The Peregrines

Chapter 6

The truck came to a halt and the wights jumped down from the running board, their heavy boots hitting the ground with a thud. They stood tall and intimidating, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any potential threats. 

The truck door swung open and a man stepped out, his uniform crisp and clean, a stern expression on his face. He surveyed the area, taking note of every detail. The soldiers stood at attention, their weapons at the ready. The man nodded, satisfied with what he saw. He then turned to the back of the truck and gestured for the other wights to join him 

Other people I hadn't noticed went into a kind of frenzy, laughing and gasping for joy like lunatics, waving their arms and clasping their hands like marooned shipwreck survivors flagging down a passing plane.

Clearly whatever was happening or was about to happen was clearly of importance. Jake, Emma, Addison and I hid behind a thick bush, occasionally peering over it. The truck slowed and the crowd swarmed it, grovelling and begging—for vials, for suulie and ambro and 'just a taste, just a little, please sir!'.  

It was a repulsive sight to witness their worship of our enemies, as they desperately clung to the soldiers, their hands reaching for their clothes and shoes, only to receive brutal steel-toed kicks in return.

I was convinced that the wights would start shooting or accelerate the truck to plough through anyone obstructing their way to the nearby bridge knowing them. However, the truck came to a stop and the wights started shouting commands. 'Form a line, right over here, keep orderly or you'll get nothing!' The crowd obediently formed a line, resembling the needy in a breadline, subdued and restless in anticipation of what was to come.

Addison's sudden struggle to be set down caught me off guard. In a hushed tone, I whispered, "What is the matter with you?" However, the dog merely whimpered in response and intensified his efforts, his face displaying a desperate expression as if he had stumbled upon a significant scent trail. I looked over at Emma since she noticed Addison's struggle as well, concern on my face.

Emma reached out and pinched him, causing him to quickly come to his senses and declare, "It's her, it's her - it's Miss Wren." It became clear to me that the van, along with the cargo in the back of the wights' enormous vehicle, was almost certainly human-fitting if that even made sense.

Unexpectedly, Addison sank his teeth into my skin, as to which I really didn't expect him to do so. I let out a sharp cry and released my grip on him out of reflex, while Jake and Emma made an effort to try and grab hold of him as he dashed by. However, within a split second, he managed to escape their grasp and scurried away.

Emma let out a string of curses while Jake urgently said, "Addison, stop!" Nevertheless, his plea fell on deaf ears; Addison was acting purely on instinct, the unstoppable reflex of a loyal dog trying to defend his owner. I attempted to grab him last minute but missed - he moved swiftly despite having only three functioning legs. Emma then pulled me and Jake up, and we chased after the fleeing dog, leaving our hiding place and heading towards the road.

At one point, a brief moment occurred where I believed we had a chance to catch the damn bastard. The soldiers were overwhelmed by the desperate crowd, and the crowd was too engrossed to pay attention to us.

It seemed like it could've happened, if not for the sudden change in Emma's demeanour as she reached the middle of the road where she noticed the doors at the rear of the truck. Doors that could be melted. The realization must have crossed her mind that she could swing them open, and I could see the glimmer of hope on her face. You absolutely gotta be fucking kidding me!! Without even attempting to grab Addison, she swiftly climbed onto the truck's bumper.

"Emma!!" I hissed, trying not to draw any unwanted attention to her in case she'll suffer the repercussions if she were to be found out.

Unfortunately, within seconds, she was noticed. The guards shouted loudly. Jake and I tried to reach out for Addison, but he swiftly dodged under the truck. Jake and I immediately lost our balance and both our heads smacked hard into each other on the way down. I just hope that the extra knock on my head will give me the extra brain cells I need.

Jake and I quickly got back up just as Emma was in the process of melting the handle of a door when the first guard swung his gun like a baseball bat, striking her in the side and causing her to fall to the ground. Jake charged at the guard as I bent down to help Emma up, but then I saw in my peripheral vision that Jake's legs were swept out from under him and fell hard into the ground. How the hell did he manage to stack it?! 

The guard's scream caught my attention, prompting me to look up and observe him without a weapon, his injured hand raised in distress as he stumbled away amidst the psycho crowd. The lunatics, as I now like to call them, closed in on him, not just asking but also demanding, threatening, and appearing unhinged—while one of them had managed to acquire his weapon which prompted me to duck down, pulling Emma with me, to avoid being shot. I saw the panicked expression on the injured wight's face, he signalled urgently to another guard, using a two-hands-over-the-head gesture to convey his plea for assistance.

With great effort, Jake pushed himself up and sprinted towards Emma and I. Meanwhile, the other guard dove into the crowd, I instantly recognised him, Bryce. He looked over at me for a split second, his expression cold and unforgiving, I just know that look is a warning, for us to turn away, danger is up ahead, he looked back ahead of himself and starts firing shots into the air to create a distraction before retrieving his fellow guard and swiftly returning to the truck. 

As soon as their feet landed on the running boards, they forcefully smacked the side of the truck, causing the engine to roar with power. Finally, Jake reached us just as the vehicle accelerated towards the bridge, its enormous tires spraying gravel and ash in its wake.