Charles' POV
Joy readily bolted back to Jimmy as my diligent efforts to overthrow his superiority failed miserably but as night fell, the unsettling tremors dreadfully returned to haunt him.
Apart from the disturbing seisms occurring intermittently, at weirdly fluctuating levels of intensities, there was an unruly commotion that continuously blustered in, almost like there was a capricious rebellion ongoing.
The seeming oddities sparked off a chain of alarms in my mind but I disregarded them outrightly, caring more for the poor one in front of me.
Like the twirl of a dance, the motion of having my arm surround him was now a smooth gesture. Timidly, his quivering body curled up against the linen of my jacket and I hugged him snugly, conscientiously soothing him with one of Lynn's—and in turn Jean's and Rachel's—favourite bedtime stories.
Gradually, the spirited articulation served out its calming purposes amidst the sporadically vibrating building but the tranquilizing effects barely sufficed to appease the flames of his fears as they rapidly reignited when boisterous noises resembling crumbling bricks again exploded into the atmosphere.
"It's alright, it's alright. Everything's going to be alright," I bolstered in a soft tone, albeit vigilantly sweeping my eyes around the room, struggling to visualize the irregular origin of quakes beyond, as Jimmy hurriedly buried his head into my chest.
Void spans stretching out erratically between the harassing rumbles inevitably created much suspense in the ambience. Every branch of silence was totally unpredictable but this one was definitely the most bizarre as two dark figures suddenly emerged through the wall.
Against the ironic peace, even their strenuous heaves for air were conspicuous, not to mention their scampering treads that inadvertently scared him like thunder. Massively startled by their unanticipated entrance, Jimmy flinched, hastily gazing towards the source of perturbation on the farther side of the room where my eyes had already frozen, stunned, upon immediate recognition of those unique blonde locks.
"Lynn?" I sputtered in astonishment, and apparently in synchrony with Jimmy.
Spontaneously, she darted her head over and just as our eyes clicked for a fraction of a moment, that thoroughly flustered expression was quickly redeemed by a look of absolute exhilaration.
"Charles!" Lynn screamed, her alluring voice extremely tired yet buzzed with pure satisfaction.
As Lynn energetically sprinted over, I squinted my eyes at her, still mildly bemused by the dynamic activity of her enticing legs, but mostly concerned with the multiple scars glimpsed at the corner of her face.
"I thought you said she was paralyzed?" Jimmy commented in considerable confusion.
"We have this... thing, that helps us walk," I answered, equally disoriented.
Rashly collapsing to her knees, Lynn agitatedly swung her arms around me and mine automatically curled around her waist. Drawing her in affectionately, I relished in the characteristic scent I missed dearly even after just one day and she simultaneously luxuriated in my warmth, so decadently it slipped her mind to release me.
"Lynn," I beckoned tenderly, gently tapping on the back of her leather attire.
She compliantly loosened her grasp but just when I thought to examine her face, Lynn crashed her lips onto mine. Reflexively, I giggled at her unwavering determination and gladly succumbed to explore her adorable cavity as she passionately entwined our tongues together but my worries eventually vanquished the inviting distraction.
"Let me see you, love. Please," I pleaded, carefully peeling away her shoulder and her hazel eyes were meek, yet enormously sweet, as they gazed feebly at me.
My fingers trailed down her jaw in a curiously composed manner starkly contrasting the dilemma of my worried heart and it shattered instantly as I directed her aberrant injury to my retinas.
"Your face... It's-" I whispered in a diffident tone, skeptical to actually graze the queer array of cuts that were not exactly claw marks but looked to be levied by some sort of spiky bristles.
"It's fine," she insisted, shamefully shying away the wounded area.
"What's going on, Lynn?" I probed, staring deeply into her troubled eyes, and she just sighed.
"The short story: It's Erik," Lynn revealed wistfully and I frowned, wholly incapable of other reactions upon processing that wretched name.
"I'll explain later. Let's just get you out of here," Lynn asserted and swiftly whipped out a knife from her back.
