Chapter 71: 360

"Cam, I'm going to get some fresh air for a second. Can you watch Lily?"

Mitchell Pritchett turned off the television with a click of the remote. So far, all the news stations have been talking about the incident regarding the near Nuclear level explosion that would have leveled the city. You couldn't turn anywhere without hearing or seeing about it. Being that close to certain death weighed heavily on him, which would most likely be the case for a lot of people in California.

"Of course." Cameron entered the living room with a small bowl of pretzels and some old DVD boxes. "Lily, I have a few Disney movies we could watch! Now, which would you like to watch? The little mermaid or the beauty and the beast?"

"Beauty and the beast!" Lily said excitedly.

Mitchell smiled at the sight; standing up from the couch, he walked over to the back door of his house and stepped outside. Closing the door, Mitchell walked out to the center of his backyard, sighed deeply, and took a deep breath.

The lawyer then placed his hands on his hips and frowned. Mitchell couldn't help but be slightly jealous of Cam; here he was outside, trying to wrap his mind around the that he and possibly millions of other people could have died while his fiancé stayed strong for their daughter and carried on as if nothing happened. Was he really that weak, or was Cam putting up a strong facade? Regardless, he was thankful to Cam for being there for Lily.

"Okay, Mitchell. Nothing happened, and everything turned out fine. So snap out of it! You're going to go back in there, and you're going to watch a movie with your fiancé and daughter with a smile!" Mitchell smiled and nodded.

As he was about to head back inside, he heard a silent scratching noise from behind him. Confused, Mitchell turned around and looked at the door. Seeing nothing, he then looked down and saw nothing there as well. Finally, the red-haired man looked up at his roof. What he saw froze him on the spot.

"It appears we've been spotted." A dark and grainy voice spoke.

Mitchell felt all the hairs on his body stand up. A violent chill shot up his body as a cold sweat appeared throughout, and his stomach felt as if it had transformed into ice. Mitchell tried to scream in fright but found his voice missing, betraying him in his moment of need. All he could do was watch as two giant, grotesque monsters stepped closer to his roof ledge and peered down at him.

"What a shame, Master told us to stay out of sight." A four-legged creature the size of a lion that resembled a dog said. Its skin was dark grey with large patches of exposed muscle spread around its body. Its giant yellow eyes glowed in the night darkness.

"We should kill him quickly before he alerts the humans inside."

The other creature said next to the dog-like monster. This one resembled a human in build, albeit slightly. It had rubbery red skin that seemed dryer than the Sahara desert. Its long muscular arms reached down to its sharp feet. The monster must have been at least twelve feet tall. On its head were eyes, so many eyes. They surrounded its entire head completely, leaving it without a mouth.

"…Ca-Cameron …" At the mention of the two monsters threatening to kill him, Mitchell forced himself to speak. But sadly, he could only squeak Cameron's name in a hard-to-hear whisper.

"I'll handle this." The dog creature said as it jumped right at him!

Mitchell could only close his eyes tightly as he awaited the incoming pain in his body. What he felt next was the sense of weightlessness and heavy winds. Feeling himself suddenly jerk forward, Mitchell opened his eyes and saw a familiar sight.

"P-Pietro?" Mitchell said in a whisper.

"It's okay, Mr. Mitchell." Pietro then placed him down on the grass. "I'll handle these guys."

Mitchell then watched the young man pull out two otherworldly pair of daggers. The beautiful daggers started to glow after Pietro finished some sort of incantation or prayer.

"I smell the blood of our comrades on you, Human." The dog-like creature growled as it slowly walked up to them. "You have slain them."

"I did." Pietro raised the dagger in front of him in a stance. "You and your googly-eyed friend up there are next."

Mitchell backed away slightly. Just what was going on?! Why was the nice young man he grew to know over these past few months about to fight some sort of monster dog? More importantly, are Lily and Cameron safe?

"Don't worry." Pietro said as he turned to him with a small smile. "I won't let anything happen to you or your family."

