?”
“That was three years ago!”
“Evelyn…”
“That was a movie, Max! I didn’t actually jump from a plane!”
The Peregrine plucked up a parachute in one hand and began slipping the straps over Evelyn’s shoulders. “Count to three and pull this cord.”
“You’re not serious!”
Another sudden impact knocked both of them off their feet. Max was up first, drawing his pistol. “Something just entered the rear of the plane,” he said.
“A harpy?” Evelyn asked, pulling herself up by holding on to the side of the plane.
Max didn’t respond—the answer was clear enough when one of the horrible creatures, hissing and snapping at the air, moved into the cabin. The harpy looked from Evelyn to Max, obviously trying to decide which would make the better meal. The Peregrine decided to make the choice a simple one by unloading his pistol in the thing’s direction. The bullets struck home, driving through the harpy’s body and sending a stream of bluish-tinged blood to the floor.
The plane’s nose took another steep turn downwards and Max felt the wind buffeting him. “You have to jump, Evelyn!”
“What about you?”
The Peregrine pulled her towards the door, which he opened with a grunt. He peered out enough to see that they were no more than a few hundred feet up… and dropping rapidly. Two more of the harpies were outside, circling the falling plane. “I’m coming… but I’ll be distracting them away from you.”
“Max,” she screamed as he pushed her towards the door. “I love you.”
The Peregrine paused for a second. She couldn’t actually mean those words, for they barely knew each other… at least in the intimate way that led to such things. The power of the moment was at work, he mused… but the look in her eyes…
Throwing caution to the wind, he kissed her hard on the mouth before whispering “I love you, too.” Before she could reply, Max hurled her out of the plane. She fell, screaming, to the rapidly approaching ground.
The Peregrine grabbed hold of a spare parachute and leaped from the plane, targeting one of the harpies with his pistol. His first shot went wide left, but the second shot caught the thing in its wing. While Evelyn opened her parachute, Max drew a bead on the remaining creature. It saw him and lunged, clawed hands outstretched.
Max waited until the thing was so close he thought he could smell its fetid breath. Then he fired a bullet straight between her eyes.
With a quick yank of his own chord, the Peregrine felt salvation at hand. He tried to angle his landing towards Evelyn, who had come down in a heap of parachute and limbs in a tangle of trees. Behind him, the plane came crashing down with a thunderous roar. The heat of the flames burned at Max’s back as he reached the ground. He rolled with the impact, stopping at Evelyn’s side. She was lying on her back, eyes closed, and for a moment Max felt an overwhelming rush of fear. Had she damaged something in her landing? Had one of his stray bullets struck her?
And then she began laughing, her eyes opening to find his.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, unable to keep from laughing himself.
“I can’t believe you saw Perils of Gwendolyn . That film was awful.”
“It was,” he admitted. “But you looked very nice in it.”
Evelyn reached behind his head and pulled him to her. They kissed briefly but a second explosion from the plane sent fiery debris high into the air and made them both scramble to their feet.
The Peregrine stumbled further into the countryside, holding Evelyn’s hand in his own. “From the looks of the land, we’re in northern Germany. We need to head south. Kassel is close to the center of the country.”
“How are we going to get there without your plane? And where in the world did those… things… come from?”
Max grinned, stopping where he was and stripping off his Peregrine attire. “Trench is getting stronger. He’s near his goal… I wouldn’t be
“That was three years ago!”
“Evelyn…”
“That was a movie, Max! I didn’t actually jump from a plane!”
The Peregrine plucked up a parachute in one hand and began slipping the straps over Evelyn’s shoulders. “Count to three and pull this cord.”
“You’re not serious!”
Another sudden impact knocked both of them off their feet. Max was up first, drawing his pistol. “Something just entered the rear of the plane,” he said.
“A harpy?” Evelyn asked, pulling herself up by holding on to the side of the plane.
Max didn’t respond—the answer was clear enough when one of the horrible creatures, hissing and snapping at the air, moved into the cabin. The harpy looked from Evelyn to Max, obviously trying to decide which would make the better meal. The Peregrine decided to make the choice a simple one by unloading his pistol in the thing’s direction. The bullets struck home, driving through the harpy’s body and sending a stream of bluish-tinged blood to the floor.
The plane’s nose took another steep turn downwards and Max felt the wind buffeting him. “You have to jump, Evelyn!”
“What about you?”
The Peregrine pulled her towards the door, which he opened with a grunt. He peered out enough to see that they were no more than a few hundred feet up… and dropping rapidly. Two more of the harpies were outside, circling the falling plane. “I’m coming… but I’ll be distracting them away from you.”
“Max,” she screamed as he pushed her towards the door. “I love you.”
The Peregrine paused for a second. She couldn’t actually mean those words, for they barely knew each other… at least in the intimate way that led to such things. The power of the moment was at work, he mused… but the look in her eyes…
Throwing caution to the wind, he kissed her hard on the mouth before whispering “I love you, too.” Before she could reply, Max hurled her out of the plane. She fell, screaming, to the rapidly approaching ground.
The Peregrine grabbed hold of a spare parachute and leaped from the plane, targeting one of the harpies with his pistol. His first shot went wide left, but the second shot caught the thing in its wing. While Evelyn opened her parachute, Max drew a bead on the remaining creature. It saw him and lunged, clawed hands outstretched.
Max waited until the thing was so close he thought he could smell its fetid breath. Then he fired a bullet straight between her eyes.
With a quick yank of his own chord, the Peregrine felt salvation at hand. He tried to angle his landing towards Evelyn, who had come down in a heap of parachute and limbs in a tangle of trees. Behind him, the plane came crashing down with a thunderous roar. The heat of the flames burned at Max’s back as he reached the ground. He rolled with the impact, stopping at Evelyn’s side. She was lying on her back, eyes closed, and for a moment Max felt an overwhelming rush of fear. Had she damaged something in her landing? Had one of his stray bullets struck her?
And then she began laughing, her eyes opening to find his.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, unable to keep from laughing himself.
“I can’t believe you saw Perils of Gwendolyn . That film was awful.”
“It was,” he admitted. “But you looked very nice in it.”
Evelyn reached behind his head and pulled him to her. They kissed briefly but a second explosion from the plane sent fiery debris high into the air and made them both scramble to their feet.
The Peregrine stumbled further into the countryside, holding Evelyn’s hand in his own. “From the looks of the land, we’re in northern Germany. We need to head south. Kassel is close to the center of the country.”
“How are we going to get there without your plane? And where in the world did those… things… come from?”
Max grinned, stopping where he was and stripping off his Peregrine attire. “Trench is getting stronger. He’s near his goal… I wouldn’t be
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