CHAPTER 8: WHOLE LOT OF BALONEY
"GIRL, NO GIRL"
"Peace, violence, violence, peace. Hell, heaven, heaven, hell. Light, darkness, darkness, light. Girl, no girl, no girl, girl... Urgh, my memory; everything has slipped away besides…the pointless words. It is… whole lot of baloney, and the noise only makes it worse. Oh, that is right… All things shall only make sense once there is nothing left. Nothing left but dust."
Those cryptic words, under a heavy Russian accent, came from the aloof figure standing over a terrified Elizabeth after reducing part of the Hexclaw Menace to dust.
Fixing her with an empty stare, he added flatly, "You do realize I am speaking about you, right?"
Stretching out his hands, he touched the cafe walls; instantly they crumbled away to dust, leaving the two exposed amidst the rubble. Scrambling up hastily, Elizabeth tried to escape her second threat of the day. Said threat calmly placed his palm on the floor, and in a trail toward his prey's fleeing steps, the surface rapidly disintegrated into dust a few centimeters southwards beneath her feet, sending her tumbling again. Kneeling beside her, he slowly reached for her loosened scarf. In that precise instant, Bonnie appeared and administered a forceful blow right into his cranium with that diminutive wooden warhammer, rendering him unconscious. Stretching a kind hand to Elizabeth, he helped her up and quickly wrapped the scarf back on her face.
"You need to keep it round yer face, dear. I won't be able to heal you if you catch the plague, unfortunately."
Elizabeth clumsily tightened the textile over her nose and mouth, while Bonnie patiently lingered, and once she finished, he took her hand and commenced their sprint away from the endangered area.
Meanwhile, Rodri and Anna careened wildly through the air, evading the Hexclaw's remaining spinning sections which were slowing down in speed. The Hexclaw seemed unable to land any form of contact and grew fatigued amidst a pointless struggle against the two tiny and energetic dragonflies. It retreated along the road, rolling downwards into the sewers, and as it did, Anna vehemently cast juvenile taunts in its wake.
Abruptly, Nadirian bounty hunters arrived at the scene donned in their customary black cargo uniforms, with the emblem of the double autumn leaves on their chest badges. They brandished gigantic capturing nets and conducted a systematic and proficient exploration of the vicinity, under explicit orders to locate any creatures displaying anomalous stitching on their skin.
Attempting to slip away unnoticed amidst the panicked crowd, Bonnie clumsily jostled with Elizabeth beneath his navy blue raincoat, while Rodri and Anna perched over his shoulders, issuing frustrated whispers. Before they could escape, a hand emerged from a narrow alley, swiftly seizing and pulling them away, leaving no trace behind…
The pallid, patchwork-clad individual in black perched atop a rooftop, observing the unfolding event below with an intrigued eye.
Meanwhile, the Hexclaw Menace sat alone below the sewers, struggling to reattach its severed sections. Noticing a rat, it swiftly grabbed the rodent, watching impassively as it transformed into a bouquet of red roses. Stroking the blooms gently, it seemed oddly entranced...
CHAPTER 8 of 'Bonnie's Touch' ends