FINDING THE FIRST

Ellie had lead them both most of the way, but now it was her turn to follow as she chased after Thomas through the streets. Thomas thought he knew where one of the other spirits were hiding, so here they were, racing through the streets on foot, trying to find one of the other kids. "Where is it again?" Ellie panted, somehow feeling out of breath as she hurried after her friend, and Thomas shouted from ahead. "I think it's just a little further. I remember what the place looks like!" Ellie had to admit, she didn't trust Thomas fully yet. She wasn't sure why, because Thomas had been so nice and calm so far, so why was she doubting him? Maybe it was because this was her first time in a situation similar to his, although she knew that there would never be a second situation.

After this, if there even was an end to their goal, she would never be coming back. They were either stuck like this or they would move on if this ever ended. "I think I see it ahead!" Thomas yelled excitedly, and Ellie hurried her pace to be by Thomas' side, running alongside him for several long minutes before Thomas slowed to a stop. Ellie halted as well and found herself staring at a large library. "Here?" she whispered, and Thomas nodded. "I think I remember one of them…. his name was Eddie. Or still is if we are right. He was….is…. religious. He had a bible on that, um, that night. I remember it. He was one of the ones killed, I saw his body before the killer got to me as well. I just thought…. well, he was really into religion, so he might be here."

Ellie stared at Thomas for many moments, then her features twisted with anger. "I followed you through the streets to find one…and you're only telling me you went off a hunch!" she shouted, unable to help herself as her fury unleashed, and Thomas nodded as though her yelling didn't bother him. "Might as well find out considering we're here," Thomas said, and Ellie rolled her eyes, "It's locked, genius. We're not getting in." Thomas returned her roll of the eyes and quickly headed up the stone steps to stand before the great wooden doors. "You know we can't do jack shit to that, right?" Ellie called out behind him, and Thomas turned to shoot her a withering glare. Then, he turned his attention back to the door. Ellie stared, eyebrows raised, unimpressed. Thomas leaned back as Ellie watched and then shot his right foot forward with an unbelievable speed.

His foot planted against the door, and something happened that Ellie could never, ever have expected. The sky split open, but instead of the bright glow gently surrounding them, a lightning bolt struck down from the sky and collided with Thomas in a spectacular beam of light. Thomas flew back and rolled to a stop at Ellie's feet, groaning in pain before slowly getting to his feet. "Not sure what you did, but that was both disappointing and awesome at the same time," Ellie murmured as she helped Thomas to his feet, but Thomas shook his head wildly. "That wasn't me," he hissed in pain, and then the two wooden double-doors creaked open. In the shadows they could see a silhouette of a boy, a large thick book tucked away under his arm. "From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God!" the boy finished shouted, his eyes glowing a bright blue.

Ellie and Thomas glanced at each other in surprise as the boy opened the book and scanned its pages with his bright eyes, searching. Then, he paused, and a wicked grin slowly grew onto his face. "They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust," he read out before snapping his gaze back up to them. "Move, now!" Ellie shouted as a rumbling thunder filled the air. She grabbed Thomas firmly by the shoulders and dragged him aside as another lightning bolt split from the sky and landed where they had been seconds before. "What the fuck is going on!" Thomas roared as yet another bolt smashed into the ground nearby. Each strike was drawing closer. "I don't think he's very happy with us," Ellie grumbled as she dropped to the ground and rolled aside as another burst of white struck.

"Well then we should get the fuck out of here!" Thomas yelled in reply. Ellie looked up as the sky seemed to rip in half, and the flickers of lightning appeared above, crackling and flashing as the thunder charged up its energy. The boy flicked his gaze from Ellie to Thomas, and his gaze narrowed. He isn't trying to make us leave, Ellie realised, He's trying to kill us! Without thinking, Ellie charged towards Thomas, her feet pounding against the ground as she sprinted. Thomas turned towards her and shook his head, but it was too late. Ellie reached him and shoved him to the ground, then spinning on the spot to face the lighting as it shot toward her. Ellie raised her hand, as though hoping to somehow defend herself against the charged attack, but then…it stopped. The bolt of sparking death hung in the air in front of her, unmoving, and then it retreated back into the sky.

The sky closed its wound again, and the thunder died. Ellie slowly turned to the boy at the library steps, and to her surprise found him staring at her interestedly. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends," the boy quoted from one of the book's pages, then he snapped it shut, and the glowing disappeared from his eyes. "It's Eddie, right?" asked Ellie carefully, and the boy nodded, "Sorry about all the lighting. I've had several spirits try and attack me here, thought you were one of them." Ellie helped Thomas to his feet, and the two nodded as Eddie headed down the steps and stopped before them. "Why is it you're here?" he asked, and Thomas was the one to reply. "We came looking for you. We thought you were one of the kids murdered two weeks ago. Just like us." Eddie's eyes widened, and he hurriedly nodded, "I was! Now I recognise you two!"

Thomas smiled and turned to Ellie, who smiled back warmly. Thomas had been right after all.