The newcomer stood still, growling softly. It didn't seem to have noticed us, or we didn't interest him, but I preferred not to stay to find the answer. Flash and his buddies were frozen, too terrified to move or too stupid to react. The numbness from the discharge was gone. We had to get out!
"Aaargh !! You little bitch !..."
Marlo who was still being held back by the Flash's stooge bit his hand, forcing him to let her go, before rushing to my bedside.
«Can you move?» She whispered, trying to hide the fear in her voice.
I nodded and Marlo helped me to get up. It was at this moment the beast turned it's horrible head towards us and noticed our presence. It gave a bestial roar so loud it made us cover our ears with our hands.
"Let's get out of here !" I yelled to Marlo.
Flash and his friends started running in all directions, screaming in terror. I grabbed Marlo's hand and we started running away. The sound of it's footsteps told me that the Burningman was chasing us.
Thoughts were whirling in my brain. We were running in the direction of the high school where I knew there were still staff, teachers and probably students in detention. But go there could only put them in danger as well. This plan was out of the question, and waiting until the police or any help was not a reliable idea. We only had two options. Escape from this monster or hide from it.
«Roy ?...
Marlo's fearful voice made me look behind my shoulder and I saw the Burningman begin to inhale copious amounts of air causing his chest to swell. And we didn't have to be genius to figure out what he was going to do.
Without thinking, I pulled Marlo to me, desperatly trying to protect her with my back from the danger that was coming and prepared myself. From the corner of my eye, I saw the beast release a large quantity of flames from it's mouth at us.
The pain was beyond anything i ever felt. I could hear Marlo in my arms screaming my name. Slowy, the pain started to decrease and when the beast stopped to breath fire, Marlo and myself were miraculously alive. I began to drop to the ground but Marlo grabbed me, stopping me from falling.
«Roy! Are you alright ?» Marlo said in a worried tone.
«...Yes... I just get a little hot.» I said, trying to smile at her. «Are you okay ?»
«I'm fine-
KRRRRRRRRRR !!!
The big guy didn't seem happy to see we had survived and raised one of it's arms to crush both of us. I taked Marlo in a princess style carry and started to run between it's legs, avoiding the Burningman blow. For an unkown reason, Marlo was surprisingly light in my arms.
At the moment, I was more grateful than intrigued, as I was able to run easily. But the longer I was running, the lighter Marlo was in my arms and the faster I was. Before we even noticed it, the Burningman was far behind us.
Marlo raised her head to watch over my shoulder.
«I don't see it...I think we escaped that thing...»
I continued to run to reach an alley and when i was sure we were out of danger, I started to catch my breath.
«I don't hear it anymore. We should be safe now.
«O-Ok, Roy...So...can you let me go now please ?» Marlo said timidly.
I finally noticed I was still holding Marlo in a bridal style carry. I could scent her sweet perfum and the warm of her body against mine. I put Marlo on the ground, trying to hide my embarrassment.
«I'm sorry ! I acted on a moment of pure ins-»
«I'ts ok, I didn't...I mean...thank you...» Said Marlo who seemed as embarrassed as I was.
But she quickly regained her cool.
«My gosh, Roy, what was that thing ?»
«I don't know. But it's remind the tales my mother used to tell me when I was a kid.»
«Tales ?» Marlo asked, raising her eyebrows.
«Yes. Have you seen this multicolored pillar of light that appeared earlier ?»
«Yes, that was pretty hard to not see it.»
«In many her stories, she was talking about something similar. She called it the Bi-»
I stopped to talk and Marlo and I slowy turned ourself toward the alley entrance. We heard footsteps coming closer but suddenly it's stopped.
«Do you smell it, brothers, sisters ?» A frightening male voice said.
«It's smell fear...» Another male voice said.
We stayed quiet and Marlo grabbed my hand. Usually, I would have been embarrassed, but I understood despite her efforts to hide it, Marlo was truly terrified.
Suddenly, four masked people appeared, 2 or 3 meters before us. All of them shared the same attributes : a blank white mask without nose or mouth, white long hairs, thin black armor and black pointy ears sticking out of the mask.
«Greetings, mortals ! The king of the dark elves and the monarch of Muspelheim send regards to each and every all of you !» One of them said.
« Now, prepare to receive their mercy !» Another said.
I felt danger behind these words and I shared a look with Marlo, who apparently felt it as well. We turned around and started to run toward the alley exit.
But before we can reach it, a ball of light flew between us and hit one the walls.
BOOOOM !
The shock wave from the impact threw us back and we got up painfully to see that part of the building hit by the ball of light had collapsed on the exit. We were trapped. With them.
«Your fate is inevitable, mortals. Trying to escape is useless.» One of the screwy guys said.
As if by magic, flaming swords appeared in their hands, and they started to move slowly toward us. I pulled Marlo behind me and clenched my fists, ready to fight.
All of a sudden, the ground began to shake and a loud noise resonated. Searching the source of this noise, I looked up at the sky to see a blake military transport plane.
