Triple Point

Chapter 27: Explosive Reactions

Camilla went through the door first, checked that the coast was clear, then beckoned Elsie to follow. They ended up in a narrow and grungy alley that was a stark contrast to the vast courtyard at the front entrance. But at least no one was trying to kill her, and that was good enough for Elsie.

Instead of heading straight for the main road, Camilla navigated them quickly through the alleyways. At some point, she had procured a radio earpiece, and from what Elsie could gather she was using it to find the best rendezvous point with other guardians. That was a relief because Elsie wasn't sure if her cardio was good enough to keep running around like they were doing.

Suddenly, Camilla stopped in her tracks and stuck an arm out to keep Elsie back. Elsie collided with her arm and grabbed onto it to keep her balance.

"What is it?" Elsie whispered, scanning the area then looking at Camilla. There was no one else in the alley, but Camilla's eyes were narrowed in focus.

"Get back," she muttered, grabbing Elsie's upper arm and spinning her around. Camilla continued to hold her close as they began to jog in the direction they just came from. "Hurry!"

They only made it a few steps before an explosion burst out from one of the adjacent buildings, sending a blast mere feet in front of where they had been standing just moments before. The heat at Elsie's back was an all too familiar sensation, as was the force that threw both her and Camilla off their feet.

Camilla wrapped her arms around Elsie and turned a palm towards the ground as they fell. Elsie felt a gust of wind lift them a bit just before they hit the ground, and it spun them just enough so that Camilla took the brunt of the impact. Camilla grunted as she got sandwiched between Elsie and the ground, and Elsie winced in sympathy. She wanted to tell Camilla that she didn't have to protect her that much, but Elsie knew it would be a waste of breath. Besides, they had other problems to deal with.

Elsie scrambled to her feet, hauling Camilla up as well. Thankfully, Camilla accepted the help without argument, and the two of them pushed each other further down the alley.

Another explosion went off behind them, but it wasn't even half as powerful as the first one. It was still strong enough to demolish one of the alley walls, and the impact sent debris flying at them.

Soon after was another explosion behind them, this one slightly stronger, and Elsie heard the thud of a large slab of concrete crash to the ground. They only stopped running when an explosion went off in front of them, striking the walls above them and sending rubble falling down to barricade them from their escape.

"Shit," Elsie mumbled.

"Get down!" Camilla ordered at the same time.

Elsie dropped to the ground, just as Camilla blocked an attack from behind them. It was those damn fireballs again, and even though they were small, they kept firing at Camilla without giving her a chance to rest. Elsie really wished she still had her fire extinguisher, though she doubted it would do much. Instead, all she could do was scan their surroundings in search of something else that could help.

The explosions after the initial one had made holes in the wall of the adjacent building, but the openings were too high off the ground to offer another means of escape. But Elsie saw the large slab of concrete that she had heard falling earlier, and she tugged Camilla lightly in that direction to indicate her idea. Camilla nodded once in agreement, and they scrambled over to the rubble for cover, narrowly avoiding another goddamn fireball.

"Why do they keep using fireballs?" Elsie groaned as they crouched behind the concrete slab.

Just as she finished her complaint, a fireball blasted into their defenses, sending up a cloud of dust and rubble. Thankfully, the wall held.