A Hero In The Dark

Chapter 99: A Quiet Night Gone Loud

Later that evening, John and I sit on the balcony of the house that we're staying at. Agatha has already gone to bed, assumingly tired from the training she did today.

There's a chill breeze in the air. A few clouds blocking out the night stars above. John and I lean against one another while Pixie rests calmly in my lap, BK lying on the boy's thigh.

It's been a while since I had this chance. The chance to be alone with John and just enjoy our time together away from the war we are supposed to end.

For a long while, there is nothing but silence between us. The crickets chirping in the yard nearby.

"I've missed you so much John," I start at last. "The whole time I was on that ship, I wondered if you were all okay. He said that you were dead. Every day I spent on that warship with him, my heart ached thinking that you might've been killed."

"I've missed you too," John replies lamely. "Every day I thought about you. I thought about how we were going to get you two back. I was beating myself up over it. Henri kept telling me that it wasn't my fault; that we'd get you back, but... I never knew..."

"I love you, John," I say, leaning in closer to him.

"You are my whole world Em. I don't think I can win this war without you..." he says then as he gives me an uplifting kiss on my head.

I cuddle in nearer, stretching my neck to give back a kiss to his warm lips.

A moment of silence passes afterwards, in which we stay in and lie peacefully under the stars.

"John? What happens after we win this war? Do you- go home? Back to Lorien?" I ask in the midst of the silence, a mix of sadness and curiosity in my voice.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I haven't really given much thought to it. I'd love it if you could come too..." John replies, his voice trailing off.

"I'd love to. It would be awesome going to see Lorien. But, I have a family here. I mean, would we even come back?"

"Of course we will," he assures. "Let's not think about all this now. Let's- just focus on the present for now."

And so, we do.

We stay in the other's arms, looking out at the cloudy sky even though the stars are not visible. Long enough that we both nearly fall asleep.

I am vaguely aware of John waking me up to lead me to bed, sleepwalking as I might.

...

It's the middle of the night when John wakes me up.

"Emily," he whispers. "Emily, wake up. Do you hear that?"

Still half asleep, I respond, "Huh? Hear what? What's going on?"

John doesn't answer, an eerie silence filling its place. It's then that I hear a scratching sound at the large bedroom window. John gets up, carefully approaching the glass to peer outside. I prop myself up on my elbows until I am able to register Pixie in her small fuzzy rabbit form.

"John?" I ask again, not wanting to get out of bed.

"There!" he says all of a sudden with a new attentiveness, straining his neck to search for anything out of the ordinary. "There he is! He's warning us about something."

Then, he sees it.

"Whoa! Shit. Mogadorians! Emily get up! We have to go!"

I wake up fully, as quickly as I ever have. "What?!"

"Come on! We have to warn the others!" he says, his voice suddenly urgent.

And so, John grabs my hand and pulls me out of bed.

My feet slapping hard against the bare floor, we hurry to Agatha's room. The second we barge in, she wakes.

"What's going on?"

"The mogs are here," John explains. "We need to go."

"What?!" she questions, looking now at me. "But you said-"

"I know what I said," I interrupt. "I thought we were safe here. But we're not. The mogs found us. And now, we only have two options: stand and fight. Or run and hide." I pause, wait for a reaction in our newest ally before adding, "I think we all know which is the better option."

John nods while Agatha stands still.

"Right then," John says. "A, go find the others. Warn them. Don't let the mogs get to them before they can defend themselves."

"And take Pixie with you," I insist and turn to the bunny sitting eagerly between us. And I instruct the Chimæra that I've come to understand all too well, "Keep her safe."

As we leave the house through the backdoor, I telepathically communicate before Agatha is out of sight, "Remember, fight smart not hard."

And John and I take off, down one alley while Agatha and Pixie head down another.

We run as fast as we can to intercept the mogs, sticking to side streets, shortcuts, and alleys. John uses a fraction of his lumen so we can still see but we don't give away our position.

I am able to hear an owl hoot over my breathing before a Mogadorian jumps down from the roof into the alley in front of us, stopping us in our path.

John immediately torches him, resulting in the mog bursting into a cloud of ash in less than five seconds.

Another drops down behind us. I fire a quick beam of cobalt blue energy, hoping that the light from my palms didn't attract any more.

Soon after, a half dozen more drop down. Three on one side; three on the other.

With the entire alley being full of Mogadorians, there sounds a familiar feminine voice with a thick Mogadorian accent behind us.

"Finally. We have you at last."

I almost manage to spin around in time. Before two sharp pains shoot through my body. One in the center of my back, just to the right of my spine and the other in my side above my waist.

I scream as my knees hit the ground.