Chapter 81: Blow Me To Bermuda

Sunlight splintered Silver in the eye. The brilliant rays overpowered his mechanical lens with too much information, causing the optical laser to switch off.

"Argh!"

Batting the sunlight with his pistol, Silver squinted with his biological eye. He could just make out the sunlit outlines of the students, indiscriminant and hazy as they ran out the door.

And leading the pack, Silver was sure, was Jim Hawkins.

"FIRE!" Silver bellowed, picking a spot of sunlight and aiming his gun. "Never mind the sun, lads! FIRE! FIRE! KILL EM ALL!"

"Up!" Peter shouted, dumping the last of the pixie dust. Sunlight set his hair on fire as a wave of weapons drew back. "Up! Everybody! Think of a happy – "

BANGBADDABANGBADDABANGBADDABANGBADDABANGBANGBANG!

They screamed. Bullets, knives, cutlasses, daggers, and swords sliced crazily through the air, ricocheting and sparking against the stonework.

Peter slammed against the ceiling. A bullet hummed like a chainsaw by his ear. Someone screamed. Peter flinched. He dodged. Another bullet exploded under his arm, peppering the wall in someone else's blood.

"Peter!"

Peter's head snapped. "Wend—?" He looked up. A dagger blasted into his face. Peter jerked, leaving his breath behind. The dagger sailed into the wall, dislodging icicles as Peter rolled uncontrollably through their air.

Two hands seized his waist. Peter wrenched back, one hand covering his face and the other reaching for the assailant.

"Peter! It's me!"

"Wendy?"

BANGBADDABANGBADDABANGBADDABANGBADDABANGBANGBANG!

"This isn't working!" Peter uncurled his hand from Wendy's head. Through her hair, he saw the other students, hugging the ceiling and hiding in the light.

Peter looked back at the window. The sun continued to rise. For the moment, the light protected them, shielding them by skewing the villain's aim.

But not for long.

Soon, the sun would pass over the horizon and into Maleficent black vortex.

The light would extinguish…and they would be shot down. One by one.

Peter clenched Wendy's curls. He could feel how hard she was working just to fly, let alone avoid getting killed. Peter looked around: his chest thumped. Everyone else, even Rat Tail, struggled to stay afloat over the pirates and villains' gunfire.

Shielding Wendy, Peter inched forward. With the uncharacteristic maturity of an emergency aid, he took two seconds to scope the hall and two more to plan an escape.

"Rat Tail!" Peter screamed, hitting the ceiling for emphasis. "Rat Tail! Rat Tail! JIM!"

Jim looked. His face was sharp with exigency and viscous with resolve.

Grabbing Wendy's wrist, Peter kicked. "COME ON!" Like a red comet, he blazed over the pirates and villains. "THIS WAY! NOW!"

"Go!" Jim shouted, shoving each student after Peter without hesitation. "Go! GO! Follow Pan! MOVE!"

They flew. Pouncing from the wall, Jim followed the students into the gunfire. "Whatever happens!" he shouted, watching Ariel through her blood red hair. "Head straight for the magic oven!"

"Magic…oven…? Magic ov—" Silver's moth opened, incredulously. Knee joint ripping in it's socket, he raced frantically to the headmaster's office door. Kicking aside Merlin, Silver programmed the gears in his mechanical arm and blasted the door shut.

The sunlight died.

"SHOOT!" Silver yelled, aiming his own pistol at the students. The target was clear as day.

"SHOOT! DON'T LET THEM GET TE THE GALLEY! THEY'RE TRYIN' TE ESCAPE! SHOOOOOOOOT!"

BANGBADDABANGBADDABANGBADDABANGBADDABANGBANGBANG!

And so unraveled, the beginning of the end.

Meg fell. Tigerlily fell. John fell. All three were devoured, taken captive whether they were dead or alive.

Merida fell, Robin fell, and Mulan fell, blasted from the group by sheets of gunfire and skin melting explosions. Burned and twisted, they ran after Merida's Will'O the Wisp, praying fate was in their favor.

Wart fell, cheek bone sliced open by Kay's silver jousting stick. But the boy, seeing Minnie and Merlin across the fray, ran into the deadly thick. Somehow, he made it. Blonde hair turned strawberry with blood, he took the old wizard's arm and placed it over his shoulders. Wart fell a second time, sprawling into Merlin's arms, when Kay struck him from behind.

Ariel, Rapunzel, and Flynn dropped. Scratched, gouged, and ripped, they ran to Wart's aid. Their bravery extinguished swiftly as a candle: Silver gave the word, and the army ate the students alive.

