Lights | A Forever Fanfiction

Chapter Eighteen: Escape

The truck jolted to a halt; probably at a red light or something. Dr. Morgan sighed, opening his mouth to protest, but thought better of it. I opened the door, and stepped out into the traffic.

Okay, that was pretty stupid of me. I could have been hit by a car or something, but I really didn't care. National crisis, thank you!

Dr. Morgan went ahead of me. I ignored all of the weird looks and car horns being blasted at us and closed the door of the truck, slipping through the maze of cars to the sidewalk.

"Lights, we have to call Lieutenant Reece," Dr. Morgan ruled.

"No, because if this is the emergency, the bomb thingy," I replied, stumbling across my words. "It's already happening. Let's check the news?" I took out my phone, which Dr. Morgan snatched away.

"This... doesn't look good," he murmured, flicking through the news. I stood on my tip-toes and peered over his shoulder.

"No kidding," I replied harshly. "Shall we?"

"No, no it doesn't look safe," Dr. Morgan replied. I snatched my phone back and skipped out in front of him.

"And since when was I all about safe?" I called over my shoulder. Dr. Morgan ran after me, protesting under his breath. Joy Street. Joy Street. Three blocks away. Down the street, cross the sidewalk-

A resounding crack filed the eair, accompanied by the sound of a muted explosion. Smoke drifted into the air, billowing through the colourless sky, like spilled ink spreading across a pale sheet of paper.

"Crap," I said. "Craaaap." I tumbled down the street, skidding across patches of ice.

"Lights!" Dr. Morgan yelled from a few yards behind me. "Lights, don't go there!"

When I turned the corner, the whole world was on fire. In the middle of it all was a single figure wrapped in smoke and flames. I froze, my heart pounding quickly, fervently. Through a fresh wave of sparks, I caught a glimpse of a few police officers. Firefighters hummed around the block, setting up roadblocks.

"Hey, you can't be here!" one of them yelled, gesturing at me. They maneuvered to escort me out of the cordoned zone, but I slipped past him, running towards the chaos like an insane person. I had to get closer - I couldn't see who it was in the centre of the fire.

"Kid!" the fireman/woman yelled. "Hey, stop!" I ignored their shouts and continued onwards. The flames diminished for a few moments, and when I looked up, a gasp of shock and horror escaped from my lips as fear paralysed my body.

It was Adam. Thin lips, high cheekbones, and a merciless smile carved into his snake-like features glowered down at me. I reeled backwards, as flames filled the road once more. The flames parted once more, and two more figures flickered forwards. A woman with black hair, lips painted the colour of rubies, and eyes rimmed in black eyeliner, and a man with eyes the colour of gold, staring through the flames with cold disregard.

A firm hand wrapped around my arm, dragging me away. I struggled against their grip, lashing out, until I realised that it was Dr. Morgan. Hatred flashed in my eyes, filling my chest, my throat, scalding my insides.

"It was Adam- he was there-!" I stuttered, gasping for breath. A scream of shock and rage filled the air, and it took me a moment to realise that it was coming from me. A paramedic helped us back to the barrier as I struggled against their grips. "No! Let me go!"

"Lights, you can't do anything!" Dr. Morgan cried through the sound of the chaos. His grip tightened, and pain buried itself into my arm.

"He killed my father!" I screeched. "They- they destroyed my family!" My voice shattered, and I reached forwards into the air, closing my fingers round the space where Adam and his companions appeared to be. Panic filled me. No. Nononono, no!

"There's nothing you can do, Lights!" Dr. Morgan shook my shoulders. "They're in the midst of the flames. You would get yourself killed before then." I shuddered with a broken sob of despair.

"We have to wait. Adam will find his justice, but we have to wait. Do you recognise those people with him?" Dr. Morgan added.

"No, I don't," I muttered, trying to recollect myself. "I'm so useless, so powerless. Damn the system, damn mortality."

"Believe me, immortality is no better," Dr. Morgan deadpanned. "Come on. Let's leave. Reece is probably very angry at the both of us." He led the way down the road and away, far away from an enemy that I could no longer reach.