Devil's Kettle (Coprolalia Part Two)

Not With a Whimper But With a Bang: Chapter Seventy One

After a couple of minutes where everyone was scared to move, Ben hesitantly got up and walked over, putting his hand on Claire's shoulder.

He half excepted her to incinerate him on the spot, or at the very least push him away, but instead she sighed.

"Claire, I think you should bring her to a hospital."

"What?"

"If you're planning on keeping her asleep for the next few years she has to be put on life support. Bring her to one of the hospitals in the big cities like Charlotte or Atlanta or Seattle or any other one."

"Will you come with me?" Claire asked.

Ben shook his head. "You have to do this alone, she's your sister. I'll go back to the bunker, I'll make sure that Misha or Rae don't try to kill Chloe and I'll make sure that Emma is okay and I'll make sure that Maxwell get's locked up as tightly as possible and I'll make sure that Julien gets a hunters funeral, okay?'

Claire nodded. "So I- I just bring her to the hospital?" She looked up at him and Claire's blue eyes looked broken. "What do I tell them?"

"The truth." He smiled half-heartedly. "Then you can come back when you're ready."

Claire nodded and disappeared with the soft sound of flapping wings.

Still, no one else moved.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Are all of you cowards?" He called. "Someone go find Misha and Emma and make sure they're okay. Josephine, over here."

At least ten people went down the stairs, including Rae Brooke. Chloe, Jesse, Rose, Melody, Krissy, and Aidan stayed behind as Josephine slowly walked over and the puddle of blood around Julien's body kept spreading.

"Why did you single me out?" Josephine asked. She sounded suspicous.

Ben kicked Maxwell in the stomach to stop the laughing. "You get the job of gaurding him. It would be ideal if you scared him like you scared Celeste in Texas, just a thousand times worse."

"We were planning on leaving." Josephine replied.

Ben sighed. "Can't you three just stick around for maybe... three extra hour? I'll help make sure you leave with a car and supplies."

After a few seconds Josephine nodded. Then she glanced at Maxwell, and the boy froze in fear.

Ben walked over to where Chloe and Jesse had only managed to sit up. "You two okay?" He asked them.

Chloe didn't reply as she stared at her hands clasped in her lap.

"We're okay." Jesse said. "No one is hurt."

Ben nodded. "As soon as everyone gets back up here we're going back to the bunker."

~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rae followed Sean Adomer into the narrow room behind the hidden door.

Inside the room were at least a dozen bodies lying in hospital beds.