"You came prepared," I remarked in amusement and Lynn twitched a smile, albeit an uneasy one.
"Stay still," she instructed solemnly, glancing between Jimmy and I.
Skillfully, she struck the double strand section on my end of the shackle with her vibranium dagger and the robust blade partially stained with blood facilely sliced through the stainless steel without so much as tickling the cufflink of my sleeve.
"Thank you, love," I appreciated and delicately cradled her skull, kissing her forehead dotingly, as she meticulously massaged the reddened regions of my wrist underneath, moderately relieving the accumulated stiffness in my joint.
"Get into your chair," Lynn ordered, not in a harsh or nonchalant fashion, but with a smile of unreserved confidence, not for even a hundredth of a second doubting my competence.
Happily obeying, I contentedly faced towards my personal transportation conveniently delivered into my vicinity by Kitty while Lynn similarly eradicated Jimmy's metallic bindings. All my strewn belongings had been neatly zipped back into their designated sack by the detailed teen who respectfully watched as I accomplished the tedious task independently when the earth unexpectedly shook again, but now with the source progressively approaching.
"Alright, Jimmy—here's the plan," Lynn informed urgently as she graciously pulled the jittery boy to his feet but before another word, she was interrupted by an ostentatious bang.
Basically on reflex, Lynn magnanimously shielded Jimmy with her own body as a hazardous torrent of pulverized concrete burst through. Momentarily, the screen of dust cleared, unveiling a horrifyingly large rupture sustained in the section of the wall Lynn and Kitty phased through earlier.
A huge, unidentified, individual marched in menacingly but before I could register anything apart from his thumping size, Lynn frantically reeled my chair around and shoved me towards the internally-inoperable sliding doors.
"Run!" Lynn hollered hysterically.
Definitely on cue, Kitty speedily grabbed Jimmy and both kids dashed to gather around me as I nimbly gripped my rims. Promptly stabilizing my chair before it could precariously tip, I smoothly swiveled it around to the ravaged scene, astounded by what was presented within.
"I'm the wrong guy to play hide-and-seek with," bellowed the burly man exotically decked in a chunky outfit and a puzzling helmet.
"Who's hiding, dickhead?" Lynn audaciously taunted and my heart pounded vigorously as she boldly trudged towards her briskly advancing adversary.
Agilely, she tossed one of her knives at him, precisely stabbing the stout intruder in the abdomen through one of the gaps in his unorthodox criss-cross corset. Clutching the embedded blade painfully, the severely wounded male stumbled back unsteadily, evidently weakened, but Lynn furiously wrenched out her identical weapon nonetheless and thrusted it straight for his neck.
"You're not getting my husband this time," Lynn hissed in a tremendously bitter tone.
Stubbornly rooting her stance, Lynn adamantly fixated her gaze on the stout creature grossly drenched in an unceasing flow of bright red fluids. As the scarlet pints of his vitality flooded the pristine white tiles, his eyes rolled back and his muscular frame finally surrendered to the attractions of gravity.
Tentatively, Lynn spun around, sporting a terribly terrified but somewhat placated expression, and hesitantly stretched out her shivery arms towards me. I maintained a compassionate smile as I expeditiously propelled myself up to her and she slowly paced towards me but my eyes were soon diverted by the hefty one clumsily crashing down behind her.
Once his whopping body heavily impacted the ground, everything in the suite rattled and a convoluted map of fissures was instantly etched into the nearby ceramic surface. Without warning, the complicated crevices completely disintegrated into a gigantic crater encircling his corpse and unfortunately still stationed upon the perimeter of the compromised terrain, Lynn consequently lost her balance.
"Lynn!" I cautioned and anxiously extended her my hand.
"Charles!" Lynn shrieked, instinctively reaching for me with her nearer but crippled arm.
I bent over further but frustratedly limited by the posture in my chair, I merely brushed the exterior of her acrylic brace, and was cruelly forced to witness her being relentlessly dragged away.