Under a wing, six letters were printed in yellow as an acronym, but the plane was too high in the sky for me to determine what letters were printed.
Our agressors didn't seem in a hurry to finish us and waited until the plane had apparently gone far away.
«Fine. Now you will at least be able to hear your own screams of agony.» One of them said.
He raised his flamming blade. I felt my heart beating like a drum in my chest but I had already made my decision. It not even conceivable for me to let these bastards hurt Marlo or to die without a fight.
The masked men pounced on me,
I threw my fist and at the moment my fist was going to hit one of the glowing blades, my view got black and my sink in the darkness
(«--------»)
Leona Gardner
The sunset was comming. Leona was in her lounge, a tea cup in her hands, thinking about the situation. Tonight's dinner was ready, her husband would be back from his work in a few hours, her youngest son was still on his school trip, and her oldest son wasn't back from school yet.
«He must be with the little Marlo.» She thought.
Leona couldn't help to smile at this idea. Her son was growing up so fast but she was only pleased. Despite it's unusual start, her day has passed without any problem, and this only fact was a victory for her.
She bore the tea cup to her lips when she heard someone knocking on the door. She made a mental note to install a doorbell later.
«The door isn't locked sweetie, enter.» She said without turning the head.
«Mrs Gardner, please...» Said a desperate voice.
What Leona saw on turning toward where the voice was coming from, made her spit out tea.
In the entrance hall, stood The little Marlo, covered in soot with burn marks on her clothes, carrying Leroy on her back before falling on her knees. Leona jumped up out of her chair and rushed to them.
«My God! What happened ??»
«Roy and I...Flash and his gang...I think they followed us...And this thing surged out of nowhere, and Roy...Roy...
Leona could see Marlo was clearly in shock and was pushing herself to talk.
«Ok, calm down you will explain everything to me, but first, help me to take him to his little brother's bedroom!»
Leona took her son from Marlo's back and grabbed his arms. Marlo grabbed his legs and they went up the stairs while carrying him. Once on the first floor, Leona opened the door of her youngest son's room with a kick.
«Steady, steady...» She said to Marlo while they put Leroy delicately on the bed.
Marlo looked ready to cry at any moment.
«I'm sorry Mrs Gardner... I know I should have take him to hospital but-»
«shhhh, I know, I know my dear, you must have a good reason to do what you did.» Leona said, patting Marlo's head. «Listen, in the kitchen cabinets, you will find a satchel where I keep some medical stuff. I want you to go and bring it to me.»
Marlo nodded and left the room. Leona looked at the door to be sure she was alone with her son. When she was certain of it, she turned toward him and raised her finger.
«First, let's see the extent of the damages.»
A golden light started to shine at the tip of her finger and she began to slowly move it above Leroy's body.
Every time the light's intensity was incrasing or decreasing, her mind was receiving all informations she wanted. And what she discovered puzzled her. Something within her son had clearly changed.
However, that was not something she could identity with her knowledge. At least that was nothing related to what he got from her.
Leona finished her work just at the moment Marlo entered in the room, a grey medical satchel in her arms.
«Mrs Gardner, the satchel...
«Good. Give. I take care of it.»
Marlo gave the satchel to Leona who started to rummage inside and sat at the opposed side of the bed,
«He...He will be okay...Right ?»
«He's fine. He don't have any serious injuries. So let me propose you something. I heal him and you tell me what's happened and why my son is in this state. Deal ?
Marlo took a deep breath and regained her composure.
«Yes.»
(«--------»)
Maria Hills, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Maria took a deep breath and opened the door before her. She entered in an office, with a floor covered in paperwork.
Standing, turned to the window, a beautiful woman with blond hairs was reading a report on a tablet in her hands. She was wearing beige pants and red pull-over.
This relaxed dressing in contradiction with the formal uniform Maria was wearing was actually a proof of their respective positions.
Maria waited, her hands behind her back, until the woman turned her blue eyes toward her.
«Report, Agent Hill.» She said.
«Our units active in every state of the country, they have order to send a report every hour, and the informatic department is searching for any clue about where he could leave a trace of his passage. But...»
«Still not any clue about where the Director Fury can be yet ?»
The agent Hills shaked her head, a doleful look on her face.
«And what about the reported attacks in New York ?» Asked the blond woman.
«Fortunately, some of our units were around the sector, the situation has been consequently quickly handled. The attack didn't extended beyond the Queens.»
«Human casualties ?»
«No one among our agents, and we report only few injuried people among the civilians.»
«And what do we know about the culprits ?»
«the scientist department is studying the bodies we gathered. But we found a lead about what happened to those our agents found dead.»
«The Four humanoid bodies ?»
«Yes. We crossed our database and the reports of out agents, and we noticed these bodies were near one of our sting operations locations. It's video surveillance system catched something interesting.»
Maria took a cube-looking device from her pocket that turned into a screen tablet she gave to her superior.
As she watched the video, the blond woman showed different expressions on her face, first curious, serious, puzzled and finally grave.
So now, what are your orders, Director Danvers ?»