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 Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 6:44 pm
Atticus didn’t want to get up. He was comfortable with his arm around Elliot as they curled up in Elliot’s bed together.
They’d stayed up way too late just talking and eating snacks and watching movies. It was easily the best summer of Atticus’ life, and it only just started. They were planning on going to the zoo together. The aquarium, planetarium, the beach. They were going to hang out in the park and explore the city and just sit in their rooms and talk and do art and maybe play some Tetris.
He regretted drinking too much chocolate milk, because now he couldn’t just sleep comfortably through the night like he would have liked.
Carefully, so he wouldn’t wake Elliot, Atticus did his best to untangle himself from him. He already missed the warmth of his friend, but decided it would be okay because he could just crawl back into bed with him once he returned.
Quietly, Atticus made his way out of Elliot’s room and into the hall towards the bathroom. There were plenty of nightlights that made finding his way easier, and he wasn’t entirely convinced that Elliot’s parents were asleep yet. He thought he saw light from under their door, but their nightlight might have just been bright.
And maybe he was imagining things, but there was a strange… smell. Maybe he was just so tired that he was making things up in his head. It might have been the popcorn they’d burnt a little.
But it was on his way back, when he was rubbing some lotion onto his hands after washing them that he felt a sudden heaviness in the air. He looked up with wide eyes to see a very familiar man with a crooked grin.
“Hello,” the man sneered, even though he seemed to have been caught off guard by running into someone. Atticus’ eyes darted down to the man’s leg where he knew a dagger was hidden beneath his jacket. The wound had mostly healed, but there was a scar to remind him.
“I’m looking for a boy named Chad. He’s about your age. Do you know him?”
Atticus felt faint. He could feel the weight of the necklace, he knew his disguise was still in place. Did this man not recognize him? He would have… and he would have killed him if Devyn hadn’t shown up--
He didn’t have his pen with him. He didn’t think he would need it! Not here! Not in Elliot’s house! How did they know they could find him there? They must have found out that he knew Elliot from school. Or tracked him down some other way.
That meant Elliot was in danger.
His heart was racing, he could barely breathe. He must have unintentionally glanced at Elliot’s bedroom door because the man with the dagger glanced towards his door as well.
“In here?” the man cooed, his voice dripping with a wickedness that made Atticus’ blood run cold.
“Elliot!” Atticus screamed, not sure what to do. He couldn’t just leave Elliot in there for this man to attack him!
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 6:59 pm
Elliot had already been missing Atticus’ warmth before he reached the door. He was still in that comfortable, warm haze of sleepiness, where he could almost touch his dreams but was awake just enough to know that Atticus wasn’t there yet. He could have slipped away, but instead he clung to the little threads of consciousness so he could greet Atticus when he got back, and then–
A scream. Atticus’ voice. His name.
He bolted upright, and the fatigue evaporated in an instant. A cold sweat descended on him, and he knew something was wrong. Not just a shadow in the night, not a spider on the wall.
Elliot was fast; his feet were on the ground before Atticus finished calling his name.
His father was faster.
The door to his parent’s bedroom yanked open and Oliver was in the hallway with them.
There was a brief second of panic, of alarm.
Oliver did not know this person. Oliver knew that he was in his house, that he was too close to Atticus and too close to his son.
Michael’s words were fresh on his mind, about Chaos. About monsters. About people who could pull your soul out of your body and destroy you in this life and all others.
He wasn’t really thinking when he charged at the stranger in his house. He didn't have to think, instinct was enough. He used his full force to collide into him, and they hit the wall with enough force that Elliot’s door rattled.
Oliver didn’t have time to call Asher before he was out behind him, but by then Elliot had opened the door to his room and could only stare, confused.
“Get out,” Asher said, and his voice carried with an angry sternness that he must have perfected in the classroom, but there was an anger and desperation in it that made it clear he wanted the intruder to leave. He had a baseball bat in one hand but as he moved to join Oliver, he hesitated. For Elliot’s sake, only. He was too close to it all, nearly trapped in his room and too close to the stranger.
So, Asher reached out and grabbed a fistful of Elliot’s shirt, effortlessly tugging him from where he stood in the doorframe. Even in his adrenaline fueled concern, he was gentle when he pushed Elliot down the hallway, closer to Atticus.
