The Enchantments: Book 4 - The Key of Mulastef

Chapter 12: Intelligence

The silence from inside the bank's office space was interrupted with the flickering of the emergency generator kicking in and groaning from the rafters above, plumbs off dust and smoke floated through the air coming to rest on the backs of the group huddled on the floor. The doctor was the first to move throwing his head back sending streams of a grey-greenish powder. He sat still for a moment allowing the swimming in his head to calm down. He pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket using it to wipe his face free of the annoying dust.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked weakly.

Fin and Guile pushed themselves to a sitting position holding their heads and checking the rest of their bodies for any sign of injuries. Fin was the first to respond.

"Except for one hell of a headache, I'm fine." He said through coughs.

Guile tried to stand but felt better of it has his head swam. "I think I may have a concussion." He said weakly then felt the side of his head feel one hell of a lump beginning to form.

"I'm going to check on others, with all that's happened there could be casualties." Guile stood gradually then headed weakly down the hall to the main office area.

The doctor got unsteadily to his feet and exited the small room as well.

"I must go as well if you find anything, please don't hesitate to find me." He sighed deeply, and Fin saw the steely-eyed look on his face, and the frosty tone of his voice made him shiver. "These bastards have gone too far now."

Fin watched the Guile disappear behind a damaged wall barking orders as he moved through the devastation. Fin saw a horde of his security guards run in different directions following the man's orders without hesitation.

Drifting through the mass of carnage all around Fin knew the bank would take months of preparation to get back up and running. One moment of terrorism would lead to speculations on how safe the bank was. Would the news of the bombing leak outside the walls. Once someone found out that within these walls lay one of the greatest wealth deposits in the country, every no good scumbag would come looking for their fortune, but if Fin knew Mr. Guile, he discerned this place would be secured tighter than the white house.

He watched the people shuffle around in a daze picking up objects and dropping them within seconds. Many were in shock and were taken from the obliteration through doors Fin assumed led to safer assigned rooms. All the papers a few minutes ago that housed client information and transaction records were now a heaping mass of wet, soggy and useless rags.

He sighed and watched a couple more employees stare at what remained of their desks. They flicked through papers trying to see their worth then groaned loudly dropping them back on the desks with a loud smack.

Fin stepped around a large desk and was about to move on when a small groan came from under the desk. He dropped to his knees and stared into the dark area.

"Hello, are you alright?" He asked.

The moaning stopped suddenly, and Fin had a feeling run up and down his spine. Something was very wrong here, and he needed to move fast. He was about to stand when a black blur came out from underneath the desk. Fin felt the pain in his shoulder erupt and he fell backward as the creature flew past him and back under another desk a few short feet away.

He held his shoulder as he scattered away pushing himself against a relatively stable wall. His heart was hammering like a jackhammer, and through the excitement, he knew when he calmed down the pain in his shoulder would triple. He stared wide-eyed at the other desk, and every few minutes a black tendril would reach out as if sniffing the air then retreat.