Clocksworth Academy

by Penny BroJacquie

  Eric hesitated for a moment but then he leaned over and hugged Egon.

  “Take my ring. And take her ring too,” Egon said as he handed Eric the two rings of the Order.

  With his face down to hide his teary eyes, Eric grabbed Floriana by the hand, and together they started running through the flames.

  Maite cursed and struggled in an attempt to extricate herself, but she couldn’t move under Egon’s weight.

  “Now it’s you and me,” Egon whispered close to her ear.

  With his free hand, he dragged a detonator from his pocket and activated the last trapped backpack. The one he had on his back...

  CHAPTER 11

  *

  THE SHOCK WAVE produced by the explosion struck Floriana’s and Eric’s bodies and hurled them down the burning corridor. Bricks, wood and glass followed their bodies’ trajectory. Floriana hit the frozen surface of a glass window and instinctively gripped the curtain hanging there. Unable to hold her balance, she fell backward on the floor, taking the cloth down with her. Before she lost consciousness, she saw the curtain falling and covering her body from head to toe.

  “Damn!”

  She heard Eric swearing just before a sharp pain in her legs pulled her out of lethargy. Floriana opened her eyes tensely as she felt the cloth of the curtain sliding off her prone body. Eric was standing over her, frantically hitting her feet with the curtain.

  “For Earth’s sake, what are you doing?” she shouted as she hustled to get back on her feet.

  “I’m saving you, that’s what I’m doing!” screamed Eric. “Your dress is on fire.”

  Woozy and wobbly, she checked out the scorched hem of her dress. It was the fire that had caused the intense pain in her legs.

  “Floriana, pull yourself together. We have to go now,” Eric uttered as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

  It was the first time she’d seen Eric lose his temper. Since they had first met in her house, he had kept a taciturn and inexpensive mask on his face. His facial expressions would not betray his feelings and thoughts. He was the exact opposite of Egon.

  Poor Egon.

  In Floriana’s eyes, Egon was a man of vitality and gaiety. He would make everyone feel nice and joyful with his optimism and cheerful mood. And now he was gone. He couldn’t have survived the explosion.

  “Floriana, get a grip. We have to go now,” Eric yelled.

  “Shouldn’t we go back and look for Egon?” she asked tentatively.

  “It is useless. There is no way he survived the explosion.”

  He gripped her hand, forcing her to follow his brisk pace amongst the flames along the corridor.

  “What if he is not dead? What if he’s badly injured and waiting for us to help him?” Floriana insisted as she scuttled behind him.

  “He had a bomb in his backpack; the bomb exploded,” Eric replied blandly while drifting toward a nearby staircase at the end of the corridor.

  “But he was your friend, how can you abandon him so easily?”

  Eric stopped abruptly and, with a harsh pull, he made Floriana whirl around to face him.

  “Don’t you dare say that again. Egon was more than a friend to me; he was like a brother to me. But now he’s dead beyond any doubt and I have not even had the time to grieve for him because I must save your chubby ass. So, stop talking and follow me.”

  He tightened the grip on her hand and led her to the marble staircase. Shocked by Eric’s unexpected rage, Floriana followed him on his frantic course without protesting anymore. They rapidly descended to the ground floor and headed to the exit through a vast, empty hall. The fire was in full progress on the first floor; however, it hadn’t spread yet to the ground level. Their eyes were red from the black smoke, their nostrils filled with the disgusting stench of burnt flesh. A wave of fresh air hit them as they crossed through the main entrance and exited to the courtyard. Coughing out smoke, Eric beckoned Floriana to stop running and threw nervous glances around. General Müller and his guards were nowhere to be seen; only doctors and nurses in white uniforms were running to escape the maelstrom.

  Counting their escape options, Eric frowned. Behind them, flames were devouring the aristocratic building with ocher walls and a red tiled roof. A quiet, dirty street that led north through scattered trees seemed the only way out. However, he couldn’t detect any unattended car that they could use for their escape. The prospect of following a secluded road in the woods without any cover didn’t seem wise to him, especially since they had only one gun at their disposal: his own.