Closer to the living room, closer to the doors.
Asher hadn’t forgotten their talk with Michael, either.
Elliot took Atticus’ hand, and even if he was scared–because he was, very much; it was hard to be brave when you were watching your parents panic–he tugged him back a bit, away from the stranger in the hallway.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:16 pm
To have a pathetic looking civilian man attack him-- well, it wasn’t what the Captain expected. He let out a grunt in surprise as he hit the wall, and then laughed when he was told to get out.
“No need for violence! I’ll get out once I have what I want,” he sneered as he teleported back a few feet away from the two who thought they could take him on. Clearly he didn’t do a good enough job last time so he had to take care of loose ends.
He’d been told there were two men that lived there. Together. A family, and clearly a bad influence. Trent was right to suggest getting rid of them as well.
“Give me Chad and I’ll leave. I know he hung out with the kid that lives here. Are you hiding him here? You,” he said suddenly, looking Atticus dead in the eye. Atticus froze and gripped Elliot’s hand so hard that he was afraid he would hurt him -- once he realized what he was doing. “Are you a friend of Chad’s? His family is very worried about him, you know.” Clearly he needed to appeal to their sympathy for family and whatnot. It didn’t matter what he told them, anyway. They would all be dead by the time he was done.
Atticus didn’t know what to do. He felt like he was going to cry-- but he couldn’t. His eyes were wide, horrified at this man showing up again. Threatening Elliot and his parents. What if something happened to them? It would be his fault for being there.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:28 pm
“There’s no one here but us,” Elliot snapped suddenly, taking a step back. He held Atticus’ hand tightly and made sure to guide him with him. “I live here, and Chad is my friend, and he’s missing right now. If I knew where he was, he wouldn’t be missing!”
He knew he was tired, but he also knew he’d just seen that guy move away from his father. Completely out of the way. It wasn’t normal, and he knew that was impossible.
Even if he still felt so dizzy and sluggish. There was a weight in his chest and it almost felt like he’d just run a full marathon, but his body was just tired, not sore.
Asher knew. Oliver knew.
Maybe not everything, but enough.
If someone could teleport, they were bad news. Any intruder was bad enough, but Michael had just warned them.
They’d taken him seriously. They just hadn’t actually expected that anyone would show up looking for Chad. Not like this, not in the middle of the night.
It was a good thing Michael had given them that pen. A good thing Oliver had been playing with it while he was talking with Asher. A good thing he’d pushed the button instinctively as he’d run to the door. The pen had fallen to the floor in their room, but he had pushed it.
“Elliot,” Asher said slowly, carefully; he hooked one arm with Oliver to help him up. Asher didn’t take his eyes off the stranger, just in case. “Can you take Atticus to the family room while we figure this all out? It’ll be okay. Just give us some space.”
Elliot had stiffened; he sucked in a breath and looked from his parents before he took another step back, tugging Atticus’ hand again. He didn’t look behind him, just kept slowly stepping backwards.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:35 pm
The Captain was amused by the child snapping about Chad being his friend. Not amused enough to want to let them live.
Maybe.
“How old are you, kid? Ever thought about putting that spunk of yours to a better use? You can have power. You can do whatever you want. Eat as much ice cream as you want, run really fast, jump really high. You could be more than just trapped here by these… people,” he turned to sneer at Oliver and Asher. It was clear that he thought very little of the two men standing in front of him.
“But you’re a good kid. You wouldn’t be interested in power, would you? I bet you wash your hands before you eat. Maybe you just need a little motivation,” he suggested and held up his hand.
There was darkness around him as he summoned the youma.
A large youma that could barely fit in the room.
It had sharp, large hooves, with spines all along its legs and down its back. Two long tusks, and a mouth of sharp teeth. It looked like a deformed wild boar with something toxic oozing from its fur. It huffed and snorted and squealed deafeningly, and when it took a step the whole house seemed to vibrate. The floor splintered and there was a loud crack from somewhere beneath them, as if the foundation had been split.
