The Peregrines

Chapter 2

(Pic is mine :3)

I glanced at the ground, searching for a faint shadow of the creature, only to discover a large amount of glass shards scattered across the floor, with tall stacks of them propped against the walls. Turning to Jake, I saw him observing the beast intently, lost in thought. "I assume you no longer possess the ability to fly?" Jake inquired of Emma.

"Nope," Emma replied.

"I suppose your other friend can," Addison spoke out. The sudden reaction from everyone indicated their surprise upon learning that one of us had the skill to fly. "She has enormous wings," Addison nods towards me. His so damn LUCKY we need him, otherwise I would have swiftly handed him over to the Hollowgast.

"Wings?" Jake frowned as he looked over to me.

A light chuckle escaped my lips as I responded, "Wings? . . . Seriously? Have you lost your senses or something? I don't see any of us with wings, and I certainly don't know anyone who does." I snapped back, partly annoyed. I promise that I have no intention of lying all the time; my main concern is protecting myself from being manipulated by others. I have no interest in being used as a mere tool by Jake or Addison. The idea of flying over a Hollow's head four times just to transport people to the other side is simply not appealing to me well.

Bryce approached me from behind, his footsteps shuffling softly. "Kira, are you okay?" he whispered. "There's blood all over your back." 

I wanted to groan out loud in annoyance but I didn't want to draw attention to it. "Because, DUMBASS, I fell from a 2-story building, and I got scraped on the way down, did you expect me to be sparkly clean after that?!" I said with a bit of sarcasm and annoyance. 

I observed Jake's gaze as it swiftly directed towards the wall. Once Jake snapped out of his trance, he turned his attention towards all of us and began to speak. "Here's what we're going to do: we will quietly slide past it, keeping our backs against the wall, and slip through that narrow opening. There is not a lot of space, but if we're careful-"

Addison quickly understood Jake's perspective and instinctively withdrew, finding solace behind Bryce and using his legs as a shield. "Should we really venture so near it?" Addison's concern was valid. I, too, share the same concern and would prefer to maintain a safe distance from the Hollow. Glancing at Jake, I awaited his response, curious to hear his thoughts on the matter

"Probably not."

That was not the response I wanted to hear, but whatever floats his boat, I guess. "What if it wakes up while we're-?" I asked.

Jake expressed his unwavering certainty, "It won't," Jake said in such confidence I sometimes wish I had. "Just don't make any sudden moves—and whatever you do, don't touch it." In all honesty, who the hell among us would even consider touching a deadly entity that is known for causing harm to peculiars and serving wights? Without a doubt in my mind, I sure as hell know I wouldn't be touching it even if there was a gun held to my head.

"You're our eyes now," Addison said. "Bird preserve us."

"This is too risky," Bryce grabbed my hand and I immediately roughly took it back.

"I don't suppose you have a better idea, do you?" I snapped at him.

"I promised our mother that I'd keep you away from any danger, including our uncle!" 

As soon as the word 'mother' was spoken, a cloud formed above me and quickly turned dark, accompanied by a clap of thunder. I shoved Bryce away, "She is not fit to be called a mother! She is ANYTHING but a mother! She doesn't even deserve to have her own children! I couldn't care less about that old cow wishes for!" With that said, I walked away from him, trying to cool off my steam.

"If she's a cow, that makes you her calf," I heard Bryce mutter under his breath. 

In that precise moment, an overwhelming urge surged within me to hurl a bolt of lightning in his direction, but I restrained myself and not proceed with my idea. "Let's go!" I exclaimed sharply.

All of us gathered close to the wall, where I lifted Addison roughly into my arms with a bit of force. A dark storm cloud formed above my head, but this time I opted not to disperse it; occasionally, small lightning bolts zapped Bryce. Bryce stood by my side without showing any reaction, knowing that criticizing me would only make me angrier and the electric shocks more severe

We all began shuffling along, taking two steps at a time, with our backs pressed against the wall. Gradually, we found ourselves surrounded by a foul odor that was so intense it caused my eyes to water. It honestly smelled worse than stumbling upon a dead animal on the road on a blistering 40°C day. Addison coughed, Emma covered her nose with her hand, and Bryce barely flinched.

We started moving slowly, taking two steps at a time, while keeping our backs against the wall. Soon enough, we were enclosed by a noxious smell that was so strong it made my eyes water. It truly resembled stumbling upon a decaying animal on the road during a scorching 40°C day. Addison coughed, Emma shielded her nose with her hand, and Bryce hardly reacted, probably because he was used to it.

Jake's voice carried a fragile calmness as he murmured, "Just a little further." It was evident that we had reached the part where Bryce, Addison and I were in front of the Hollow, it was so close that we could have reached out and grazed it with our outstretched arms. The rhythmic thumping of its heart echoed within its bony cage, intensifying with each advancing step. "Stay still," Jake said, seemingly addressing the Hollow. "You are mine to command. Do not move." Don't cringe, Kira, don't. Suddenly, the cloud hovering above my head dissipated.

I sucked in my chest, aligned my spine with the wall, and inched into the tight space between the wall and the hidden hollow, I hugged Addison close to my chest. Jake urgently advised, "Hold still, do not move."

Slide, shuffle, slide. 

I held my breath while the Hollow's quickened, a disgusting black mist oozed from its nostrils, wet and wheezing, causing me to hold my breath. If I didn't know Hollows were deadly and dangerous, I'd probably offer some deodorant or something to it. The agonizing desire it felt to consume us must have been unbearable. Although I felt the urge to flee, but I suppressed the feeling, as that would have been behaving like prey. "Stay still. Do not move." Jake said. However, in my bird form, I am inherently a vulnerable prey.

After a few more steps and a couple more feet, we were very optimistic about moving past it. Suddenly, we stopped in our tracks. "Don't move," Jake's voice rang out. Addison finds refuge by burying his face in my chest like a scared toddler. Emma, Bryce, and I stood motionless. "Get back, get back, get back!" Jake shouted at the Hollow. Miraculously, we remained uneaten for lunch.

Jake declared it was a false alarm, prompting a collective exhale of relief from all of us. With great haste, we managed to escape the narrow opening, disengaged ourselves from the wall, and swiftly departed, matching Emma's limping pace. Once we had created some space between ourselves and the hollow, we continued onward. 

Passing through a misty veil, we caught sight of the escalator on the other side, now motionless and devoid of power, resembling a set of stairs. A soft glow of daylight surrounded it, beckoning us towards the world above. The world of the living, the world of the present.