  “Eric?” Floriana asked timidly, standing behind his back.

  “What?” Eric replied, annoyed by the interruption of his thoughts. He didn’t even bother to turn around and look at her.

  “You're bleeding.”

  Floriana pointed to his back. A large bloodstain decorated the back of his white shirt.

  “It's nothing,” he replied curtly, keeping his gaze on the road and the forest lying in front of them. “It’s only a piece of glass stuck in my back. I’ll remove it after we get out of here.”

  “But the wound will get infected. Let me try to get it out for you,” said Floriana, gently touching the back of his arm.

  Eric jumped as if hit by an electric charge and pushed her hand away.

  “I said it’s nothing,” he insisted, avoiding any eye contact with her.

  Floriana backed off a few steps. She folded her arms across her chest, eyes downcast and shoulders slumped. She lightly kicked a stone and, brooding, she watched it roll into a tuft of tall grass. She was looking at the ground for another stone to kick when a hand grabbed her arm.

  “Having second thoughts?” she asked and turned around, eyebrow raised. But it wasn’t Eric who was holding tightly her arm; it was a smoldering body. Before she could blink, the creature plunged his rotten teeth into her flesh.

  The sound of Eric’s gun stunned her. The bullet passed a few centimeters from her ear and slammed into the left temple of the creature that had just accomplished a deep bite into her arm.

  With trembling fingers, Floriana touched the wound.

  “No, not you, too,” Eric stammered as he ran close to her. He protectively passed his arm around her back and helped her sit down on the ground. He knelt beside her and took a close look at the deep wound. The biter’s dentition was deeply imprinted in her flesh and blood gushed from the skin. He put his gun on the ground, next to his knee, and hurriedly took off his shirt. He tore it into pieces, wrapped them in a long strip and tightly bandaged the wound to stop the bleeding. The fabric was now colored red by both Eric’s and Floriana’s blood.

  “Nice day to wear a white shirt,” he said, one edge of his mouth curving upward in a clumsy attempt to smile.

  Trembling, Floriana grabbed his arms and shook them vigorously.

  “I’m going to die, right?” she mumbled.

  “I won’t allow it,” he said with absolute certainty in his voice. “I lost Egon and I am not going to lose you, too.”

  Still kneeling, he freed his hands from hers. He picked up his gun and put it through his belt. Any communication with the outside world seemed impossible.

  A tremendous noise made them look back at the building. A part of the roof had collapsed, but that was not what alerted them. Half a dozen super-soldiers biters emerged from the west wing. Smoke poured out of their scorched bodies; yet that didn’t make them halt their march toward where the smell of fresh blood led them.

  “Listen to me carefully,” said Eric, gripping Floriana’s hands tightly. “We need to get out of here. Can you run?”

  Floriana nodded, although she wasn’t sure. With Eric’s help, she stood back on her feet, but she coiled under the pain in her wounded arm. The creatures’ muffled roars sounded closer to them now; there was no time for them to lose. Eric unholstered his gun and hurriedly gripped Floriana’s unharmed arm. After he helped her stand again on her feet, he looked her in the eye and commanded, “Run!”

  Wounded as t
hey both were, they struggled to run into the forest. The Nazi hospital with the smoldering creatures was now far behind them. Floriana’s arm had stopped bleeding; Eric had lost a lot of blood due to the piece of glass in his back. Lacking alternatives, exiting to the nearest main road seemed the best option available.

  Small explosions sounded behind them as the fire devoured the old building. The dense smoke would certainly alert the local authorities, and the fire brigade would arrive at any minute.

  Despite the unbearable pain in his wounded back, Eric kept running without slowing down. He had a firm grip on Floriana’s hand without realizing that the girl was struggling to keep up with his pace.

  “I can’t keep up,” she cried.

