Flames and Starlight

40🌘

Peter

Tortured screams filled the air, causing me to leap out of the bed. Smoke could be seen outside the window as a roaring fire destroyed everything in its path.

I ran out of the house to see men in black armor destroying the compound piece by piece, the other hybrids desperately running out of the way, trying to escape. All of the houses were on fire, being consumed by the flames. I looked around, squinting through the thick smoke, trying to find Eason, but all I could see was a vicious attack and fire. 

A ball of fire flew through the air in my direction. I crouched to the ground and covered my hands with my arms. I watched through the gap in my fingers as the ball of fire flew over me and crashed through one of the windows in my house, shattering the glass and causing the pieces to sprinkle on the ground below. In a matter of seconds, the whole house was covered in flames and being devoured.

I scrambled to my feet and started running. Screams continued to echo all around me as I continued to run, trying to put as much distance between myself and the destruction.

I saw a ball of fire coming at me from my right at the last second and ducked in time as it flew over my head.

Something from behind kicked me in the back, causing me to fall forward and land hard on my face. I didn't have time to process what was happening when a hand wrapped its fingers around my neck and hauled me up only to throw me through the air, causing me to land painfully on my back.

I grunted as my already bruised back landed hard on the ground. Seconds later, Caius emerged in my vision. Before I could even try to sit up, he pressed his boot down on my chest, squeezing the air out of me, bending my ribs. I gasped and tried to shove the boot off of me, oxygen unable to get into my lungs from the pressure. But it wouldn't budge, no matter how much I tried to push it off of me.

"There's no one to save," Caius growled down at me. "They're all gone. They're all dead. And soon, the whole world will be consumed with flames and there is nothing, nothing, you can do to stop it."

He suddenly lunged down at me, sharp fangs extending from his lips, a vicious roar coming out of his mouth as -

"PETER!"

I nearly fell out of bed from the loud scream inches away from me. A hand grabbed me by the front of my shirt and hauled me to my feet. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the sleep from my eyes.

"Come on!" the same voice screamed again. "We have to get out of here!"

Wait, was that -?

"Come on!" Kendrick screamed again. "He's here! We have to get out of here!"

"What -"

Before I could even get my words out, a loud crash from the outside cut me off. We looked out the window and saw that the houses surrounding us were on fire. Everyone ran out, screaming as men with black armor, just like in my nightmare, were throwing balls of fire into the homes. Instead of fighting back, everyone was fleeing, trying to escape any way they could.

And I could see why. We were outnumbered, by thirty to hundreds. There were at least several hundred men in armor attacking the homes and buildings, throwing fireballs, causing the cave to be filled with smoke and fire.

A closer look at the men in armor's aura showed that they were human, yet they somehow had an air of magic, a faint, teal glow, tinted. They were humans, yet somehow still able to possess magic. How the hell could that be?