he approached. Some sort of metallic smell in the air. Not good. "Here, put her down."
Elmer automatically obeyed although he wasn't really sure why he was listening to a large anteater. He settled Lona back against the tunnel wall, cradling her head in his lap as the anteater moved around her,
sniffing of her stomach and prodding the bulge of their baby gently with his snout.
Lona gripped his hand tightly as another stabbing pain washed over her. She could dimly sense the anteater moving at her side, doing something to her stomach but it was if this was happening somewhere far away that she wasn't really connected to. She was cold, suddenly she was so cold and.... Something was wrong. She looked up into Elmer's equally frightened eyes as the pain eased slightly. No, this couldn't be happening, not after all that they had gone through already! Children had never really been something that she had considered seriously, especially since Mr. Right had never came along but... She wanted this baby and if anything happened to it.... She closed her eyes, feeling the jerky movements inside just before another pain hit. They were in the 1860s.
They were in the 1860s and something was wrong and...
"It's turned funny," Antubis muttered as he finished his inspection and looked over at Elmer for a moment before glancing back down the tunnel. Now where were those other doctors? Luckily the tunnels were fairly dim and he didn't think Elmer had noticed the renewed bleeding yet.
"Turned...." Elmer closed his eyes for a moment, trying desperately to recall any mention of delivering babies he might have heard in med school. Of all weeks that he could have picked up the flu and a 102 degree fever, why did he end up sick that week? If something was wrong with the way the baby was turned, did that mean that it couldn't be born normally, that Lona and the baby were going to.... He couldn't bring himself to even think the word. This couldn't be happening, he couldn't lose them now!
"Go!" Michael motioned for the others to follow the children down into the tunnels. He moved towards the flames resolutely as Hook quickly sized up the situation and then turned and headed down. He had never tried anything on this scale before but he would hold back these flames, no matter the cost. Not again, that fire was not going to repeat itself once more. Suddenly Michael herd footsteps and looked down to find Breanna moving to stand next to him facing the wall of flames.
"I can help." The girl bit her lip nervously as she spoke. She wasn't really sure if she could do this or not but didn't she have to try if there was a chance she could help at all?
"No, go with the...."
"Professor, I can do it, I know I can! I've practiced lots!"
Breanna cried. "I didn't want to blow up the potions lab anymore and...."
The flames suddenly jumped forward towards her face and she jumped back,
closing her eyes as suddenly the flames faded into nothingness.
Michael watched this carefully. Perhaps Breanna could really help but at the same time he was reluctant to allow a student in his care to expose herself to unnecessary danger.
"Please, Professor, we don't have much time. Maybe with both of us, we can stop this," Breanna said quietly. She could feel a pressure building inside from absorbing the small flames. What would trying to absorb even more do? But she had to try.
Michael nodded, motioning for Breanna to move behind him as he stretched out his arms, bone chilling cold suddenly finding a home in the heat of the inferno. Now if the others would just hurry, if Mary and her friends could find the second bell quickly....
Lona bit her lip, trying to keep from screaming as they moved through the tunnel. At least the area was free of smoke and she could actually breathe but.... The pains were worse, almost constant now. Why wasn't this baby here already? Not that Lona was any more eager to give birth in the tunnels under a mill that had burned over one hundred years ago than she had been to give birth in a hospital that burned over sixty years ago but..... Suddenly there was another pain, sharper than before and she couldn't hold back the scream this time.
"Lona?" Elmer stopped, not sure of what to do. He looked down into her pale face, tears now slipping down her cheeks as the pain gripped her. He looked around frantically for help, for Hook or Christine but all that he could see was a continuous flow of children, a large number now stopping and staring at him in puzzlement.
"Move!" Antubis growled at the children, shoving a few forward impatiently with his snout as he came over to Elmer, taking a testing sniff of the air as he approached. Some sort of metallic smell in the air. Not good. "Here, put her down."
Elmer automatically obeyed although he wasn't really sure why he was listening to a large anteater. He settled Lona back against the tunnel wall, cradling her head in his lap as the anteater moved around her,
sniffing of her stomach and prodding the bulge of their baby gently with his snout.
Lona gripped his hand tightly as another stabbing pain washed over her. She could dimly sense the anteater moving at her side, doing something to her stomach but it was if this was happening somewhere far away that she wasn't really connected to. She was cold, suddenly she was so cold and.... Something was wrong. She looked up into Elmer's equally frightened eyes as the pain eased slightly. No, this couldn't be happening, not after all that they had gone through already! Children had never really been something that she had considered seriously, especially since Mr. Right had never came along but... She wanted this baby and if anything happened to it.... She closed her eyes, feeling the jerky movements inside just before another pain hit. They were in the 1860s.
They were in the 1860s and something was wrong and...
"It's turned funny," Antubis muttered as he finished his inspection and looked over at Elmer for a moment before glancing back down the tunnel. Now where were those other doctors? Luckily the tunnels were fairly dim and he didn't think Elmer had noticed the renewed bleeding yet.
"Turned...." Elmer closed his eyes for a moment, trying desperately to recall any mention of delivering babies he might have heard in med school. Of all weeks that he could have picked up the flu and a 102 degree fever, why did he end up sick that week? If something was wrong with the way the baby was turned, did that mean that it couldn't be born normally, that Lona and the baby were going to.... He couldn't bring himself to even think the word. This couldn't be happening, he couldn't lose them now!