The Heart Collector (Under Editing)

Chapter Thirty: Flash

Fare watched as the paramedics treated Novus' burns. Behind her, she could hear the shouts and water spraying the building. She felt numb. Her brain was having trouble processing what had just happened. She knew that if she had been a few seconds later, Novus would have been beheaded and if he did not manage to put up an ice wall in the doorway to dim the blast, then they both would have been swallowed by the flames. Novus had received the brunt of the wave. His upper arms, the back of his calves, and parts on his back were burned. Fare was unsure if she had any injuries. She just stared at the paramedics and the lights of the ambulance. Her legs were planted firmly where she stood, and her mind went blank. She was frozen in place. The voices around her became distant murmurs. It felt as if her soul left her body and next thing, she knew, she dropped. 

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Fare giggled as her mother chased her around the living room. When the woman caught her, she swooped her up and blew a raspberry under her shirt.

"Aha, I got you Páiste."

She squirmed until she placed her down. Once she was free, she grabbed some paper and crayons from a nearby basket and laid down in front of the lit fireplace. Her mother smiled fondly and sat in a chair to finish a cup of tea. It was a peaceful scene. The kind that left warm and fuzzy tingles. The kind that no one wanted to wake up from. It did not last though. A man stumbled in holding his side. His blue shirt was dyed red, and his hand could not contain the blood gushing from behind it. The woman bolted to his side and lowered him to the floor. Fare was frozen. Her crayon hovered above the tail she drew for the cat she had been working on. They spoke in hushed voices. While she could not hear what they were saying, but even at her early age she knew that it was not good. She had a bad feeling. It was validated when an object smashed through the window and landed on the chair that was recently occupied. Seconds later it ignited into a ball of fire. Sparks were consuming everything nearby and the next thing that Fare knew, she was swooped up and thrown out through another window.

She landed in the snow. The other windows blew outwards as the flames grew higher. She covered her head as she felt glass shards fall into her hair. She lifted her head when she felt that it was safe to do so. Her first instinct was to call out for her family, but her voice would not make a sound. Fare was in shock. She felt water droplets hit her leg. After first she thought that it was the snow melting from the heat, but she realized that she was crying. She startled when a figure landed next to her and swooped her up once more then ran away from the house. There was a moment of panic, but she realized that it was her mother. Her black hair smelled of smoke and burned flesh. Burns began to form on the back of her neck and Fare could feel blisters on the arms around her. Their pace began to slow after Fare watched the trees blur past for several minutes. Once they were a good distance into the woods, Fare was placed on the ground. Her mother dropped to her knees and frantically began to look her over.

"Are you okay Páiste? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Fare shook her head and just stared at her. Her hair was messed, and her eyes were wide with panic. Fare noticed a bleeding cut on her left cheek and lifted her tiny hand to cup it. She smiled and placed her hand over hers.

"I'm all right little one. It's just a scratch."

The peaceful reprieve did not last long. Footsteps and a voice shouting in the distance made the panic set back in.

"Come out! Come out! Wherever you are!"

Her mother grabbed her shoulders and whispered as calmly as she could muster, "I need you to find a hiding place okay Páiste? I need you to stay there until I get you. Can you do that?"