The Captured Bird

Chapter 16-Rescue

You looked up at Miss Vulture when she walked back into the room she'd left you tied up in. She seemed to have been gone for hours, though you didn't really know what time it was. "That went well." You gave her a muffled question, though you were gaged and couldn't talk. "I went back to the house. Killed a little blonde girl with curly hair. Miss Peregrine was, well just depressed. I don't think she even noticed your absence. I doubt she'll even come looking for you. It's not like she loves you or whatever the hell you believe she thinks of you."

What? Claire was dead. No she couldn't be. You let out a few muffled yells at the cruel woman in front of you. She just sighed and grabbed you, dragging you across the floor of the room she'd booked at the pub and shoving you in the bathroom. "Miss Peregrine and the older children played a fun little game of raid the village yesterday. But in current time. They won't be able to come and get you here without risking their lives. So have fun being trapped here with me until I figure out what to do with you."

The only way you could keep track of how many days you were locked in that room was the little light that shone through a window near the ceiling. It'd been three, no four days, trapped in that bathroom, not really able to move much. You were given a single sandwich and glass of water daily to keep you alive but still leave you starving. She'd been right, Alma wasn't coming for you, she wasn't going to save you again. Why were you such a failure?

On the fourth day, while you assumed Miss Vulture was away doing whatever she did while she wasn't around, you heard a loud noise, which wasn't completely out of the norm. But Miss V wasn't home, and it was followed by a few 'shush's'. Who was there, someone good, or bad? And would they save you?

Suddenly the door to the bathroom was kicked in. "Untie her." The tallest person in the room pointed to someone and then at you. They were wearing trench coats and hoods, along with masks to keep their faces hidden. Though the tallest also wore gloves, and heels were an odd choice when on a rescue mission but whatever. You thought you faintly recognized her voice but that might have been the lack of sleep.

They said nothing as they made quick work of untying you while searching the room. They didn't find anything other than a few unimportant papers. What would these people be looking for anyway. The tallest let out a sigh before pulling her hood down and her mask off. Alma LeFay Peregrine stood there, hand in one of her pockets. The other three that were with her mirrored her movements and were revealed to be Enoch, Emma, and Olive.

"You guys actually came for me..? Oh my god you actually came to save me! I thought I'd die here!" You made excessive hand movements as you spoke.

"We missed you too Y/n." Olive gave a small laugh.

"Aww, what a touching reunion." You whipped around to see none other than Miss Vulture in the doorway. "It took you four days, I thought I'd be safe before leaving tonight but oh well. I suppose there's nothing wrong with a little more blood on my hands." She grinned manically as she lifted her gun and shot Emma in the shoulder. The girl fell into Olive, who held onto her and moved her off into a corner. Miss Peregrine pulled her hand out of her pocket, revealing the fact she'd been holding onto a gun. She shot Miss V in the head, effectively whipping the grin off her face.

The next hour consisted of trying not to look suspicious while four masked people in trench coats walked through town with a person who looked like she hadn't seen sunlight in a week,. Not to mention the fact one of them sported a bloody shoulder and was trying to keep pressuring on it while walking. It proved to be painful but Emma managed not to scream.

Once home you'd gone back to not being important as Alma cared for Emma's wounded shoulder. Everyone crowded around the poor injured girl, though you just scanned the crowd. No, where was Claire. Miss V couldn't have been telling the truth, right? Fiona must've seen your confusion and gestured for you to follow her. She led you upstairs to a room you'd never been in before. When she opened it there were two beds, one person laying in each. In one was a boy you'd never seen before, he had no eyes and looked to not be breathing. In the other, was Claire... most definitely not breathing.

"That's Victor, he was Bronywn's brother, he was killed by hollows.. Miss P was heartbroken. Miss Vulture, she broke in the night you disappeared, and Claire..." Alma, she'd lost not one, but two children, and one of those deaths was all your fault. You knelt down by the poor girls bed and just cried, grabbing her cold hand in yours, letting all the emotions that had been building the past few days out. Eventually Fiona left to give you some privacy, knowing full well you just needed time.

—————

Alma noticed you leave with Fiona but thought nothing of it. Fiona soon returned without you, frowning. After making sure Emma was alright she went off to look for you. She noticed Victor's and Clair's door ajar and went to shut it, but before she could she heard crying coming from inside the room. She pushed the door further open to see you crying at the side of Claire's bed. She walked in and shut the door behind her, kneeling beside you. "Y/n..."

"Alma.. Alma, s-she's dead... because of me!" You hugged the woman in front of you, sobbing into her chest.

"What? No- no Y/n, what makes you think this is your fault?" You looked up at her, for a moment thinking she was joking at a time like this, but she wasn't.

"How is it not?! I wasn't here- I-I just let her take me away! And he wouldn't even have tried the experiment again if it hadn't been for me making the outcome more promising, and that basically led to all of this!" When you looked at the woman again, only to find that she too was now crying.

"How is your peculiarity your fault? You couldn't chose it. And Miss Vulture threatening you to make you leave? You wouldn't have been here either way." She brought her hand to your cheek and smiled as you leaned into the touch. "But they're all gone now, the wights and hollows and evil ymbrynes, they're all dead. We'll never have to deal with them ever again. We can finally just relax."

"Alright, alright. So long as you never play raid the village in real time again, we won't have anyone hunting us." Her eyes widened a bit at this.

"Now how'd you know about that?" She said asked with a small laugh.

—————

Now that was just fucking sad.