“You can help me find your friend. Or you can be a snack for him.” The Captain moved himself aside so it was obvious he had every intention of letting the youma mow them down where they stood. He would just have to light the place on fire or something to hide the evidence.
Atticus could feel Elliot tugging his hand, but he was frozen with fear. He followed him with each step, but couldn’t tear his eyes away from the man, and then from the youma. All of the work Michael and Devyn and Soleiyu put into trying to hide him was going to be for nothing.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:50 pm
Okay, a monster. Okay. It was big.
And this guy was talking to him like it was nothing. Insulting his parents, obviously, but he sounded like he was trying to win Elliot over to–what, to abandon his friend? His parents? To save himself at the cost of giving them up?
For a second, he was rooted in place. Cold washed through him and he felt like he was icing over.
“Elliot,” Oliver said, desperately. His voice trembled. He was scared.
Anyone should have been, staring at the behemoth that had just appeared in their house.
Elliot steeled himself. Tightened his grip on Atticus’ hand.
He ran.
He knew his house well, even in the darkness, and he knew how to get out. They didn’t have a family room, he knew what give us some space meant.
It meant go.
He didn’t want to leave his parents, but he wasn’t going to get in their way. It’s not like they’d ever talked about things like this before, but he knew that they’d have more to worry with him and Atticus there, and even if he thought he could help in some way, Atticus had still been stabbed recently and he couldn’t risk it happening all over again. Michael wasn’t far.
He was nearly choking on the air in there anyway–logically, they were closer to the door. They could get out.
Elliot couldn’t find the words to speak; his throat burned and his eyes were stinging and there was too much going on right now that he didn’t think to try and process it. The adrenaline did all the work for him; he unlocked the back door, shoved it open.
Whatever monsters Asher and Oliver thought they’d seen, or might have planned for, this was not it. The house was creaking under the pressure, and it felt like the ground was bowing inward. It wasn’t quite enough to knock Oliver off balance, but it was enough that they already knew this was serious.
The smart thing to do was run, but it’s not like they could do anything until the boys were gone, and there was no doubt in Asher nor Oliver’s mind that the only course of action was to at least buy them a little time and make sure they were out of this house before anything bad could happen.
The hallway was small–too small for the monster to get through, probably. Hopefully.
Asher gripped the baseball bat a little tighter and raised it. He didn’t think it would do much against something that size but.
It was better than nothing.
They only needed to buy a little time, anyway.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:56 pm
The Captain clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth when the boy ran, pulling the other kid with him. That was fine. He would find them later and maybe take a starseed and then bring the other back with him. Maybe he would just youmafy him and keep as a pet. In the hall the boar let out a squealing roar as it pushed its way through the hall. It was too big, but that didn’t seem to matter. As it moved forward the flooring cracked and the joists in the walls buckled. The toxic ooze seemed to sizzle as it ate at the drywall. The air in the house was already thick, but this seemed to make it exponentially worse. It tossed its head, using its tusks to try and gore both Oliver and Asher as it ripped its way through the house. The beams in the ceiling seemed to crack above them. Flecks of dust and paint fell like snow. - The only thing Atticus could do was run with Elliot. He knew they needed help. He didn’t want to leave Oliver and Asher, but he knew they wouldn’t be of any help. They could maybe get to Devyn and Michael -- they should be able to help, right??
“Elliot,” he sobbed, scrubbing his face with his free hand as they ran. He could barely see where they were going, but he trusted Elliot to be able to lead him. Behind them he could have sworn he heard the cracking of wood. The whole house seemed to be groaning.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:04 pm
The kids were gone, so Asher didn’t bother censoring the stream of expletives that tumbled from his mouth when the thing got closer. The hallway hardly slowed the thing down and it only took so much pressure before chunks of the wall were splintering free.
They were being backed down the hallway quickly, and they had the option of backing into their room or Elliot’s. Elliot’s window opened into the back yard, theirs the front. The boys probably went out the back, so if they were going to buy them any time or try to distract this–this thing–then they had to keep their distance.
Asher wanted nothing more than to be with them, away from all of this.
Or to be in bed, sleeping, and have none of this going on right now.
Asher held his hand across Oliver’s chest to try and protect him from the approaching monster. Oliver was already coughing, even before the ceiling shifted above them. He raised one hand to cover his mouth, but it was at the same time the boar lunged.
