Hope's POV: Stepping over debris, I looked over the damage, looking for any injured students or Triad soldiers. We managed to kill most of them, but some was able to flee. I winced, stepping over another body as a shiver traveled down my spine. I paused as someone walked out in front of me, sporting a black mask and Triad armor. Without thinking twice, I attacked them, punching them across the face, sending them flying down the hall.
They sat up with a small groan before turning to face me with what sounded like a growl. The ground shook beneath me violently, making it almost impossible to stay standing, as they stepped closer, unfazed. My eyes widened before there was a loud explosion, knocking me off my feet.
I coughed, my ears ringing. Looking up, I spotted the soldier slowly getting off the ground a few feet away from me. Groaning painfully, I exhaled deeply as I turned my head, noticing my arm crushed under a large piece of debris. "Hope", I heard someone shout. "Hope, are you okay", Penelope yelled from the other side of the fire.
"Yeah...", I coughed, trying to keep the black spots out of my vision. "But my arm is stuck. I-I think it's broken", I shouted, not taking my eyes off the soldier, who still hasn't moved.
"I'll be back. Just hang tight", Penelope promised, running off.
"What do you want? You got me, okay", I got out shakily as the ceiling above me cracked. The soldier walked toward me, causing me to panic. Attempting to pull my arm free, sweat trailed down the side of my face as my eyes squinted painfully. Giving up with a pained sob, I coughed as the smoke reached my lungs.
Standing over me, I held my breath as they bent over, pushing on the debris that my arm was trapped under. "No. No, stop. Stop", I screamed, tears filling my eyes as I felt the bones in my arm crunch. Breathing heavily, I collapsed against the wreckage behind me as the edges of my vision darkened. Moving my arm out from under the debris, they carefully lay it down in my lap before backing away from me as a relieved cry left my lips. Holding my bloodied arm close to my chest, I looked up at them exhaustedly as my eyes burned with unshed tears.
"Thank you...", I whispered, looking them over cautiously. "B-but you need to leave", I told them, causing them to tilt their head to the side. "If you mean me no harm, then you'll go", I said, my voice shaking from a mixture of fear and pain. "Leave", I ordered, my eyes burning intensely as they stared at me blankly. "What...", I got out as I felt my body leave the ground. Letting out a sharp gasp, I felt my body collide the wall as the roof caved in.
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Josie's POV: Hurrying through the infirmary, I walked passed multiple rooms before spotting Penelope sitting beside Hope's bed. "We lost five more today", I sighed, handing her a cup of coffee as she sent me a thankful smile. "How is she", I questioned, sitting down beside her.
"Her arm was almost completely crushed", she said. "They had to do multiple surgeries, but they don't think that she'll ever fully recover", she explained. "They said that she's lucky", she scoffed.
"Then they obviously don't know Hope like we do", I told her firmly. "She'll pull through this", I nodded to myself.
"When the roof caved in, I thought I lost her", she admitted, furrowing her eyebrow thoughtfully. "But Wade found her passed out against the opposite wall", she said. "What I don't get is that if her arm was crushed under the debris, then how the hell did she get free", she asked.
"Maybe she was just lucky like the doctor said", I shrugged. "The important thing is that she's alive, right", I asked, causing Penelope to nod with a sigh. We both looked up as Hope groaned, causing me to lean forward in my seat as she opened her eyes.
"Penelope? Josie", she questioned, looking around as if something would attack her.
"Hey, how are you feeling", I asked her in concern.
"W-where did they go", she asked us.
"Who", Penelope asked with a frown.
"There w-was someone else here", she told us shakily. "I tried to get into their head, get them to leave, but it didn't work...", she sobbed out, looking at her arm tearfully.
"Did they hurt you? Did they do this", Penelope asked her, trying to control her anger.
"No, they saved me", she told them.
"A Triad soldier...saved you", I questioned, sharing a look with Penelope.
"I...think so", Hope stated. "I don't know, it's kind of fuzzy. I...just remember this figure...walking toward me", she told them, before the lights above them exploded.
"Attention, students. Please stay in your room. An unidentified figure was spotted on campus. This is not a drill", dad said over the intercom. "Repeat. This is not a drill", he retorted.
"I think they're still here", Penelope stated.
"How do you know it's them", I asked.
"Just a hunch", Penelope told her, standing up.
"Wait, where are you going", Hope panicked.
"Pen, you aren't seriously going out there to look for them", I exclaimed, grabbing her wrist.
"I can't let them hurt anyone else, Josie. They need to be stopped", she told her.
"Then I'm coming with you", I stated, grabbing my jacket.
"No, I need you to stay here with Hope", she told her.
"We don't even know if they're dangerous. You heard Hope, she doesn't remember them hurting her", I argued.
"All the more reason you should stay here", Penelope told her, walking out the door, causing me to sigh in frustration.
"She's gonna get herself killed, Ho...", I paused, turning around to notice that Hope's bed was empty and the window was open. "Seriously", I grumbled, storming out the door to catch up with them.
YOU ARE READING
The Darkest Legacies
FanfictionThere's a war raging on, and everything is slowly falling apart. With the help of her friends and family, can Josie finally put an end to the war while also uncovering things from the past that doesn't seem to add up?
