Chapter 13 by imphic

Help injured or fight Dalia?

Round 2: FIGHT

“Fine. How should we fight them?” you ask and assert yourself by taking your Rulebook back.

Kelpie nods; if she dislikes you reclaiming the Rulebook, she doesn’t show it. “Dalia was probably the shooter. I didn’t tell you, but she cannot only change her appearance, but can improve her abilities to the degree of any past owner of the Diary. She doesn’t know if were dead or injured and won’t until we use the books or she sees us. She’ll likely either come her as a police officer or paramedic. Smart money would be on a cop, so she can be armed,” she concludes.

Kelpie walks near the couple. After a quick glance around, she picks up the black man’s pistol. He--Jesse based off what the wounded brunette calls him--is applying direct pressure to the brunette’s ribs. He keeps repeating, “You’ll be okay, Modesty! You’ll be okay, Modesty!” At least Kelpie looks regretful as she stashes it in her bag.

“Might… might Dalia go directly to the hospital instead?” you suggest. You move to the first aid kit the shift supervisor had brought out and was working distributing it. Your injury was minor--or at least relatively--so you took a single small bandage.

Kelpie shakes her head. “Probably not. Dalia is impatient. If she thinks she can take the Rulebook or Journal now, she’ll try. Besides, Diary or no, infiltrating the hospital with a shot up truck and flat tire is a non-starter.”

You grimace. “So we fight as soon she walks through the door… wait. When you froze time, it didn’t affect me. Why?”

She swallows and puts the scrambler in her bag. “The entries do not usually affect the book owners or self-referential ones, except for Diary, of course. I write a caveat for myself based on Eve’s warning. It wouldn’t do anything to Dalia.” She signals for you come close.

You obey her and she passes a derringer from her to you. Despite the urgency, you are distracted as her jasmine-scented shampoo and intensity in her eyes for a second.

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