He brought the baseball bat down as hard as he could on the tusk before it could make contact with Oliver. He hit it so hard that the force reverberated through the baseball bat and left his hand numb, but he didn’t drop it. Didn’t feel the tusk tear through him.
Did feel Oliver yanking him into their bedroom and slamming the door shut. Couldn’t hear what he was saying. Felt the house shift again. Oliver had locked the door out of habit, even if there was a part of him that must have understood something that could break walls really wasn’t going to be stopped by a single door. Maybe they should have split up, maybe he should have gone into one room and Asher another but he hadn’t wanted to be separated from his husband and his son. Nothing made any sense, so he picked up his chair and threw it at the door to try and put anything else between them and the thing in their hallway.
-
“It’s okay,” Elliot said quickly, a little high pitched but insistent. Once they were outside he could breathe a little more, but his heart was beating so quickly and his mind was running so fast that he’d forgotten he needed to twice already.
He didn’t have enough oxygen in his lungs to talk and run. He was charging through backyards, weaving between obstacles. His neighbors’ grass was kinder than the street would have been.
Elliot heard the noise from his house. He didn’t look back. He couldn’t. He wanted to be there with them, wanted to help them, but he trusted them. So when his father told him to go, he did. No matter how guilty he felt about it. He held onto Atticus’ hand tightly. He wanted to reassure him, wanted to say more. He couldn’t.
He didn’t know what to say.
But, maybe Michael would. Or Devyn. Or someone. If they kept running, they’d get there eventually.
It was the safest place he could think of.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:15 pm
He couldn’t breathe. Elliot was the runner, he wasn’t. Atticus didn’t know how far they’d gotten when his legs finally couldn’t keep up and he tripped and collapsed onto the grass.
The tears came quickly once he didn’t have all of his energy focused on running. Not only could he not help save Elliot’s parents, but he couldn’t even keep up with Elliot when he was trying to keep them both safe.
“I-- can’t,” he gasped for air, his side aching from running as quickly as they had. The wound had healed, but the area was shooting pain through his abdomen. The healed bite to his ankle felt raw and sent sparks up his leg every time he stepped. “I can’t...” he sobbed into the grass as he tried pushing himself up regardless.
All he could do now was sob. He desperately wanted Oliver and Asher to be okay. He wanted to get to Devyn and Michael so they could help--
“Get Michael-- and Devyn--” he tried gasping through the pain of his lungs burning. He didn’t think he could run any further even if he wanted to. - But Michael and Devyn had already left their home. They didn’t see the boys because they took another way around the houses that was more forgiving to their longer strides.
Michael powered up first, once he was certain they were hidden, but close enough to bust into the house and stop the Captain and youma from destroying it further. Sessrumnir wanted nothing more than to protect his friends and Elliot and Atticus, and with the youma stuck in the hall, he called for Princess to attack it from behind.
It screeched in pain from the wolf’s teeth, and Princess whined from the toxic goo that bubbled up from where she bit. She paused to rub her face against the ground and her paw over her maw to try and get the goop off.
Not wanting her to be in more pain, Sessrumnir quickly recalled her, and instead took a chair from the kitchen to hit the youma with. He could see blood in the hall, but he couldn’t tell whose it was. His heart was racing, afraid that any of them could be hurt. The Captain clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth when he felt the auras of the Eternal and Knight. He would have liked to wait long enough to make sure everyone in the house died, but he supposed it was better to be safe. Besides, with how much the youma was thrashing about, the house was likely to crumble sooner than later. There was already a large crack in the fireplace, and larger parts of the ceiling was starting to fall.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:23 pm
Elliot wasn’t leaving Atticus. His parents were expecting him to look after him, and Elliot might have been able to run because his parents told him to, but he wasn’t leaving Atticus. “You can,” he said. He hadn’t let go of his hand and he wasn’t planning on abandoning him. He took great gasps for air while they slowed, but he used both hands to pull Atticus up.
