„We're doomed."

Chapter 22

„Claire! Olive!" Bronwyn smiled and ran over to the two girls, picking up both of them at the same time. „I'm so glad you're okay! How did you manage to flee from the wights?"
„We used the panloopticon." said Jacob and came walking up to her. „Luckily, there was a door that led to a loop near by."
„Hey. Wow Jacob, you're alive." Enoch came trudging up to them and then pointed at Sharon. „Hey, isn't that the guy who was with us in Abaton too?"
Jacob nodded and suddenly shook his arm, when he felt something touching his hand.
„It's Millard." said a familiar voice and Bronwyn gave him his jacket. The jacket floated around and his invisible arms began to fill the two sleeves.
„Oh, hey man. Didn't see you there. I'm glad you're good though." Jacob said and waved at him.
„I'm glad you're good too." said Millard and laughed at what Jacob said.
Then Jacob continued to talk. „Sharon already has a plan on how to help our friends."
„That's right." the tall man nodded. „All we need to do is to go out on the streets in Devil's Acre and make all of the people gather together. Then, we'll make those wights angry."
„End of the story: we're all going die because the wights will shoot us to death, after we did our nice little riot." said Enoch and shrugged. „Sounds like a great plan."
Bronwyn punched his arm slightly and whispered: „Shut up."
Then she looked back at Sharon. „Are you sure that's going to work? There was almost no one on the streets. They were all inside their houses."
„Yeah. Don't worry, I'll handle this. They will come out of their hiding places somehow. Especially, if I tell them something they won't like."
„And what would that be?" asked Jacob.
„You'll see." Sharon replied, then he turned around and looked at Devil's Acre, crossing his arms. „We'll have to use a safer way to get there. We could get seen by wights before we even got the chance to start the riot."

//

They walked up a small alley between two houses. Some of the seven looked at windows next to them. Curtains have been closed in front of them and all the lights got turned off. Everything seemed like a ghost town.
Sharon, who was leading the children, stopped and carefully looked around the left and the right corner. Then he turned his head back to his friends.
„The coast is clear. For now." he said. „We have to be quick."
„Maybe we should let Millard go first. He could tell us when wights are coming." suggested Bronwyn and Millard sighed.
„I could just keep off my jacket forever." said Millard, taking his jacket off once again and everyone noticed that he was slightly disappointed. „But for the future of peculiardom, I'll gladly do it."
Everyone went out of the alley and were now on the street.
„I would say, we start here and then we'll make our way up the main street, heading right towards the wight's fortress." explained Sharon and everyone nodded, even though it meant for them to risk their life. But it was worth a try.
Sharon walked up on a pile of rusty metal pieces, some of them seemed to be parts of old bicycles. They were just there at the side of the street, making a rusty squeaking sound when Sharon stepped on them.
„Would you all like to hear something really nasty about those wights?" shouted Sharon across the place, so everyone inside their houses could hear it.
„That's not going to work..." grumbled Enoch and crossed his arms.
But suddenly, people dared to come out of their homes, slowly gathering around Sharon.
„You all probably heard about the wights producing ambrosia again. But! Did you know they're going to keep all of it to themselves?" Sharon began to grin down at them.
Then the people started to gasp and whisper to each other.
„And that, of course, is unbelievably mean, right?" Sharon spoke to the, now, small crowd.
„Yes, it is!" yelled one of them. It was Desmond. He made his way through the crowd and walked up to Sharon, who held out his hand to him. The man took it and Sharon pulled him up onto the rusty pile.
More people seemed to join listening to what Sharon had to say.
„Who is for telling the wights to share their ambrosia with us?"
The majority of the group raised there hands.
„...and who is for staying here and being a coward?"
Only a few people raised there hands, including Enoch.
Bronwyn punched his arm again, this time a little harder.
„Well, okay then! Let's go!" said Sharon and held up his and Desmond's arm, as if Desmond was the winner of some game. „Together we can do it. We can show this beast!"
Then they started their journey towards Caul's fortress, convincing even more people to come and join them.

//

A group of wights rushed into Caul's big hall, as the heavy door got opened.
„Sir, we found what you wanted!" said Mr. Smith and marched up to his leader.
The giant bent down to the little man to see what he was holding.
The wight was holding the little phial filled with the liquid, that would help Caul getting rid of the poison.
„Give it to me." he said and held out his hand, low enough for the wight to give him the phial.
Mr. Smith laid it on his hand and in the next moment, Caul closed it around the small object.
The wight backed away, walking back to the rest of the wights.
Caul stood up again and then he just threw the phial into his mouth.
„I don't think that's how you...." Mr. Smith began to say, but it was already too late and he was too speechless to continue his sentence.
The other wights stared up to the giant with a worried look on their faces.
„I think you might be the first one to try one of those prisoners' souls, Smith." said Caul, as he turned back to the wight. „You did a great job."
A smile lit up on Smith's face.
Suddenly, other wights stormed in and loud noises could be heard when the door was opened, but they got quieter when it closed.
„The slum dwellers! They're causing trouble!" one of them shouted and ran towards Caul, stopping next to Mr. Smith, looking up at the giant.
„What?.." Caul said and looked towards the large door with a saturnine look on his face.