Pietro then turned around and leaned forward as if he was about to run. "I promise."

•••

"Where… where am I?"

Standing up from the bed she was lying on, Wanda looked around and inspected her surroundings. It appeared like her room back at Harvey's house, but it was alas if she packed up and moved all her stuff to a new room entirely.

Ignoring the sight of her modified room, Wanda walked over to the door and opened it. The door led out to a hallway with several other doors and stairs. The hallway was also a balcony where you could peer down and see the living room below.

"This isn't my house." Wanda whispered as she raised her hands into a loose fighting stance.

As she walked forward, she looked to her right towards the wall next. It was then that Wanda noticed all the picture frames on the wall. What was within those frames made her stop in her tracks completely.

"…it can't be."

Wanda pulled off a single frame from the wall and looked at the image in shock. Frozen in time was a picture of her mother and father behind Pietro and herself. They were all dressed up in Halloween costumes while all out at some Halloween festival.

"Mom… dad." Wanda said shakily. This picture seemed to have been taken at least two years ago. "T-This isn't possible!"

"Wanda!" At the sound of her name, Wanda jumped and dropped the picture frame; before it could land on the ground and break, she caught it with her magic. Bring the frame back to her hands, Wanda placed it back on its spot on the wall. "Wanda! Wake up already! We're gonna be late for school!"

"Pietro?" Wanda asked as she climbed down the stairs and followed her brother's voice.

As she walked, Wanda looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings of the home. Noticing several pieces of furniture and artwork from Sokovia. Turning the corner, Wanda saw her brother sitting and eating at an unfamiliar table. Wanda entered the kitchen with shaky steps and saw something that stopped her heart.

"Good, I was wondering if you would ever come down." A familiar, warm voice spoke as a woman with dark brown hair turned around from the stove and looked at her with a smile she had almost forgotten. "Wanda, you're not even dressed for school! You're going to be late!"

"Mother?" Wanda said with hot tears at the corner of her eyes.

"Wanda, dear?" Iryna Maximoff said worriedly as she wiped her hands with a cloth and walked up to her; her mother placed her hands beside her head and looked down with concern. "Is everything alright?"

"Sis?" Pietro got up and looked at her in concern.

"Y-You're alive." Wanda cried as she placed her hands over her mother's.

"Wanda!?" Iryna said in confusion and worry. "Olek! Get in here. Something is wrong with Wanda!"

"Iryna? What's wrong?"

Wanda turned to see a tall man in a beige suit walk into the kitchen. The man had short, stubby hair and a beard on his face; his worried eyes looked into her own. "Wanda? Honey, what's wrong?"

"D-Dad!" Wanda let her mother go and ran into his arms. Hugging the man tightly, Wanda started sobbing into her father's chest.

Behind her, her mother grabbed her shoulders and rubbed them softly. "It's okay, Wanda dear. You're okay."

Pietro stood off beside everyone with a confused expression; he was entirely bewildered by what was happening with his sister.

"What the hell is going on?"

•••

"You're pretty strong for a human."

Pietro panted as he raised his twin daggers in front of him. Cuts and dirt marred his body and clothes. An extended cut could be seen on his right thigh. Behind him, the corpse of a bloody monster that resembled a dog slowly evaporated into dust, the ashes being carried by the wind.

"I try my best." Pietro regained control over his breathing and stood up straight. "Now it's your turn."

The Demon with the head covered in eyeballs chuckled and walked forward on the Pritchett's ruined backyard. Long dug-out trenches in the ground marred the grass, and a large portion of the fence was turned to splinters.

'Damn it, these daggers are draining a lot more energy than I thought.' Pietro looked down at the cut on his thigh. 'I'm slowing down. That damn mutt was able to land a hit.'

While these daggers are mighty weapons, they also had a trade-off to their users. Every time you used the dagger's special incantation to double its attack power, you exchanged that boost in power for a small amount of your stamina. Usually, the trade-off would be minimal for an angel, almost unnoticeable. But for a human, the trade-off is much heavier. Pietro could feel his stamina drop by at least ten percent every time he charged the daggers.

