Some Strange Type of Peculiar Love

The List

Hugh's POV

We took the helicopter to a loop that would help Ellery. Emma managed to calm me down some but it was mostly futile. By the time we got back to the acre everyone somehow knew the news, Bronwyn was sobbing.
Everyone was back in the library ready to plan our next attack.
"Hugh," Bronwyn patted my shoulder.
"I know, I'm happy too but we need to find Melina." I tried to turn and go to the prison but I noticed it was in smoke.
"There was a jail break, the all escaped."
I frowned and stepped back.
"But Melina would never let them esc-" but now I realized why Bronwyn was crying very unhappy tears.
"She's dead, isn't she?" Bronwyn nodded.
"Ok." I felt numb. As soon as I got one person back another one left, but I'd have to mourn later.
"Noor and I are leaving."
I turned around the see them hand in hand, Emma was fuming. Literal steam was coming out of her ears. Poor Emma, dumped by Portman, again.
"For where? We don't even know which wights escaped!"
Miss Peregrine shook her head.
"We don't know all of them, but we know one was Murnau."
I knew that name, but I couldn't remember from where. Instead of looking stupid I plastered a horrified look on my face.
"Oh he doesn't know who that is!" Cried Horace. My face went straight and I started talking with my hands, "I personally don't care who he is, I just want to find Fiona!"
"Well you should! He's the one trying to resurrect Caul!"
That name I knew.
"But he's in a collapsed loop!"
"Are you laggy? They've obviously figured how to get him back!"
Miss Peregrine listed a bunch of items by heart from the list. All I knew were mudderworm, aphaskull, and one other.
"The freshly harvested tongue of a seedsprout."
I shot my head up.
"F-Fiona is a seedsprout!" Horace cried. I felt my head go light and I hit the floor boards,
Nighty night.

I was back at the Menagerie and it was pouring rain. The thunder cracked and lightning lit up the dark grey sky.
Fiona was by the edge of the cliff, she had tears streaming down her face and her mouth was open in silent fear. I ran towards her but the path to her kept getting longer and farther away.
"H!" It was Melina. She was at the opposite end of Fiona and was slowly being strangled by what I'm assuming was Murnau.
I tried running to her but the same thing happened, the path kept getting longer. Right as I was in the middle, Fiona jumped and Melina's neck snapped. I fell to my knees and screamed.

I woke up with a cold sweat in a cot in an old rickety house.
"Where am I?" I asked. A man I knew as the Raphael the Bone Mender was hovering over me.
"Thank the birds Hugh!" Emma hugged me and sat at the edge of my bed.
"Hugh you scared us half to death!" Millard shouted.
"Where are we?" I asked again.
"Our new house!" Olive said cheerfully. I grimaced but caught myself and smiled.
"We're fixing it up, don't worry. We've actually been working on it since we got here!"
I felt hurt, "why didn't you tell me."
"You were searching loops with Melina, we thought that would be best for you." Horace explained. I nodded but I was still hurt.
"Where is Jake and Noor?"  I asked.
"They went to a diner somewhere-"
"They're getting lunch? I'm starved!" Whined Claire.
"No they're going to the loop!"
"Oh yea."
Bronwyn shook her head, "we heard there was a graveyard there in a town called Hopewell, that's where they'd find the Aphaskull."
"What do they all need."
"Remember that boy who was cold?" Emma asked. I remember seeing him when we dropped Ellery off, but I was so out of it I barley payed any attention.
"Sure."
"Well the needed his spark stone, and now they have it."
"And?"
"Aphaskull, Heart from the Mother of the Storm, death beetles and...." Emma trailed off.
"Fiona's tongue." I finished. She nodded gravely.
"Noor said there were storms where she came from, we're guessing V is the heart they need."
I nodded, "so they have almost everything?"
"Seems like it."
"Then they wouldn't split up."
"Most likely."
"So Fiona's probably with them!"
"Get ready, we're going to Hopewell." Miss Peregrine said.

"Jake!" Olive and Claire cried as they ran into his arms. My body was hot and sweaty from waiting in the back room before we were allowed in. Olive's shoes were flinging up dust from the dirt road. Jake picked both of them up and a small African American kid was walking behind Jake. Around us were dead looking normals. Oh my bird, they are dead. Melina had a word for people like this, she called them zombies. We saw them in Japan after some sort of bomb went off, I think it started with an 'H' but I'm not too sure. I jogged over to Jake as-well, my bracelet jangled with every step.
"Did you see a girl with brown hair? She's gorgeous and—"
"Brown wild hair and brown eyes, she doesn't talk." Enoch interrupted. I scowled.
"Oh yes, I saw her. She was very beautiful but definitely harmed in some way. Her legs were in irons."
"Where did they take her?" I was shaking in anger.
"Up the hill." He pointed.
Bronwyn grabbed my shoulder before I could run up the hill.
"Josep said—" A loud explosion shook the ground cutting Jake off.
"They're digging up the graves, we need to go up there and stop them."
We had a plan.

Jake, Noor, Horace, Millard, Bronwyn and I were taking one side of the hill and the rest were taking the other along with a hollow Jake tamed. Miss Wren and another Ymbryne I didn't know put Miss Peregrine into hiding. She argued but eventually admitted that it was best. I could hear whispering. I hid behind a gravestone and saw 4 wight's and an ambro addict.
"They have 3 hollows."
"Well get them on our side!"
I heard gunshots from the other side of the hill.
"I'll go check!" Millard dashed off before we could object. We trekked up more and that's when I saw her.
Fiona.
She was wearing a white sun dress that went to her knees. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head. She was floating 5 inches above the ground. The ambro addict had cones of light coming through his eyes, he must have had mind control. Before I knew what I was doing I was there next to her.
"Fiona, please love."
She still hovered above the ground. Her knees were skinned and bloody. Her arms were covered in scratches and bruises, and on her face she had a left black eye with would have been swollen shut if her eyes weren't forced open.
"Sweetheart, please."
The ambro addict saw us and Fiona grew vines around our ankles and tied our legs together. Noor sounded like she was choking on her lung. I tried pleading with her but she wouldn't let go. Was she going to kill me? Suddenly Noor coughed and a ray of light hit the addict and Fiona fell to the ground and wheezed. Just as she almost got her bearings the addict regained control. Fiona's vines were quickly traveling up my body and to my neck. Murnau stepped on Noor's neck lightly.
"Time to die." He chuckled.
"Couldn't think of anything more clever?" Noor spat. Murnau crouched down and slapped her.
"Leave her alone!" Jake yelled.
"Oh how sweet, Prince Charming to the rescue!"
Jake growled something inhuman and bullets rained out. One second the ambro addict was in full control and the next he was in the air and then headless. Fiona fell violently. I struggled to break free from her now slackening vines. Bronwyn crowded her but then ran to help Horace. Suddenly Enoch's army of undead were charging up the hill killing any wight in sight. Another helicopter was hovering above us. Murnau had something in his hand as he ran towards the now landing helicopter. Miss Peregrine cawed and scratched at Murnau's eyes. He shouted and tried to grab her but she flew away in time.
I ran to Fiona. Her lips were perused together and she was staring blankly at the sky. I picked her up bridal style and felt her flinch as I touched her sides. Her ribs were uneven and made a cracking sound. Tears were rolling down my eyes as I carried her. She was shaking with every fiber of her being. She was hurt, but she was back.
Fiona was back.
And I'd never let her go again.

3/22/21