"ARIEL!"

Jim dove.

Peter caught his ankle. He held Wendy back with the other hand. "Rat Tail! Don't – "

"ARIEL!" Jim screamed, clawing the air. Bullets nibbled his fingers, turning the tips red. "ARIEL!"

"The plan!" Peter shouted, pushing Wendy and yanking Jim's foot. "We are going to DIE if you don't stick to the FUCKING pl –"

Jim screamed, wrenching free. "ARIEL!"

"BLLLLLLLLLLOW ME TO BERMUDA!"

BANG!

Blue magic vaulted upwards and outwards, crunching everything and everyone in it's path. Before the blue sparks stabbed into his eyes, Jim saw Merlin spit from the center of the outburst like rocket. Mistress Minnie was in his arms.

Then he saw Ariel.

Kicking hard, he reached for her. Surrounded by villains and overshadowed by the onslaught of blue magic, Ariel reached for him.

"Jim—"

Then, the blue magic hit.

Jim was launched back. The blue magic crushed him like a tidal wave.

Spinning out of control, Jim tore backwards.

He slammed into Peter.

Peter slammed into Wendy.

Wendy slammed into the wall.

Jim cringed at the sound of her head smacking the stone.

"Shit! Wen!"

"No!" Tripping and shoving over Jim, Peter fell at Wendy's side.

She lay still, unconscious. A new bruise was forming over the ones left by her father.

Peter felt sick. Helplessly, his hands trembled over Wendy. Then, stomach flipping, he lifted her hand.

"Her thimble!" Peter spun around to Jim. He squeezed Wendy's empty hand. "Her thimble's gone!"

"Well…"

Jim and Peter turned.

Facilier smiled back. His shadow was to his right. Silver was to his left.

Wendy's thimble was in his hand.

"Well…" Facilier repeated, flicking his wrist and summoning a magic card trick to make the thimble disappear. He leered toothily as Silver's pistol turned red.

"Get em." Facilier said, pressing his thumb and middle finger together. His shadow grinned. "Have a little fun."

Snap.

They ran.

Numbing heat from Silver's blaster corroded with Facilier's icy shadow. Blinding, fierce pain pocketed Jim's shoulders as Silver's aim shattered the stonework around him. It felt like someone was firing staples into his skin.

Swerving and jerking through the hallway, Jim looked up. Peter flew immediately overhead, Wendy cradled in his arms. Facilier's shadow followed like a bolt of black lighting.

Suddenly, the floor gave way to a set of stairs. Twisting upright, Jim sprinted down, knee cracking with impact as he skipped two, three, and four steps at a time. Peter followed, stumbling through the air as he and Wendy were struck with burning rubble.

Jim pounded down the last three steps and raced for the kitchen. Blood screaming in his ears, he wrench open the doors.

Peter tore through, tumbling to the ground in exhaustion

"MOVE!" Jim yelled, seizing Peter and grabbing one of Wendy's arms. The shadow screeched and the doorway burst into flame as they carried Wendy through the broken dishes.

Jim's lungs filled with smoke. His brain constricted as he limped the last steps and collapsed before the magical oven.

Gasping, he flung open the oven's door. Heat rolled from the black, bottomless pitt.

Peter's eyes bulged. Cheeks raw with heat, he hefted Wendy protectively onto his chest.

"Are you crazy, Rat Tail?" He screamed, fingers gnarled in Wendy's bow. "Are you fucking craz—"

"GET IN THERE!"

BOOM!

Jim did not remember exactly what happened after the bomb exploded.

He remembered hitting the lip of the frame as Facilier's shadow and Long John Silver slammed into him.

He remembered falling under Silver's weight into the oven's black, black hole.

He remembered separating from Peter and Wendy in the blackness.

And before loosing consciousness, Jim remembered seeing a two enormous lime-green eyes.

sutlal's note: (reviewer responses!)

ShookAStar (Guest): Hi! First - you won't be disappointed! I already have plans for MAJOR face -to-face bad guy vs good guy interaction. Like "in your face down and dirty" interaction! And second YES - I would love to read your story! And I am sure everyone here wil as well! Post it! Do it! DOOOO IT!

TeenageWasteLand7: You are literally the best reviewer on the planet! You should be a beta because your constructive points always helps me write better! (p.s. was this chapter a little less confusing with the fast paced action? Was Jim's plan a little clearer, now that it actually as put into action?) Thanks again!