Worlds of Waves and Shadows

Fifty Six

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay, just grab my hand." Deimos coaxed, beckoning the child who sat crouching in fear under the rubble.

From the looks of it, the concrete slabs could collapse onto themselves any second, burying the little boy underneath.

The child's face was covered in dust and soot. From what Deimos could tell, he had probably hurt his leg. That, combined with the shock and fear he must be feeling right now, was proving hard to get him out of that hole.

Flames and smoke surrounded him, making his shadows the only thing he could rely on.

And as if that weren't enough, he did not speak Russian, which was partially why the child was staring at him with such confusion in his eyes.

So when finally, after a lot of cajoling, the boy hesitantly extended his hand to him, Deimos pulled him out in a swift motion, his shadows supporting the child before he could change his mind.

He wanted to ask where his parents were and tell him that everything would be okay, but all he could do was put him down and ruffle his hair.

If only Kaenisa were here....

Worry pinched his torso, making him straighten, eyes searching for her as the boy ran off, probably afraid of him.

"Hey Zaira!" He called to his left, "Did you see the others?"

"No," She yelled, "Been a while since I last saw them!"

"Same here!" A third voice-Rolan's-chimed in.

His heart felt uneasy.

Deimos had sensed something fishy ever since the incident that occurred at the lab.

It had all seemed....more like a failure than a mistake. Like a plan gone awry. And the fact that the mutants who had escaped were nowhere to be seen....was strange, to say the least.

But one thing was certain, this explosion and the monsters' escape were interrelated. There was no doubt.

"Sarina!" Zaic's voice echoed.

"Sarina!" Kaenisa followed, "Where are you?"

"Kaenisa!" The words rolled off his tongue before he could stop himself, whipping his head towards the clearing debris fog, out of which she emerged with his cousin in tow.

"Deimos?"

"Where the hell were you—"

His words died in his throat as a bellowing roar cut him out.

Then, a petite figure turned the corner.

One look at her unmissable bobbing platinum hair, and Deimos had no doubt that they had found Sarina.

Though he wasn't really sure why she was running like a headless chicken with a flare in her hand.

A heartbeat later, the answer came to him when an almost indiscernible tremor shook the ground.

And then another.

And another.

He could feel dread churning up his insides as it finally came into view.

The creature turned the corner, towering over Sarina.

The monster towered over her at what had to be at least twenty feet, with grey, peeling skin—no—hide covering it.

How did that thing even fit in the lab?

The mutant's eyes were, as usual, lifeless, but something about the murderous glint in them was different. Directed. Intelligent.