A Peculiar Time in 1944 - A Millard Fanfic (Miss Peregrine's Home) #wattys2020

Chapter 61

"As if anyone but Hugh could do that." {Jacob Portman, pg 179 book 2}

AURORA P.O.V.

Two soldiers with rifles aimed at them while a third went from peculiar to peculiar rooting through their pockets. Mostly they only found crumbs and lint, anything else was useless, Enoch had a bag of dirt, Jake had his pocket-phone, Aurora assumed they searched them first because they were the oldest men in their group which led them to the assumption that one of them had to be calling the shots. She was happy she'd stored Millard's book in Bronwyn's trunk where it would be safe as she watched the wights toss what little they had to the floor like trash.

The wight moved past Bronwyn and unconscious Horace quickly, then she watched him shake down Millard. Being rougher than necessary he pulled at Millard's jacket and his 'pat-down' seemed more like repetitive hitting. Thankfully, he didn't take long before he moved onto Olive. Aurora saw Millard's torso turn slightly in her direction and she tried give him an encouraging look but failed as more tears escaped from her eyes at the thought that without finding anything useful they'd be shot and dumped quickly.

She was still holding her throbbing cheek when the wight looked her over, because her shirt was skin tight he didn't pat her down but he did take a moment to stare at her chest. Aurora had to swallow the foul taste in her mouth as the look the wight was giving her reminded her of the last time she'd been outnumbered by soldiers. Thankfully, the wights saw them as some sub-species, too afraid to evolve into something greater, and weren't keen on touching them longer than necessary. The real trouble started when he moved onto Emma.

"Lay a hand on me and you'll regret it!" she threatened but the wight only laughed. One of the men with a rifle pressed it against her head in warning while Aurora silently prayed, Please don't blow him through the window Emma, please. The wight continued his search moving slower with her while keeping his leering grin.

"She doesn't have anything! Leave her alone!" Jake shouted, his fists clenched at his sides.

"I like this one." The soldier said ignoring Jacob, "I think we should keep her awhile. For. . . science."

"You're a disgusting specimen corporal." Mr. White said with a grimace. "But I agree she is fascinating. I remember what you did at my submarine, the way you blew through the water. I'd give anything to do what you can do. If only we could bottle those lungs of yours." He smiled before turning back to the soldier, "Finish up, we don't have all day."

"With pleasure." He replied raising his hands up to her chest. Then there was the loud CRACK of a gun and Aurora looked to the ground certain Emma had been shot.

"What was that?" Mr. White asked rushing to the window and Aurora looked up. Emma was still upright, the gunshot had come from outside. She did her best to try and peek over Mr. White's figure to see out the window. The wight who had gone to intercept the train was standing out in the field waist deep in wildflowers. His back was to the shed, his gun aimed, Mr. White opened the window and shouted.

"What the hell are you shooting at? Why are you still here?"

The soldier didn't move, didn't speak, the only sound was the hum of insects.

"Corporal Brown!" Mr. White bellowed.

The man turned slowly, barely balanced on his own feet. His rifle slipped from his hands and fell into the grass. He opened his mouth and tried to speak but instead of a voice there was an eerie droning noise echoing from his stomach. Then he lurched and a thick stream of bees poured from his mouth. Mr. White stumbled back, horrified and baffled. Out in the field Corporal Brown collapsed and behind him was another body, smaller. It was a boy. It was Hugh.

He stood defiantly staring through the window, the insects swirled around him like a thick cloud of smoke made from honeybees, hornets, wasps and yellow jackets. Every last one of them seemed to be at his command. Mr. White raised his gun and emptied his clip. Hugh went down disappearing in the grass, Aurora was unable to tell if he had fallen or dove into it. Other soldiers rushed to the window and began firing raking the field with bullets. Then there were bees in the room, a dozen maybe, angry and buzzing around the wights.

"Shut the window!" Mr. White ordered as he swatted the air. When the window was shut they began smacking the bees that had gotten in. Meanwhile, more bees gathered outside, enough to blanket the window and block out the sun. Aurora couldn't see anything, all she knew was it was dark and hot and the only sound was the bees.

"Make them leave us alone!" Mr. White shouted, his voice now desperate.

"I'll make you another offer." She heard Bekhir's voice above the buzzing. "Put down your guns or I open the window."

"Even a gypsy wouldn't be stupid enough to do that."

"You think too highly of us." Bekhir replied and Aurora heard the clicking of rifles preparing to fire. "Go ahead. Shoot." Bekhir dared them.

"Don't!" Mr. White shouted, "You'll break the glass! Grab him!"

There was the sound of shattering glass and Aurora knew he'd broken the window before they could reach him. Then bees flooded the room, Aurora curled up into a ball on the floor, her eyes shut and hands over her ears as she felt thousands of insects crawling over her skin. Did Hugh have enough control over them that they knew who was a friend and who was a foe? She didn't know, she just braced herself to feel the pain of a thousand stings. But it never came. There was the sound of people knocking into each other until finally someone found the door and kicked it open.

Light poured into the room and the bees poured out. Then it got quiet, Aurora lifted her head, the bees were gone and so were the wights. Then came the screaming. Aurora had never heard grown men scream like that before, horrified and desperate. She slowly stood from the floor and looked outside where there was a swirling black tornado and nothing else. Then her mind realized the soldiers must be inside it, one by one the screaming men fell silent. Then the cloud dispersed and the bodies of Mr. White and his men laid in the ground unmoving. The bees flew away and the humming stopped, to anyone passing by now it was just a peaceful field of wildflowers on a summer day and nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Aurora stood paralyzed for a long moment as her body went into shock. Someone came up and hugged her tightly and a few more seconds passed before she realized it was Millard. She hugged him back and his arms tightened around her, he was whispering something in her ear.

"Shhh, it's alright. We're alright." It was then she realized she was crying into his shoulder. But it was joyful tears, they were okay, they were alive, they had made it.