The Time Hopper

Last Stand

The shot rang out, and then we were gone. I reached for my magic and dragged us backwards in time, not trying to fix on a time. As we went, though, something strange happen. Something in the back of my mind seemed to come alive, a link to something I didn't understand. I felt the other incarnations of me wake up, some screaming and some cheering, so much panic it made me lose control of my magic for the first time. Our travel back in time stopped, and then we were being jerked forward and I couldn't get my grip on it again. I held tightly onto Riley, terrified of what would happen if I let him go while using my magic. 

And then we stopped and we were thrown out in a cobbled street, somewhere in England in the early nineteen hundreds if I had to guess at it. The lack of control almost threw us out of the travel, sending us both staggering. Immediately, I turned around and looked to Riley, because there had been a gunshot. I couldn't see any blood on him, so that was good? And there was no one around, so that was good.

"Are you alright?" I asked, but the words didn't want to go out- they had to be forced. There was a strange sensation in my chest, like a leather band around my rib cage that was being tightened. I frowned, and for the first time I properly saw Riley's face instead of scanning him for blood. He looked horrified. He had gone white as a sheet, his eyes wide and not blinking and not focused on my face, either. Slowly, I followed his eyeline down. 

The tunics in the monastery were a creamy, off white colour, and they were always very soft and warm. I liked the way they felt. And now, deep scarlet was spreading over it like a blooming flower, warm and wet and so quickly that it shocked me. I didn't know where it was- not heart, I would be dead now. It didn't hurt. It was just numb, a numbness that was spreading from my stomach. I looked back to Riley, knowing that my pallor must match his. He was frozen in place, staring at me as we locked eyes. A tremor ran through my legs. 

"Riley?" I asked, and it came out as a pathetic whimper, so full of fear that I felt my heart beginning to thump in my chest wildly. I wasn't sure if I tried to move towards me or the instability in my legs made me stumble, but once I started to sway I could no longer hold myself up. I staggered to one side, trying to maintain balance, and Riley jerked himself forward. His arms were outstretched and then they were around me and my knees were buckling and we were both falling to the ground. 

"Sadie!" He cried out as I slumped into his arms. One arm was around my back, holding me up as I looked up at him, my fingers clutching at his shirt as his free hand pressed against the wound, blood spilling between his fingers in lazy, endless pulses. "Help! Somebody help me!" Riley roared, turning away from me to look up and down the street. It was a drizzly London day, dawn, and it was so cold. We were on a residential street, but not a single curtain twitched as he yelled and begged for someone to come to our aid. My mind was reeling as the cold and the numbness spread throughout my body- disbelief, fear, denial- all dancing and making my thoughts impossible to understand. I was continuing to force myself to breath, in and out, but it was so hard. I'd never had to try so hard to do it before. 

I let my head rest against his chest, hearing how quickly his heart was beating. I didn't know how we were going to get out of this. He was telling me to keep my eyes open, to keep breathing, that everything was going to be okay, but I didn't see how it would. And then I heard running feet and Riley was yelling to them- 

And then he let out a yell of surprise and fear, rough and angry, and he was scrambling to his feet and dragging me with him. I couldn't get my feet under me, but it didn't matter. Riley bent down, one arm behind my back and the other behind my knees, and he lifted me up. Holding me bridal style, he stumbled backwards, holding tightly onto me. I turned my head, dragging my gaze up. I saw the pool of blood on the cobbles, drizzle washing it away and pushing it in rivulets into the cracks between the flags. And then I dragged my gaze up further, and I saw a horribly familiar figure.