Griffin
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Horrible, ugly title, I know. It's late. Er early. Whatever. xD
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★
Inside the confines of my chest, my heart raced, beating so loud I was certain everyone could hear its frantic pulse. Though I tried to disguise it as excitement, the trembling in my hands was due to nerves and, regrettably, fear.
Our rescue mission was upon us. It was all or nothing.
Somewhere within the bowels of Tartarus, our dearest friends were being held, captive and tortured to what I assumed would be an unbelievable extent. I could not bear the thought of such despicable creatures injuring... my...
I bit my tongue. Such thoughts would do no good here. I needed to be focused. We all did. The time to depart would soon arrive, and, no matter how troubled, we would all need to fight through it.
“Griffin, we have a problem.” Alice interrupted my mental babbling. I turned to her, puzzled.
“What is wrong?”
“Ash. He’s... he’s gone. We haven’t seen him in a few days, but... we figured he’d come back,” she confessed, shoulders slumped. Her usual attire had been replaced with simpler, more versatile clothing apt for a secret mission.
Curse that nymph.
I dismissed her with a wave of my hand, too distracted to carry on a conversation. “We cannot go through with the plan if we are short one member.”
D*mn it all. I am going to regret this decision.
“Kateri! Come here at once.” Without so much as a second of hesitation, she bounded over, abandoning her conversation with Amor. “I do not wish to impose, but how would you feel about joining us on our escapade?”
“Heck yes! I actually get to be a part? This is so exciting! I can’t wait. We’re going to be heroes!” she squealed.
“On one condition. You must promise to remain silent when we break in. Do you understand?”
“Oh, sure! I’ll be as quiet as a church mouse!” she giggled, skipping away. That very well might be the biggest mistake I have ever made.
Checking my watch, I cleared my throat, diminishing the other conversations.
“We will be leaving in approximately twenty minutes. I assume everyone is prepared?” My words were met with an astounding yes, some tinged with fear and others with bloodlust. “Excellent.” I swallowed, licking my lips. “I do not wish to discourage you, but this will not be easy. I will do my best to protect you, but I cannot guarantee safety. All that matters is returning our friends to safety.”
Riley stepped forward, having donned thick stripes of black on her cheeks. “We understand, sir, Wyvern, sir. We’ll do our best to serve you.” Gods in heaven, we are doomed.
“... Right. Everyone knows the plan, correct?”
“If not, I’ll reiterate.” At that time, Sebastian cut in, his jaw set. “We’ll have to walk into the city first. Everyone remembers what the vans look like, right? Big, black, with the white stripes on the sides?” Once everyone nodded, he continued. “Good. We’ll find one of them, or, if not, we’ll just get a can of spraypaint and hotwire a van. Then, we get some labcoats. Shouldn’t be too difficult, considering there’s a labcoat emporium in the strip mall.”
Though that was rather strange, I would not question the workings of Americans.
“Those of you who are staying behind, you will have the duty of cleaning up. I know it may seem trivial, but, after everything our comrades are sure to have endured, I am positive they will wish to be welcomed back into a serene atmosphere. Please also have all the first aid kits prepared,” I instructed.
“Let’s go.” Sebastian’s final command sparked a fire in the hearts of the few that were accompanying us, and, as we trekked out the door, those left behind offered their wishes for our good luck and safety. I only hoped their wishes would be enough.
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To all of our surprise, it was rather easy to find an unused black van as well as matching labcoats. After a mere thirty minutes, we were all set and ready to infiltrate the labs.
Adrenaline rushed through me as I steadied the wheel, Sebastian navigating beside me while the rest crammed in the back.
“It’s only about forty minutes from here,” the vampire remarked, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. “Since it’s so early, we’ll make it there within half an hour.”
Akira, be strong. We will be there soon.
“They’ll pay,” Toño muttered, speaking to herself. Beside her, both Riley and Kateri nodded, their expressions grim.
“They are going DOWN!” Riley cried, tails wagging beneath the hem of her coat.
“You bet! It’s gonna be soooo easy!” the water nymph agreed. Alice and Travis remained silent, seeming wrapped up in their thoughts. I did not blame them.
Twenty minutes passed in near silence, Sebastian reciting the instructions to me as we went, but, as he told me to turn onto the next highway, I found myself distracted.
Smoke? Why are there no sirens?
“Griffin, turn left.”
Is that... a child’s scream?
“Turn left! You’re gonna miss it!”
No. I.... Memories shot through me, piercing my heart.
“I apologize. We are making a pit stop.” As I jerked the wheel to the right, he let out a cry.
