Some Strange Type of Peculiar Love

The Cliff

Fiona's POV

I watched Hugh leave with tears in my eyes until he dipped under the horizon. Claire was still propped up on the tree. She had dark bags under her eyes but her fever broke. I grew some food for later, potatoes, berries, carrots, and anything in between.
I heard another loud chicken bomb go off, the chickens clucked normally as if nothing happened. There were 5 of them and I didn't ask their names. I came inside the barn house to make Claire and I some tea. Addison came from behind me with a scrapbook in his jowls. He dropped the book and flicked his tongue a few times like it had a bad taste. He cleared his throat.
"Your dark haired friend mentioned you saw some animals who were surprisingly strong on your journey, would you be able to recognize them?"
I shrugged but he opened the book anyways. To my surprise, it was Cuio, Mio, Babbi and some other speckled chicken, which must have been her sister who died, Lottie. I pointed to their picture and nodded.
"They used to live here, until one of the chickens died."
"Lottie." I whispered, so it wasn't a coyote who took her, it was a hollow.
Addison nodded and clicked his tongue.
"She was never the same. She got some of the others to leave, only two goats with super strength."
Cuio and Mio.
I nodded.
"Miss Wren begged him not to leave, but they wouldn't listen. They said they were no better off in a loop, and they were right. They had been here for so many years but since they decided to stay in this time they're only aging day by day."
"How long ago was that." I whispered.
"2 years ago."
I looked at the two sisters, what could they do? Addison seemed to have read my mind.
"They—"
Suddenly two more eggs exploded and Claire started to cry.
"Did everyone leave?" She said between sobs. I nodded and palmed her cheek.
"You're the only one who stayed?" I nodded again.
"Are they coming back soon?" I nodded. Addison appeared behind me and sat down.
"The fire one—"
"Emma?" Claire asked.
"Ah yes, Emma. Anyways she said that they should be back in a few days, a week at the most." Be back and then what? We have no house and no loop. I've been so distracted about saving ourselves and Miss Peregrine I haven't even thought about what we're going to do when this is all over. Claire was drifting back to sleep. My stomach growled and I went with Addison to fetch some of that freshly baked bread that Deidre was somehow making.
"You must be wondering how Deidre—" But suddenly another bomb went off, but the chickens were screaming almost like people. A thick yellow gas rolled onto the grass making it hard to see or breathe. Addison ran out and grabbed Claire by her dress and dragged her in with us. They were both coughing when we finally shut the door, the chickens were still outside.
"Get to the loft and hide! It's past the showers!" Deidre whispered. I picked up Claire and ran up the ladder. Claire was starting to cry.
"Shut up!"
Claire stopped, it was the first time she ever heard me speak, she knew then it was urgent. I covered her with hay and laid down next to her. I heard 4 gunshots ring out and Claire flinched. The smoke was reaching the loft. I opened the window nearby and noticed that you could climb onto the roof.
I cupped her cheek and kissed her head as an apology.
She stuck her head out and I picked her up.
I pointed to the roof and instructed her silently to lay flat. She nodded and put her arms around my neck then I lifted her up with half of my body dangling out of the window. She grasped at the gutter and I gave her one last shove to get up there. I could see the wights walking around just as Claire got onto the roof. She climbed up and laid flat. Just as I was about to go next up I heard yelling. Addison was barking and snarling like an actual dog.
"Hey!" I turned around to see a wight holding a  gun pointed at me. I slipped back into the window with my hands in surrender.
"Come down the ladder." He commanded.
I did as I was told. Is this the end? Is this how I die? At the hands of a wight, or to a hollow?
He put the gun to my back and forced me forward, I prayed for Claire to stay quiet. They rounded us outside. I gagged as I passed Deidre, she was dead. She had 4 gunshot wounds to her chest and her eyes were missing—they had a hollow. I must have slowed down looking at Deidre because the wight jammed the end of his gun into my spine. I stepped over the threshold to see one of the wights from the train, it was the one who went to go look for the luggage.
"You again," His yellow toothed smile pierced my heart.
"You know him?" Addison whispered. I nodded.
"You and your stupid friends led them here! Now look! Deidre and Grunt are dead." Grunt was spread across the grass at odd angles, his eyes were missing too.
My eyes filled with tears. The wights hogtied our limbs
"Where's the little one?" He asked.
I looked up onto the roof.
"There's nothing else here, let's go." I sighed in relief, Claire actually might have a chance.
"Wait! I found something!" A woman with bat wings carried Claire down who was kicking and screaming.
"I'm sorry Fiona!" She cried. "I tried to hide!"
I nodded to her in reassurance as they tied her up.
"Ow!" The woman yelled, she had a fresh bite wound, Claire must have bit her. She lifted her hair and stared at her mouth, which was growling.
"Impressive, but not needed." He walked down the line and stared at us.
"What's your deal?"
Claire tried to speak but she was muffled as they gagged both her mouths.
"She grows things, I was waking her to location #4 and she left a trail of flowers." It was the wight from the train station, he smiled snidely as he stared at me, I glared back.
Sometimes I grow flowers and I don't even mean to, Abe used to laugh and say that I was the easiest to find when we played hide and seek with the little ones.
"Grows things? She's a seed-sprout then?"
I've heard that term before, Miss Peregrine taught me it. I always thought I was a rarity, and part of that was true, but I was also a semi common rarity.
"Take the others and bring them to location #8."
"What location 8?" Addison asked.
"The devils acre." The wight from the train station said.
"Why would you tell them that Johnathan?" The woman yelled.
"It's not like they'll live long enough to tell anyone, Grace." 
Addison gasped but I didn't know what he meant, all I knew is that it sounded terrible.
"It's a punishment loop." Addison clarified, I've heard of those before, it's where captured wights and bad peculiars went. Enoch used to tease the little ones with that threat when they made him mad, Hugh and I used to laugh but now it didn't seem so funny.
"As for you," He turned to me, his yellow used- to-be- hollow teeth stank and reminded me of how Victor was murdered.
"We have great plans for you."
My feet were tied together so I asked my vines to wriggle me free, the did as I commanded and the circulation to my ankles came back.
The other wights ushered Claire and Addison away. I saw 5 floating chickens bleeding out of what I can only assume is a hollows mouth.
The wight turned and walked toward his other coconspirators turning his back to me. I inched up towards the cliff and Claire screamed.
"What are you doing!"
I wanted to tell her, I wanted to tell her that I'd be ok, that the trees would catch me. But I couldn't speak, I didn't even know anyways if they could, but I'd rather die that turn on my friends, on Hugh.
Oh Hugh, this would break his heart. My eyes started to water as I thought of the last time I was with him, I wish I kissed him one last time, an evil part of me wished he'd stayed too.
The wight yelled and charged at me. I took the last step off the cliff.
Catch me.

3/9/21