My Sister's a Guardian (RotG Fanfiction)

Chapter 14: The Powers Since

(Content/trigger warnings for this chapter: self-hatred)

--Ranya--

Bones clacked and crashed above me as I narrowly ducked. Their arms tangled together, giving me time to stoop under a pair of legs and race to the door.

The Fear Angels had soon untangled themselves and were after me. Before I'd made it to the hall, they were two steps from the door.

I couldn't outrun them. So what could I do? I threw my flag, and a couple of Fear Angels stumbled over it and crashed, but the others lifted them to their feet, and they kept going.

I listened to the clacking elsewhere in the building, trying to decipher where in this maze of a school I could run. Intersections crossed intersections and crossed more intersections, so I had to be careful where I was visible. I clearly couldn't hear all of the Fear Angels, though, because I couldn't hear many, and I'd seen more earlier. Great.

And something sounded off. A different kind of clattering started up. Something harder, and slightly louder, and almost mingled with a voice.

Something else was in this building.

I dove around a nearby corner at the last minute and rolled to my feet. That seemed to be something heroes did—roll to their feet. I was a little wobbly, but the Fear Angels couldn't slow down in time and crashed into the wall and each other, sprawling into a pile. I took this chance to sprint as fast as I could to the left in the nearest intersection.

But the creatures were up in seconds, and quickly regained their ground. I listened again for the location of other Fear Angels, and heard the warped sound coming closer to me. Great.

I suddenly halted my pace and dropped to the ground. The Fear Angels barreled past me at their speed, almost falling over as they tried to stop themselves, and I took this chance to spring up and dart into the nearest classroom.

The room was a mess—and not just the usual cracks and leaks. Desks had been upended into a collective jagged sculpture in the middle of the room; ten whole boxes of pencils had been knocked onto the floor, their contents rolling all over; and paralyzed bodies were everywhere in ragged piles. With how many there were, this had to be near where the attack had begun. I nearly tripped over an arm bent in an unhealthy position as I grabbed a pencil and threw it into the hall. It clattered, and I ducked behind the desks.

Clattering sprinted past the door.

When I was sure they were gone, I sighed. I can't defeat them right now... I need a way to get people out. But I heard no screams or pounding of human shoes against the floors. Had the Fear Angels really paralyzed everyone else in the building already?

I cursed myself. No one was left. I shouldn't have run in here.

But I again focused on the warped clattering sound. The Guardians probably didn't know about whatever that was. I could figure it out.

I listened for the other skeletal creatures. I had to avoid them as best I could—I didn't know how often my tricks would work.

It was difficult to tell the exact locations of the Fear Angels, but I could at least tell approximately how close they were to me.

The warped sound grew louder—nearer.

I crept back to the classroom door, stepping over arms and pencils and weaving around desks. Once I'd made it, I poked my head into the hall. I looked to the left, then the right. So far, the path was clear.