The Peregrines

Chapter 8

Within the realm of my sleep, I encountered turbulent dreams, dreams with strange flashbacks of my past, and dreams of my home with Miss Peregrine. I even found myself immersed in a dream of death. These peculiar snippets of absurdity unfolded in fleeting moments of consciousness, blurry and undependable, products of my concussed mind.

A woman with no visible face blowing dust into my eyes. Experiencing the sensation of being submerged in warm water. A new and unfamiliar voice reassuring me that everything will be fine, they are not our enemies, we are protected. Then deep and dreamless dark for unknown hours.

Upon awakening again, I realized I was no longer in a dream state. I found myself lying in a bed within a compact room. Dim light seeped through a closed window shade, indicating daytime. However, I pondered on the specific day. To my relief, I wasn't in prison of any sort.

I found myself in a nightgown, not in my old, blood-stained attire, and my vision was free of any debris. It was evident that someone had been looking after me. Despite feeling utterly exhausted, I experienced minimal discomfort. The throbbing in my shoulder had subsided, as had the pounding in my head. I was uncertain about the significance of these changes.

I attempted to sit up, but had to pause halfway and lean on my elbows for a moment. A glass pitcher filled with water was placed on a night table next to the bed. A large wooden wardrobe occupied one corner of the room. Okay... So far, so good. As I glanced around, I noticed a man sleeping in a chair in the opposite corner—I had to blink and rub my eyes to confirm what I was seeing.

My thoughts were moving at a slow pace, causing me not to be surprised; It was so odd-looking, in fact, that I briefly found it challenging to comprehend what was before me. The man appeared to be a composition of contrasting halves: one side of his hair was neatly slicked down, while the other side was dishevelled with cowlicks scattered all over; similarly, one side of his face was adorned with a scruffy beard, while the other side was completely clean-shaven. . . Wtf . . . 

His attire, consisting of pants, a wrinkled sweater, and a frilled Elizabethan collar, displayed a blend of modern and archaic styles. With stealth, I eased out of bed and silently made my way to the doorway, being mindful not to rouse the sleeping man thing.

In a rush, I dashed towards the door, oblivious to the fact that I had a couple of monitors clinging to me. Without any warning, the monitors were yanked off and crashed onto the floor, creating a deafening shatter. The noise startled the guy awake with a sudden shout, the man was so startled that he tumbled out of his chair and hit the floor with a loud bang. "Oh, my! Oh, goodness!" With wide eyes and hands fluttering, he settled back into the chair. "You're awake!" 

As I locked eyes with him, I maintained a steady gaze, withholding any immediate reaction. It was crucial for me to assess the situation before taking any drastic measures. My eyes darted around the room, desperately searching for Emma, Jake, or even Bryce, only to realize that they were nowhere to be found. It was only me and this guy, who was now smoothing his clothes and straightening his ruffled collar. "Please don't tell anyone I fell asleep watching you!"

"Where are the others!" I immediately snapped. All in truth, I was worried, and when I'm worried, I tend to do stupid things.

"Right, yes!" the man squeaked, looking flustered. "I might not be the best-equipped member of the household to answer ... questions ..."

My protective instincts kicked in, boosting my confidence as I charged towards the man and swiftly seized his throat. "WHERE ARE THEY?!" I yelled. Fear gripped the man, leaving him unable to speak anything more than a faint squeak in response. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" I aggressively shook him by his shirt collar.

"You're Kira" The man's answer caught me completely off guard- hold on a second, how the hell did he know my name?!

With each passing moment, my frustration intensified, causing a surge of negative energy to gather in my trembling hands. The crackling negative energy formed a menacing ball of electricity, hovering menacingly in my grasp. The man standing before me had a choice to make - Give me some damned answers or I kill him.

"WHO ARE YOU!? HOW DO YOU KNOW ME?! WHERE ARE THE OTHERS?! WHERE AM I?!" I bombarded him with a flurry of questions, my fury driving me to seek answers relentlessly.

Nervously, he gestured towards himself, his hands shaking violently. The look on his face was one of sheer terror as if he was on the brink of fainting if he doesn't shit his pants first.

"I-I'm Nim!!" He says, panicked. "A-and-and-"

His words stumbled out of his mouth, repeating like a skipping vinyl record., I don't have time for this. "SPIT IT OUT!!!" I demanded.

"This-this is Mr. Bentham's house- Your uncle Bentham's house." He paused, still shaking with terror. Uncle?... I'm in my uncle's hou- CAUL'S HOUSE?! WHAT?! HOW?! Nim resumes speaking. "He's very eager to meet you. In fact, I'm to notify him as soon as you're awa-" 

ZAAAAAAP

With a swift motion, with the flick of my wrist, I flung my ball of electricity at Nim, striking him in the chest first. He was sent flying to the opposite side of the room, where he harshly collided with the wall with a massive BANG noise, him ending up completely fried but alive. If someone were to catch a glimpse of him, they might assume he just stepped out of a science lab mishap. his hair a chaotic tangle, jutting out in various directions, and his entire body covered in dark soot.

In just a matter of seconds, Nim naturally peeled off from the wall and came crashing down onto the floor with a resounding thud.