“What the h*ll, Griffin? What are you doing?!” he growled, gripping the seat.
“I cannot let him perish.” Teeth clenched, I swerved around the turns, following the faint screaming.
“What? Who?”
We turned onto an alleyway, the end of it revealing a burning warehouse, a small boy no older than eight crouched outside, his screams echoing still.
“Him!” I shouted, leaping from the vehicle and breaking into a sprint.
As I neared the boy, he lifted his soot-covered face, eyes growing wide.
“Do not fret; I am here to help,” I soothed, kneeling before him. “Are you injured?”
He shook his head. “No... but... but...” Tears welled in his eyes. “Ethan is.”
“Who?” He pointed into the inferno.
“M-my brother.”
Griffin! I shook off the memories, rising to my feet.
“Sebastian, come take care of this child at once!” I ordered briskly, his form already racing toward us. To the child, I whispered, “I will get your brother. He will be safe. You can trust that man. I will return shortly.”
With what I hoped was a reassuring nod, I raced into the flames, ignoring the lingering terror that seized my heart.
A wall of unforgiving heat slammed into my chest as I entered the building, flames leaping toward me from every angle. From somewhere to my left, a small whimpering arose, and, using the collar of the labcoat as a barrier between the smoke and my lungs, I raced through the fire.
In the corner of that large, open room, was a small boy, smaller than the other, curled into the fetal position and badly burned on his bared arms.
I knelt by his side, resting a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he jumped, turning to peer at me with horrified eyes, his expression morphing into one of utter disbelief.
“I have got you,” I murmured, scooping the fragile child into my arms. “I will get you to safety. I promise.”
With him in my arms, I dashed for the exit, finding it blocked by debris and blazing hot tongues of fire.
Gods above, help us.
The window. How appropriate
Curling the boy to my chest and covering him as much as I could with the labcoat, I freed my wings, leaping high as we neared the wall and beating the stagnant air.
Glass rained down around us, showering us in sparkling shards.
We had escaped.
I hid my wings as quickly as I could, making my way back to Sebastian and the other boy with haste. When I reached them, I knelt once more, the elder boy’s tears resurfacing.
“T-thank you so much, mister,” he murmured, choking. I could not come up with an appropriate response, not with Sebastian’s watchful stare boring into my head. So, I shrugged.
“I will see to it that you two are treated at the nearest hospital. Then we shall return you home.” At that, the boy’s face fell. Sebastian tugged me up, pulling me aside.
“They’re orphans. Homeless. They don’t have a home,” he hissed. I blinked.
“Then we will find them one. It is as simple as that.” I did not see the complexities of this plan.
“Griffin, we have friends to save. They’re waiting for us!”
“XL will not wish to kill them. They would have done so already.”
He scowled. “They already tried, remember?”
Frowning, I shook my head. “No. Those were warnings. They injured us, but no fatalities. That was their intention. Our friends will be alive.”
“But will they be sane?” I could not answer that.
“Sebastian, I cannot leave these children, you must understand,” I began, unsure of how to explain. “Look, I... I know how they feel. This situation is eerily similar to my own. I cannot abandon them.”
Closing his eyes, he sighed.
“Fine. Fine! I can’t do this without you. Give it until Tuesday night at the latest.” I nodded.
“Very well. I am glad we have come to an agreement.” To the children, I whispered, “You will never have to starve or struggle again. I promise you that.”
Once we brought them to the van, explained the situation to the others, and headed to the nearest hospital, an irreversible pang of guilt rang through me.
I am sorry Akira. I am sorry to you all. I... must perform this duty. I hope you will understand. I swallowed. I hope you will be safe.
My heart was tugging in two different directions, threatening to tear me apart, and I despised the agony it caused me. However, I knew what I had to do, and, hoping everything would turn out alright in the end, I bit back my sorrow, focusing instead at protecting the children, our sanity, and, lastly, our club.
Forgive me for putting the club last. We will save you. Soon, we will save you. I promise.
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Sorry for the really crappy writing... (2 am... not very good for writing with no real inspiration). Anyway, I figured it was necessary to get this out so some people have a chance to post.
GRIFFY Y U KEEP MAKING PROMISES THEN PUSH THEM BACK Golly I have problems.
Please respect this. And please, for the love of humanity, use it to your advantage. xD WE WANT TO READ YOUR STUFFS. AND I WOULD HATE TO SEE THE MCC DIE D:
So yeah. Just ignore the horrid style and everything. Sorry... Hope to read your posts really really soon! <3