  Eric led below the leafy canopy of a large old tree. “It’s alright. I just wanted to find a quieter place. We can do the transition here. Did they teach you how to do it? Anyway, show me your hand. I mean your ring,” he corrected when Floriana showed him her right palm. “Since our job here is done our rings will do their job by themselves.”

  He lifted his right hand on the height of his eyes with his palm turned to his face. “Now, place your ring on my ring, stone to stone.”

  Rays of bright blue light appeared when the two black stones came together, and a light blue ball was created around her hand; a ball that would grow bigger and bigger until it suddenly disappeared.

  “What happened?” Floriana asked confused.

  Eric had withdrawn his hand and the light blue ball had disappeared stopping the transition process.

  “We can’t go back. We need to destroy the time machine first.”

  “What time machine?”

  “The one that Maite’s cult built and brought us here. We need to find it and destroy it.”

  “Okay.” Floriana raised an eyebrow. “Where is it?”

  “Parked at a secret airport. The question is how do we get there?”

  Lost as he was in his thoughts, Eric did not notice the cloud of dust in the dirt road a few miles in front of them. It was only when Floriana pulled his hand firmly that Eric realized something was going on and motioned that they should hide behind the trees. The dust cloud grew closer, accompanied by the roar of a car engine gradually approaching. A Volkswagen Beetle with two passengers emerged heading slowly towards the burning building.

  “Whoever they are, the fire is not their main concern. It’s something else they are looking for,” whispered Eric, alarmed by the vehicle’s slow speed. Hidden behind the bushes, they watched as the car passed them by.

  A small cry escaped Floriana’s lips, forcing Eric to instantly cover her mouth with his palm. She gripped his hand and released her mouth.

  “It’s them! The guys who brought Egon and me here, to the sanatorium.”

  Surprised, Eric turned to look at the car that was slowly driving away.

  “Are you sure?” He looked at them incredulously.

  Floriana nodded.

  “You'd better be right. Stay here,” he commanded.

  Without thinking twice, he strolled onto the street and ran toward the moving car. Despite the pain, he waved his arms hysterically, trying to make the travelers notice him. His movements, however, were affected by the pain his injuries caused him. Floriana looked at him with surprise. His appearance reminded her nothing of the charming, flawless man she met at Dora’s house. His naked back was covered with dried blood and his beige pair of trousers was browned and slightly burnt. His once proud posture was gone. His body was crooked as he ran lamely.

  The car slowed down until it stopped several meters away. Eric pulled his gun from his belt and hid his armed hand behind his back.

  Two men came out of the car and walked fast toward him. To hide his weakness, he raised his stature and held the handle of the gun firmly in the palm behind his back.

  Floriana watched the scene from her hiding spot; her limbs were frozen in agony and terror. Her very life hung on the outcome of this encounter.

  It was not easy to hear from where she was the conversation Eric had with the two men who had now joined him. However, Eric had abandoned his defensive posture. She saw him discreetly place his gun in his belt behind his back.

  As quietly as she could, Floriana abandoned her hiding spot and bent to the height of the shrubs along the road. Moving silently, she approached the place where the three men were standing. Her wounded arm felt like it was burning, and the strips Eric had made with his white shirt were soaked in blood. The three men were within earshot, but she still could not hear what they were talking about. Having not received any signal from Eric, she wondered whether she should remain hidden or not.

  Suddenly, one of the two men got back into the car and took a brown rucksack from inside. He waved to the others and walked toward the burning sanatorium.

  The other man got back to the vehicle and nodded to Eric to come closer. Eric approached the car and threw a few furtive glances to the spot where he had left Floriana hidden. He calmly moved his right hand behind his back. His face was distorted by pain as he pulled out the piece of glass that had torn apart his flesh. A small stream of blood burst out again. The man opened the trunk and took out a first aid kit. He passed a piece of gauze to Eric, who used it to wrap his torso and stanch the bleeding. Then the man gave Eric a woolen blazer that he pulled out of the trunk, took his place behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition.

  Floriana emerged hesitantly from behind the bushes and waved to Eric. Once Eric noticed her, he moved toward her and extended his hand. When Floriana grabbed it, she could not tell whose hand was colder, hers or his.

