Page 258

Hector went to move a block, but the others all shifted as soon as he touched it. The pinned man winced in pain. Hector took a step back.

‘Hmm.’ Garovel floated around the scene. ‘It’s more of a mess than I thought. You’ll have to take it slowly. Follow my directions carefully.’

The reaper pointed out each individual block to move in sequence. Hector tried to be both gentle and quick, but it still took upwards of ten minutes before he reached the last chunk of concrete. Hector lifted it off the man’s leg, allowing him to crawl free.

Before the victim could thank him, however, another tremor shook the room, and all the metal beams overhead shuddered. One fell straight for the man. Hector leapt up and swatted it away, feeling his own arm snap in the process.

“Can you walk?” said Hector, hearing more beams creaking and bending.

The man scrambled out of the room instead of answering.

Two more beams fell at once, and Hector caught them both on iron shoulders. The floor cracked under his feet.

And for a moment, as he struggled under the weight, he could see the twins’ faces. “I can’t believe you’re not crying.” He shrugged the beams off and sprinted for the open doorway. The rest of the room collapsed behind him. He shielded the children from the flying debris.

Through the dust, he saw them again. They both just stared at him, more curious than upset. He looked for Garovel, but the reaper had already disappeared in search of more survivors.

Hector couldn’t help smirking at the kids. “Not impressed by loud, dangerous things anymore, is that it?”

The girl started crying, and the boy soon joined in.

“...I jinxed it.”

‘Found two more people,’ said Garovel.

‘Show me where.’ He frowned at the kids. “Just a little longer, you two. I know it’s scary.”