Stuck in the moment

Chapter sixteen

"Eventually...you're going to run out of breath. And it'll all be over! Death for your beloved Jake and miss Peregrine, everlasting life for me! Ew, and a mint for you!" Barron shouted at Emma. Not long after, Emma did run out of breath. She gasped for air and spoke up. "Unfortunately for you, I've brought backup, mister Barron." she breathed out. I jumped from my hiding spot. "We never got to finish our introduction. I believe it's my turn now. I'm the backup!" I shouted, throwing fireballs at the man. He blocked them with his hands, which were now shields. "Emma, go! Get the others and get them home!" I yelled. She scuttled up the stairs.

I stopped throwing fireballs and I saw Barron's satisfied face. "Are you done?" he asked me. "Not quite." I sneered. I could feel my body changing. My arms and legs turned into big, hairy claws and my teeth turned into those of a lioness. I roared angrily and charged at Barron. I bit his right leg and he screamed out in pain. I felt his blood on my teeth. I sprinted towards him again, but this time, he was prepared. His hand was a sharp, butcher's knife and he cut my waist with it. I yelped out in pain, changing back to my human form. "Let's find your Jake, shall we?" Barron sneered, limping towards me. He pulled me up and I hissed in pain. I clutched my wound, feeling the blood trickling down my body.

Barron dragged me towards the door. He tried to open it, but luckily, it was locked. I stared at the bloody trail I had left behind. "Poor Amelia, so young..." Barron mocked me. "Burn in Hell." I spat at him. "Language!" he told me, throwing me on the ground. I groaned in pain as Barron began to cut open the door with his arm, or more precisely, what used to be his arm. It was now a razor sharp axe. After slamming into the door several times, Barron had created a hole big enough. He looked through the hole, smiling at Jake. I tried to look into the room, but I was too far away. I couldn't crawl, the blood loss began to take its toll on my body. "So, Jake. I see you've inherited your grandfather's peculiarity. You're just as annoying as he was!" Barron sneered. He put his human hand through it and unlocked the door. "Speaking of Abe, if you should see him in the afterlife, give him my regards." he said, entering the chamber and closing the door again. I then heard Barron screaming and several birds squawking. Jake must have freed the Ymbrynes...

I heard footsteps coming my way. I somehow dragged myself to the far end of the corridor. "Amelia!" I heard a familiar voice yell. Two figures approached me hastily. "Emma...Enoch...get out...Barron...he's with Jake..." I managed to sputter. "No need for you to speak, we have to help Jake." Emma reassured me. Enoch heaved me up and supported me. I screamed in pain, the wound still bleeding. "What did Barron do to you?" Emma asked. "Cut me with a knife when I as in my lioness form..." I groaned. "How did you change back?" Enoch asked. "With difficulty."

We made our way towards the experiment chamber. "Jake?" Emma questioned. "Jake!" Enoch shouted. "Jake..." I said weakly. Emma opened the door and Enoch helped me in. Inside, there were two Jakes. A real one and Barron. "Amy! What happened?!" one Jake exclaimed, rushing towards us. "No, wait, look, that's not me. It's Barron." he added. The other Jake neared us as well. "Don't listen to him, he's Barron!" the second Jake told us. "No, I'm Jake. That's Barron." the first one stated. Enoch helped me towards Emma, before grabbing the crossbow. He aimed it at the two Jakes. "Well, I've got better shot than Jake. So neither of you move until we sort this." Enoch stated. "Listen to me, I'm Jake. I grew up in Florida. I wanted to be an explorer. I thought nothing would ever change because I was ordinary." the second one reassured us. "That's Jake, get Barron!" Emma replied. "No!" I shouted. "That's not Jake. The real Jake wouldn't be so desperate to prove that he's the real one." I said, hissing in pain.

"Well, how would he know all of that if he wasn't the real one?" Enoch asked. "I told him all of this. She was my psychiatrist." the first one explained. "Look, you deal with him, I'll go find miss Peregrine." the second Jake stated, walking towards us. "That's Barron! The real Jake wouldn't leave me when I'm hurt." I whispered to Emma. She glanced at me when I heard something. A Hollow's breath. "Wait! Look, I can prove that I'm me. Because I'm not ordinary. I can do something no one else can." the first Jake spoke up. "I can see the monsters." The second Jake was lifted up by the Hollow. "No, wait, it's me!" Barron shouted, transforming back. The Hollow took out his eyes, before dropping him, leaving Barron for dead. "Enoch!" Jake yelled. Enoch threw him the crossbow and Jake killed the Hollow with a single shot.

"You're getting better at this, aren't you, Portman?" I groaned. "Amy! Oh my God, what happened?" Jake asked, hurrying to my side. Emma stepped back, allowing me to lean on Jake fully. "Barron cut me, but, I did to some damage to him too." I explained. "He was limping...did you do that?" he asked me. "I bit him." I stated. "You turned into a lioness, didn't you?" "Yep. How'd you know?" I questioned. "You roared rather loud." Jake told me. "Right." I smirked. Immediately after that, I hissed in pain. "We need to go. The loop is closing." Emma interrupted. "Yeah." Enoch said, walking away. "Those of us who are leaving." she added, looking at Jake. "Can you walk?" Jake asked me. "I can stumble?" I proposed. He laughed dryly and helped me up the stairs.