“I’ll carry you, have you had a piggyback ride before? I’ll get down, and I just need you to get on my back. I should still be able to carry you like that. All you have to do is hug me, okay? But we have to go fast. I’m not leaving you here, Atticus. I can’t go without you. Come on, we can do this. Just trust me.”
-
There wasn’t any reason that they should have tracked Atticus to the Reids. His disguise was impeccable, they’d been careful. Soleiyu had made sure they had all the proper paperwork. For all intents and purposes, Atticus was his son and had always been his son.
So this shouldn’t have happened.
That it had left him frustrated. Angry.
He didn’t recognize the youma but he recognized the Captain. He wouldn’t have felt bad about killing him. Should have, for all the trouble he’d given the people in Devyn’s life. But, the youma was the greater issue. It had hurt Princess. He could see the blood on its tusk when it thrashed. had blood on its tusk. It was leaking toxins. The house was structurally damaged to the point that he almost thought he should tell Sessrumnir that they needed to take a step back.
Alastor didn’t, because he knew it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Michael wasn’t going to leave, and neither was he. He picked up the metal floor lamp and yanked it with such force that it pulled right out of the wall.
His go-to would have been to just hit the thing, but when contact with it had hurt Princess so much, of course he was going to be careful.
Mostly.
He gripped the lamp with both hands and drew it back before he stabbed it into the youma with as much force as he could manage while avoiding trembling ground and falling debris
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:33 pm
Atticus was still gasping for breath as Elliot pulled him back up. He did trust Elliot! He just didn’t trust himself. He just cried harder because now that he’d slowed down it was easier to feel how much everything hurt. He was tired. They didn’t have their shoes on. His knees ached from falling. His side throbbed and lungs burned.
He didn’t want to make things harder for Elliot, either. But he trusted him. He nodded as he blubbered incoherently, and wiped his face on his sleeve. His legs were shaking from running so quickly, but he put his arms around Elliot as instructed and held on tight while making sure his legs weren’t preventing Elliot from running. He could try to be helpful, even though he felt useless at the moment. - Outside there were sirens getting closer. Someone must have seen or heard the commotion and called the police. The Captain considered teleporting in where he saw the couple go to take their starseeds, but he didn’t know how the structure of the house was. And he really didn’t want to end up being the target of a Knight and that same Senshi as before. Maybe they lived in the area. It was the second time he’d seen him. It was certainly something to keep an eye on. Even when the Captain teleported out, there was still the youma to deal with. And it was desperately trying to back its way out of the hall, kicking and thrashing as much as it could while breaking more and more of the house. Sessrumnir hissed in pain as some of the goo splattered onto the outside of his bracer. Even with his arm being protected, it still felt like electricity shocking his skin.
The house wasn’t doing well, and he was afraid of what might happen to the Reids and Atticus if they didn’t do more. So Sessrumnir drew out his stormglass and swung it as hard as he could on the creature. The glass and metal shattered, and with it, the youma howled and stomped and broke through the floor-- before turning into dust.
“Get the boys I’ll get Oliver and Asher,” he said quickly, knowing that the Captain had already left like the coward he was. The ceiling was buckling. Part of an exterior wall was crumbling.
“Stand back!” he called into the blocked door… and then paused, gritted his teeth and added, “It’s Michael.”
He’d told them who he was, but still… saying it out loud -- loudly -- wasn’t something he liked doing.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:41 pm
“You’re doing good,” Elliot grunted; he’d had to suck in another deep breath to brace himself, but Atticus wasn’t even as heavy as he’d imagined. Maybe it was the adrenaline or the desperation, or just the fact that Atticus still had a long way to go before he was healthy.
He adjusted Atticus on his back and started walking again. “Just hold on. Just like a hug, that’s all. We’re okay.”
Elliot was sore, but he couldn’t just stop here. He heard the sirens, too. He knew Atticus didn’t like them.
He’d heard noises that didn’t sound natural, that didn’t sound right.
They just needed to get somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe. Michael’s house would be the best, but if it was too far away–he’d just find somewhere else. Somewhere to sit this out.
…To figure out what they were supposed to do next.
