You Better Bring an Umbrella, Vol. 2

Chapter 36: Brand New

            The way my heart screamed in my ears stood unmatched by any other moment spurred purely by adrenaline. I wasn't quite sure how my life had reached the point where I'd been placed in a position to run from bullets fired at me multiple times, but I guess nothing really ever goes according to plan. The best I could do was attempt to run right behind Five, in a vain attempt to keep him from getting shot, and steer the two of us behind anything that could shield us from the momentary hellfire. Klaus, Allison, Diego, and Luther were in the same position as the two of us, frantically scrambling to protect themselves from harm. Snow from the storm Harlan created crunched beneath our feet, causing us to slip on a few occasions. Everything combined made it feel like the brick red tractor only a few hundred feet in front of us feel as though it rested on the other side of a mountain.

"We're not gonna make it!" I screamed, my brain officially beginning to shut itself down. The world around me began to close into tunnels, the white-hot sensation I hadn't felt since my youth overtaking my limbs.

I barely registered as Five set a hand on one of my arms, crying out in pain as we jumped just in front of our intended hiding place. Unable to completely process what just happened, my stomach lurched, threatening to spill over the little bits of food I'd been able to consume earlier in the day.

"Five, I think I'm gonna puke," I declared, swallowing down the rising burning sensation.

"No time," he snapped, stumbling a little over his own feet. The two of us managed to get behind the tractor, burying ourselves in the groove of one of the hub caps. Every time a bullet came too close, we flinched, trying our best to formulate some semblance of a plan. "What now?"

"We blink into the house!" I made it sound like it was the obvious move, but in the flurry of panic, it was difficult to even keep one thought straight.

"Okay."

I kept my eyes on the approaching waves of soldiers as Five set his hands on my knees and my shoulders. I heard the familiar 'whoosh' of energy, but when I blinked, I found myself still staring at the same sight as before. The threat kept growing closer, but with every try, Five and I remained stuck in place. Concerned, I tore my gaze away from the blue suits and stared at my brother, who appeared equally as terrified.

"I'm out of fuel," he gasped, "and you're burning my hands."

Sure enough, when Five extended his palms out, I noticed the bright red marks on them. Those would no doubt leave a scar on him. Despite my best attempts to rationalize everything, my mind had almost completely shut itself down, leading to unconscious charges in electricity; it was getting out of control at this point, and I feared what would happen if Five was around for the impact.

"Go!" I urged. "I'll... I'll cover for you." Five glared at me with wide eyes, as though unsure if he'd heard what I'd said correctly.

"Mina, what are you—" Before Five could protest any further, I stood up and pushed myself away from our hiding space, suddenly unafraid of what could happen to me.

Although I could already feel the electricity overwhelming my being, I wanted more of a charge; there was no way in hell that I could take out all of them, but a pretty sizable crowd was enough for me. Trouble was, I couldn't exactly move well in the snow or on grass, not to mention the bullets growing ever-closer. I was just about to take what I had and hope that it worked out, when the projectiles heading straight for me suddenly bent in midair and slowed, as though there was a shield around my person. Wrapped in confusion, I turned on my heel, my jaw dropping as I stared at Diego. He'd emerged from his hiding place and had his arms stuck out in front of him, directing bullets away from me in midair. I hadn't realized he could control the trajectory of objects he hadn't thrown, but here I was, standing wildly corrected.