Dead Angels

by Tim ORourke

Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kiera

  Potter came from the waiting room and joined us on the platform. He had a look on his face that I had only ever seen once before, and that had been as he cradled Murphy's dead body in his arms beneath the Fountain of Souls. Like me, Potter knew that we would never see Isidor again - the Berserkers would kill him.

  To see such hurt on Potter's face, and feeling as if my soul had been crushed, I headed back down the platform towards the waiting room. I was going to take Isidor with us, even if it meant dragging him kicking and screaming. As I passed Potter, he grabbed my arm.

  "Don't," he whispered, tears in his eyes.

  "But we can't just leave him," I cried, glancing at Kayla who had rested Sam down on the platform. Kayla stood with her head down and was hugging herself. I didn't need to see her face to know that she was crying, her shuddering shoulders told me that.

  "Isidor needs to find his own path," Potter said softly. "I just hope he finds Melody at the end of it. "

  I tried to move off in the direction of the waiting room again, but Potter held onto me. "We don't have time. We can't risk all of our lives because of Isidor. "

  Not wanting to hear what Potter had said, but knowing what he said was true, I looked at Kayla. I went to her and wrapped my arm about her shoulder. Then, as if getting his act together, Potter came charging towards us, picked Sam up off the platform, and barked, "We don't have time for all this booing and wooing, save it for later. "

  The train slowed as it reached the platform, but didn't stop. The Berserkers were so close now that I could hear their barking and yapping from the opposite end of the platform. With Sam hanging over his shoulder like a ragdoll, Potter raced alongside the train as it passed through the platform.

  "C'mon!" he yelled back at Kayla and me.

  With my arm still firmly around her shoulder, I hurried Kayla alongside the train. It was a goods train, and one of the cars had a wide open door. Seeing this, Potter raced beside it and shoved Sam into the opening. With Kayla on a go slow, we were beginning to trail behind, and I looked up to see Potter leap from the platform and into the car.

  "Hurry!" he roared, his claws outstretched towards us.

  "Faster," I yelled at Kayla who stumbled beside me.

  "I don't want to leave Isidor. . . " she started.

  But before she had the chance to protest further, Potter had snatched hold of her wrists with his claws and was yanking her up and into the carriage. Her hair blew backwards like a streak of flame and the sky rumbled overhead.

  "Take my hand!" Potter barked at me, as I raced alongside the train. "Take hold!"

  Reaching out, our claws joined and he hauled me on board. The train lurched right as it rattled over the points at the end of the platform. Taking hold of a handrail fixed to the giant door, I looked out and back at the station. With the wind blasting into my face, I watched in horror as the Berserkers ran along the platform like a plague of giant locusts. They pulled the waiting room door open and hurried inside.

  With my stomach aching like I'd been winded, I peered into the darkness and through the window set into the wall of the waiting room. Stifling a scream with my fists, I watched as the Berserkers circled Isidor. Why did he have his back to them?

  Fight, Isidor! Turn and fight! I wanted to scream over the sound of the roaring wind, but the words wouldn't come out. Then, one of those Berserkers swiped its claws through the air, slicing Isidor's head from his shoulders. With blood slashing against the waiting room window, I sunk to my knees as the Berserkers set about Isidor's body with their claws and dagger-like teeth.

  Potter pulled me into the car and slid the door shut, as we sped away from the station and up into the snow-flecked mountains.