The fresh early morning breeze lifted loose hair strands from Emerald's damp forehead as she emerged from the underground tunnel, into a wild wooded area. The BPRD team had not wasted time lingering inside the strange siren house, and had made a quick exit.
"Our vehicle and driver are waiting on the main road, a quarter mile from here," said Krauss.
"Ouch!" Emerald cried out as sharp pebbles and twigs cut into her bare feet.
All her companions looked back in concern.
"Sorry, guys," she told them, "It's nothing - just harder to walk without shoes."
Nuada was beside her in an instant. Seeing the cause of her discomfort, he promptly lifted her up.
"Hey!"
"I shall carry you."
"There's no need, really," she protested, blushing furiously. She was aware that she weighed more than she ought to. Even Hellboy had once called her 'chubby'. Soon forgetting that, she began to relax in the warmth of his arms and nestled her head against his chest.
"Thank you," she whispered. "My feet were really hurting."
He flashed her a smile. A wave of pure happiness surged through her, and she smiled in turn.
"I still can't believe it's really you. I still feel like I'm in a dream."
"Have you missed me that much, in this short space of time?"
"Yes! Since the time they took you, I couldn't rest. I wasn't even sure you'd make it through," she said, choking a little.
Nuada's face softened. "You were worried for me."
"I was. And I wish you could have come sooner," she added bitterly, thinking of how Sreng had forced himself on her.
"Did he do something to you?"
Emerald didn't answer. She lowered her head, not wishing to talk about it. The memory left her feeling helpless and vulnerable.
"I'll kill him for touching you," Nuada promised.
"No!"
He raised his eyebrows at her objection.
"Enough people have died. Nothing drastic happened, and I just want to forget about it."
"Hey! Try to catch up!"
Emerald and Nuada dropped their conversation when Hellboy hollered at them. Nuada picked up his pace while she leaned into his chest.
As the team neared the edge of the woods, a half-sized black bus came into view. Nuada lowered Emerald to her feet, and Liz helped her to climb inside. When the door closed, the team was thrown into partial darkness.
"Wish I could have enjoyed more of the fresh air," said Emerald, seeing that all the locked windows except for the driver's, were tinted navy blue.
"Not safe," grunted Mr. Wink.
"You will be able to walk about in the open compound, Ms. Bruttenholm," said Agent Krauss. "The Scottish headquarters have fine outdoor facilities."
Hellboy grinned. "I can finally play baseball."
Everyone laughed except Nuada, who was unsure of what the red demon meant.
"How did you guys know where I was? And how the hell was that crazy Sreng able to get me past airport security?"
أنت تقرأ
Intertwining Destinies
قصص الهواةDr. Emerald Bruttenholm is the sole survivor of the Blackwood massacre and is taken to the BPRD to help them investigate the attack. She takes the meeting with the paranormal creatures surprisingly well because deep down she has secrets of her own...
