Perilous Flames [clifford a.u]

chapter forty six - arrival | aiden

CHAPTER FORTY SIX - ARRIVAL | AIDEN 

In a blink of an eye, the quiet of the cabin, the tension that dominated the room, was blown through by chaos.

There was smoke, blood, wails of pain, and fire.

My head was buzzing, pounding from something--probably the floor--it slammed against. Where I lay, it was no longer the living room space. Somehow in the explosion, I was strewn towards the foyer, now lying crumpled up against the remaining standing stairs.

The was the taste of the metallic tang of blood in my mouth and my vision blurred, but I couldn't stay on the floor. There were so many people, too many people by the blast. I needed to make sure they were okay.

I found myself getting to my feet, slowly and clumsily.

Eyes darting around, I tried to find someone, anyone--and the first person I saw was Calum, lying on the ground with half of the wood railing of the staircase strewn over him. He was just beginning to come around and I ran as quickly as I can to him.

When I was close enough, I was able to see that the longest, thickest wood part had Calum's entire left arm and thigh pinned under it. Dropping to my knees, I proceeded to move the staircase as far as I can, but it barely budged. It was too heavy.

Calum groaned as he caught sight of me and attempted to help me as I tried again, but there was no luck. Panic began to set it, and I felt my breath getting heavier and faster. "Oh God, Calum--"

"The others," he interrupted with a mumble. Blood began to dribble from his mouth down his chin and my stomach dropped in horror. "Go get the others."

I was about to protest when I realized that he was right. We needed to find the others. We needed their help.

"I'll be right back," I breathed, but it came out shaky and unsure. I couldn't find it in myself to sound convincing or reassuring. At the moment, it felt impossible to be assured about anything. All I could see was the rubble of the cabin--our home, around me, in flames.

I moved towards the back of the cabin, into what should have been the living room. There, some of the walls were still standing, and some were breaking down from the fire, from the sudden rupture of the place's foundation. Sparks flew all around me, and I squinted, trying to gaze through, to find someone when sudden hands gripped around my neck and I was taken off my feet. My throat constricted for air as I was hung in the air and I glanced down to see a snarling Nick. 

"You're going to pay, darling," he said and threw me with incredible strength that I hit a crumbling outer wall across the room and went tumbling into the grass. 

A sharp pain stabbed on my side and I coughed, blood dribbling from my mouth. I had landed on my side, and  I pushed myself up, trying to get myself to my feet, but Nick had already grabbed a chunk of my hair and he began to drag me away. 

I heard another cry and in the distance I see two men pulling Calum helplessly across the lawn from his feet. I tried twisting my head, trying to get my surroundings into view through my tears and what I saw up ahead left dread in my core. 

There, more ahead on the lawn was Scarlett and her fellow hunters. She stood in the center of them all, hands on her hips, a grin splayed on her face. She looked satisfied. Eager. 

When we arrived at a good distance from them, Nick released my hair and my body fell like dead weight to the floor. Mud caked the side of my face and I coughed, trying to clear my throat of the blood that just kept bubbling up. 

"Glad to see you join us, dear Aiden," Scarlett murmured. She moved forward, towards Calum, who was curled upon himself, moaning in pain and clutching his arm that was limp and quickly losing color. 

She brought the toe of her shoe to his chin and lifted his face up, gazing down at him with disgust. "You all destroyed half of my guild. Innocent men and women." She pulled her foot away and he dropped with a shudder. "And you will all play. Blood for blood." She motioned at one of her men and moved away. "Kill him." 

One of the men pursued forward and every nerve left working in me electrified in my veins. My sight sharpened, I could hear the blood rushing in my veins, and with every ounce of strength that I had left, I shot my leg out. 

My heel hit the shin of Nick's and he fell back with a surprised cry and I brought it around and down so it pounded against his stomach. In the moment of everyone being stunned at the sudden burst, I slipped the gun from his belt, unlatched the safety, raised it, and shot down the men approaching Calum. 

The gunshot rang out deafeningly through the woods and the mens' blood soaked the grass in seconds. 

Scarlett's other members turned towards me, but I shot again, backing away with everyone when suddenly there was only a clicking noise echoing from the gun. 

Panic spread in my chest and I opened the cartridge of the gun to find it empty. 

A laugh rang from Scarlett and the others joined in except for Nick, who got up from his position on the floor and spit at my knees. 

"Pity," Scarlet said and she motioned at her men again. "Let's take them both to the back of the woods. Draw out what's left of their ridiculous clan." 

Anger clouded Nick's face and it seemed like he much rather wanted to rip my eyeballs out instead, but then he took a deep breath and gestured to Calum. "What about him?"

The guild leader glanced at Calum, who somehow managed to keep himself upright at the moment. Her eyes roamed up and down, sizing his threat, and then she waved her fingers at him, giving a tsk. 

"No, no. Let's keep him alive for now." She glanced at me, her blood-red lips curling. "I want to see Aiden's face when I torture him and rip out his heart. I want to see her face when she realizes the consequences that happen when she defies me." 

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hiiiii, this is really short and it's has been so long, but i hope you're all doing great <3 a lot of has changed for me in the past year(s), but i have full intent to finish this no matter how long it takes.