-
“Michael?” Oliver chirped, but it was followed immediately afterwards by a yelp as another loud crack shook the house. Alastor fanned the air in front of him but he could still taste something in it. Something unhealthy. Something unsafe. Elliot’s door was open and even as he stepped in to look around, he had to hold onto the doorframe. Something else in the house moved. At first, it sounded like pebbles rolling, and then glass shattered in the kitchen.
“The door is locked. I can unlock it,” Oliver said after a second of muffled alarm.
“The boys are outside, we told them to get out. They’re not in the house,” Asher called, and though his voice was even, it was forced. He sounded less enthusiastic than Oliver. “We were going to go out the window.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:48 pm
He could hear the sirens. Atticus clung tighter to Elliot, his arms wrapped around his shoulders as he carried him on his back. He knew he probably had nothing to worry about, but he squeezed his eyes shut as he sobbed. Normally he would have tried to comfort Elliot, give him reassurance and encouragement for everything he was doing.
Instead, he was pathetic. He couldn’t do anything. He needed Elliot to carry him because he couldn’t walk for himself. And now with the sirens -- it was all he could hear. Anything Elliot said was drowned out by his own thoughts. Everything was a muffled haze, and all he could imagine was his father finding them.
Or worse… what if the sirens were because something horrible happened to Oliver and Asher? And they hadn’t been there to help. They just left them. And all Atticus could get his mind to process were the sirens. - Sessrumnir scrunched up his nose. He was hoping that the smell had just been the youma, but since it had turned into dust it was a bit more clear to what it likely was.
“Can you get out?” he called to them, because he could just break down the door. “I can smell gas. You need to get out as quickly as possible. Whose blood is in the hall?” he asked, casting a glance to Devyn as another crack shook the house.
“Don’t answer that… I don’t want to open the door and cause the wall to buckle more. I’ll meet you at the window,” he called, ducking out of the way of drywall falling from the ceiling.
“Let’s go. They’re not in the house,” he repeated to Alastor as he met him at Elliot’s doorway. Instinctively he reached for Alastor’s wrist to keep him close as he made sure neither of them tripped in the holes caused by the youma.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 9:00 pm
Elliot’s thoughts weren’t far from Atticus’; he was less worried about Atticus’ father, and more worried about his fathers. The night was silent. Hot, humid, but otherwise still. It felt like it was just them, alone in a dark world. Michael’s house wasn’t too far away. Just a little further.
He wanted to sit Atticus down and cover his ears for him, he wanted to be able to whisper that it was fine! It was okay!
Except, he didn’t know if it was.
He hurried along, anyway.
-
“Okay,” Oliver called, and there was the distinct sound of metal screeching from within the room. It sounded like it came from the far side, from where their window was. It didn’t get used a lot, but all that mattered was that it could open now.
Alastor turned with Sessrumnir, glad that the kids weren’t in the house, but–
He moved with him, weaving between obstacles. “Should I go look for them? We can’t stay here like this.” The sirens were getting louder, and he couldn’t help but think that maybe this was related. He didn’t know; Destiny City was full of sirens. They might not have even been heading this way.
But, if they were, they probably didn’t have more than a minute or two.
He’d power down if Michael thought it was best. He’d go after the boys and let Michael stay with his friends if he thought that plan was best.
He was on edge–worried about Atticus, obviously, but doing his best to stay calm. Michael didn’t have the necklace on right now; they’d powered up too quickly, but it was easy to read Devyn’s emotions, anyway. He didn’t bother hiding them right now.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 9:05 pm
For a moment, Sessrumnir’s heart twisted uncomfortably in his chest. He didn’t want Alastor to go off on his own, but he knew they had to split up to make sure everyone was okay. The emotion was fleeting, and he quickly nodded with no hesitation.
Of course Alastor needed to find the boys. Just as he needed to make sure Oliver and Asher were okay.
“Text me if you run into any trouble,” he said, unnecessarily. He would be able to feel the necklace and any changes it made if Devyn did find trouble. He hoped he wouldn’t. He hoped the boys were safe, hiding somewhere until the coast was clear.
It wasn’t until they almost made it to the front door that Michael powered down and pulled Devyn along with him to exit the house. It was still creaking and groaning, and the smell of gas was strong.
“Stay safe,” he said with a small nod, and hurried off to meet Oliver and Asher at the window like he said he would.
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