'I've used that boost too many times. But if I didn't, I wouldn't have taken those Demons out as fast as I did.' Pietro walked up slowly to the approaching Demon. 'I couldn't risk these fights dragging out. I can't risk anybody getting involved.'

Pietro raised his daggers and readied himself for the incoming fight. 'At least this is the last one of these bastards.'

"Before I destroy you. I wish to know the name of the human that managed to kill five of Hell's Demons." The multi-eyed Demon said as it entered an odd fighting stance.

"… it's Quick Silver." Pietro said as he looked over to Mitchell.

During his fight with the dog Demon, Pietro created an opportunity for the older man to run into his home. Surprisingly, the Demon before him did nothing, allowing Mitchell to run away. Mitchell and his family were now hopefully hiding somewhere inside their home. But if these demons had any sensory abilities like Harvey, the Demon would most likely find them all if he lost this fight. Pietro wouldn't allow that.

"I see, Quick Silver." The Demon said with an excited tone. "My name is Xannal! Let's end this with a glorious battle!"

Pietro dashed forward with incredible speed; his surroundings blurred as he ran around Xannal until he sprinted behind the tall Demon. Charging up his arm, Pietro swung his arm. Fully intent on removing the Demon's head from its shoulders.

"What?!" Pietro's eyes grew wide in shock as the Demon's eyes all turned to him.

SWOOSH

Jumping high in the air, Pietro spun around and dodged Xannal's wide swing. Barely managing to avoid its long-clawed hands. Skidding to a stop, Pietro dashed to the side to dodge a downward slash.

"Your speed is impressive, Quick Silver." Xannal stood tall and turned to him. "I can see why you managed to kill all my fellow Demons with little injury."

"Unfortunately for you, I am best known for my three hundred and sixty-degree vision and reflexes." Xannal then crouched low. "I'm also pretty fast myself."

Never before has Pietro encountered such speed, were it not for his training with Amy. He would not have moved to the side to evade the sharp claws thrust where he once stood. 'So fast! Is he as fast as me?!'

"Not bad!" Xannal said, shifting his weight and running after him. Pietro saw the opportunity to move the fight away from the Tucker's home.

"Let's see who's faster then!" Pietro yelled as he ran away from the house and onto the open roads. 'No, he's not as fast as me at my best. I'm running out of steam and slowing down, and this cut on my thigh isn't helping.'

Xannal then ran beside him and swung a sharp claw at his neck. Raising a dagger, Pietro parried the strike in an explosion of sparks. The two continued to fight and run as they ran out of the suburbs and entered the main roads that led into the city.

'A large part of the area Harvey fought in is still empty. I need to take the fight there!' Pietro ducked under another swipe. Xannal's eyes scanned the environment and tracked him simultaneously.

"Geh!" Gritting his teeth, Pietro almost tripped due to a sudden burst of pain erupting from where the dog Demon scratched him. Focusing on ignoring the pain, Pietro missed the incoming concrete slab.

Pietro's world spun around him wildly, confusing him. Before he knew it, all the air in his lungs escaped him as he impacted the ground and rolled down the street he was running. Skidding to a stop, Pietro felt his body be racked with pain.

"What the hell?" Pietro said.

"Pitiful, to be restricted with only one pair of eyes." Xannal slid to a stop a few feet away from him. "You could have seen that piece of concrete."

Lifting his head, Pietro glared at the Demon in front of him. Looking around, the silver speedster noticed that he reached his desired destination. 'Good… at least we're away from anybody.'

Standing up shakily, Pietro ignored the pain and glared at Xannal. Who actually gave him time to collect himself. The two stood a good distance away from each other, preparing themselves for the next round of their fight.

"Good, you can keep going." Xannal leaned forward and raised his claws. "I wouldn't be satisfied ripping your head off if it was too easy."

"Don't worry." Pietro regained control of his breathing and removed his daggers from the holsters attached to his belt.

"I'm not going out without a fight."