  “Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to leave you behind. Although I must admit that for a moment it crossed my mind,” he said with a crooked smile to receive a grumpy look of hers.

  Looking uneasily left and right, Eric put on the jacket, helped her get in the Volkswagen Beetle, and sat beside her.

  “I was just telling this good man here, Johan, that the sanatorium that you had been hospitalized in just exploded.” He winked in a conspiratorial way. “It must have been attacked by our enemies. It’s a miracle we survived. Johan will take us to your village.”

  “Can he speak English?” Floriana mouthed to him.

  “I don’t think so,” Eric whispered.

  “What if he recognizes me?”

  “I think he already did,” Eric said sending a smile to the driver who was looking at them through the mirror.

  “I don’t think this is a good idea.” Her face turned red from anxiety.

  “Don’t worry, I have a Plan B.” Making sure his injured back wouldn’t rest on the back of the seat, Eric put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his arms.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he said softly.

  “No problem,” she answered, resting awkwardly in the warmth of his arms. “But”—she closed her eyes—“my ass isn’t chubby.”

  “I know.” He kissed her forehead.

  The white Beetle ran like a bullet through the Ahornweg Forest. The spring flora was blooming in all its greatness, but they did not have the luxury of enjoying the spectacle. Nestled in Eric’s arms, Floriana had her eyes closed, trying to relax her mind and body. Despite the sharp pain in her bitten arm, she did not feel another side effect in her body. She didn’t feel feebleness or dizziness yet. Eric made the assessment that the virus would spread into her blood system slower than it had spread into Egon’s since Floriana was younger and less physically burnt out than his late friend had been.

  Johan was taking them to what they told him was Floriana’s village but was in fact the secret base the time machine was parked. Jürgen, Johan’s partner, had stayed to help extinct the fire which was now visible from the nearby village and the firefighters would arrive any minute.

  After the fire would be put out, the police would find inside Beelitz-Heilstätten the carbonized corpses of the creatures blown up by Egon’s backpacks. The police would also find Egon’s dead body. And Maite’s, F
loriana thought with grief.

  Lifting her head slightly, she subtly glanced at Eric, who seemed distracted, looking out of the car window at the passing landscape. One moment, he was abrupt and rude to her, only to be very protective the next. His erratic behavior somehow made sense to her. Egon’s demise struck him whilst Maite’s treason and her death hadn’t left him unaffected. Behind his ice-cold appearance, Floriana could see a man who cared about his close friends and family.

  Feeling her gaze on him, Eric turned his face and looked at her. She lowered her eyes shyly.

  He gave a probing look toward Johan, who seemed focused on driving. Eric put his hand into the pocket of his jacket where his gun was and stroked its handle with his fingertips.

  “Everything alright, Johan?” he asked in German. Something in the tone of Eric’s voice made Floriana flinch.

  “I do not know... I think we have a flat tire. I need to pull over and check it before we merge onto the Autobahn,” Johan replied in German.

  Visibly annoyed, Johan pulled the car over to the side of the road just before the turn for the A9. Fidgeting, he opened the driver's door and got out. Two minutes later, he hit the glass window on Eric's door and beckoned him to get out.

  “I need to change a tire and I could use some help.”

  “Are you sure that's necessary?” Eric got out of the car, throwing exploratory glances around. The place looked solitary; a row of tall trees stood to the right of the car, the road was on the left. A few cars passed by sporadically. Eric would have felt more secure if they had stopped at a place with more traffic.

  “Sorry, but if we continue with a flat tire, we’ll risk crashing in the middle of the Autobahn,” apologized Johan. “See? Here's where the problem is.” He pointed to the right front tire.

  As Eric knelt next to Johan, he heard the noise of a car door opening and then closing. Kneeling as he was, he turned his head slightly over his shoulder and saw Floriana’s smoky and dusty shoes standing behind him.

  “Sorry. I just wanted to stretch my legs and...”