Chapter 2 #2
My academy training kicked in, analyzing every detail. The way she spoke, the slight tremor in her hands when she mentioned him. The desperate need to convince me, or maybe herself, that this was love.
"How long has it been since you've made a decision for yourself?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. "When was the last time you looked in a mirror and recognized yourself?"
She stopped pacing, her back to me. I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers twitched at her sides—classic signs of internal conflict.
"He'll kill me if I help you," she whispered, so quietly I almost missed it.
"He's already killing you," I replied, standing slowly. "Just... slower. More insidious. Until one day you wake up and realize you're just a shell he wears like a second skin."
Meredith turned to face me, and for a moment, I saw myself reflected in her eyes. The person I used to be when I was trapped in Scorpio's web of manipulation and control.
"You really got away from him?" Her voice cracked, hope and fear warring in her expression.
"I did." I took a careful step toward her. "And I'll never go back. Neither will you, if you help me. We just have to make sure that he doesn’t get his blood anywhere near me, okay?”
I’d be lost if that happened.
“That’s the least of your concerns. He’s smarter now.” She wavered, literally swaying on her feet as his control battled with her own will. I recognized that fight, that invisible war between self-preservation and programmed loyalty.
I didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean?”
“He created a gas from his blood,” she stated, like it wasn’t the most horrific thing I’d ever heard.
I braced myself, hands on my knees, and took a few deep breaths. No, no fuckin’ way. If he’d truly managed that, he’d be… unstoppable.
She stared at me, her expression unreadable, like a blank slate. Suddenly, she moved toward me, the hope in her glassy eyes breaking through. "You can really help? You can get me out of here?"
"Yes," I said urgently, pushing all thoughts of Slade to the back of my brain for now. "But we need to move. Now. Before he comes back. Before he gets his poisonous blood into my system." I didn’t trust her, but I would never leave a woman with that monster, and I didn’t have any other options.
Meredith checked her watch. "There will be a lull in the guards’ rounds in a minute. We will have two minutes to get out of here and to the basement stairwell. You'll have to follow me."
"Okay. Let's do this." I stood from the chair and followed her to the door.
After checking her watch again, she opened the door and took off, leaving me to run behind her.
And I did. We ran hard and fast like our lives depended on it.
I knew mine did. If Slade caught me now.
.. a chill raced down my spine at the thought.
So far, we hadn't run into anyone. It was all so perfect. A tingle at the back of my neck was like my subconscious telling me it was too perfect. Hasty plans never worked out like this.
Meredith ripped open a door and disappeared behind it with me close on her heels. I found her in the stairwell, heaving for breath. I made sure to pull the door shut behind me and put my hands on the top of my head, trying to catch my breath. "We made it," I panted.
"Yeah," she breathed. "We did."
I glanced a look through the little window to see if anyone was lurking outside the door, but the coast was clear. "What next? We should keep moving."
"You're right." She checked her watch. "In fifteen seconds, we run down to the basement. Don't stop."
I nodded. I wasn't going to stop for anything. Her eyes raised from her watch and met my gaze. "Go!"
I took off down the stairs, making it to the first landing when I heard a loud bang and a groan.
Tossing a look back just as I was about to round the corner, I saw Meredith look down at me from the top of the stairs.
Her forehead was split, and blood was trickling down her right eye before I spotted the bloody mark on the stone wall.
"What the fuck?!" I whispered, coming to a full stop.
She grinned at me, a sinister, bloody smile, thanks to the large amounts of it pouring from her forehead. I took one step up, and Meredith turned, throwing the door to the stairwell open. "SCORPIO!" she screamed.
No fucking way. No way. She slammed her own head into the wall?!
I heard his voice. That was no coincidence. She’d played me and timed it perfectly to whatever his schedule was. Fuck.
Meredith stared me down as the blood ran down her face. "SHE ATTACKED ME! HELP! SHE'S TRYING TO ESCAPE!"
Ohhh, I was going to kick her ass—but later. Now, I needed to run.
The sound of my name being bellowed through a stairwell by the biggest villain in my life wasn't something I ever wanted to hear again, but it sure did spur me into action.
I practically flew down those stairs, not having a clue where I was running to.
Meredith had said the basement, but she was a lying little bitch, so at the last moment, I decided to escape the stairwell on the first floor.
I sighed when I found it unlocked. The corridor was clear as I stepped out and silently closed the door behind me.
I glanced left and right, trying to decide which way would be safest. This really was a compound. The walls were smooth concrete and cool to the touch, a refreshing change to the heat radiating off my skin.
Aside from the sound of my breathing and the steady hum of an air conditioner, I was fairly confident I was still alone. I padded along silently and quickly. Key card readers with flashing red lights adorned every door.
Shit. There had to be somewhere I could hide. Slade's temper would be nearing atomic levels by now, and each passing second that I avoided capture was one second closer to detonation. I didn't want to be anywhere near him when that happened.
Even the anger I'd felt toward Meredith dissipated. The woman was so far under his control that she literally smashed her head into a stone wall to win favor with him. There was a time when I would've done the same.
A door slammed, and the hollow boom ricocheted through the corridor like a cannon blast in an empty fortress. My heart constricted, and I flew down the dark passage, determined to find some safe haven. Despite seeing the key card scanners, I still tried every handle as I raced past.
My heart sank as the end of the hallway came into view, while every attempt resulted in failure.
Voices swept through the air, along with the only one that could invoke terror in me.
I fought myself when I froze in place. My legs seemed to have disconnected completely from my brain. They weren't listening.
My eyes fluttered shut as I inhaled deeply through my nose. To my surprise, it wasn't my own voice I heard or even Slade's.
'Run, my kukola.'
Tears flooded my eyes as Misha's deep voice broke through my fear. I needed to run. Fuck. My legs still weren't moving. Footsteps were closing in.
'Run fast, little rabbit. We're the only ones who get to catch you in a hunt.' Ashland, demanding and sure of himself.
Talon's manic smile flashed in my mind for a split second before the sounds of his and Felix's howls pierced my soul.
Before I registered what was happening, I was moving faster than I'd ever moved before. This was a dead end. But I was prepared to fight. I was always prepared to battle. I'd never known a time in my life when I hadn't had to fight.
Except when you were with them...
"PALMERRRR!" Slade bellowed. "THERE IS NO ESCAPING ME!"
Pushing away the little voice whispering truths I wanted to ignore, I sprinted to the end of the hallway and cursed under my breath when I saw that the determined monsters were quickly catching up.
Desperately, I scanned my surroundings for a way out, as I had only moments left to come up with a plan.
Facing the wall, I pressed my head against the cold stone and recoiled as I felt an all too familiar shiver race down my spine. Cocking my head, I stared at the spot and blinked as the wall itself seemed to ripple.
A door concealed by magic? I reached out for where the handle should be and gasped when I gripped it. I threw a 'please work' into the universe, hoping someone was looking out for me. I gasped as I fell forward, through the door, and landed on the ground.
Panicked, I looked back at the secret entrance.
"PALM—"
Slade's voice was cut off abruptly as the door solidified and sealed itself.
"By the stars," I panted, falling onto my back and allowing myself ten seconds of rest.
I quickly realized I was in some kind of storage room.
The walls were lined with shelves, all crammed with boxes and bags.
Dimly lit, the air was thick with dust and the smell of cleaning chemicals.
The only light came from a small window high up on the wall.
It wasn't much, but it was enough to see.
I didn't have time to take in my surroundings for long, though. The sound of banging from the other side of the door caused my momentary feeling of safety to evaporate. I could hear Scorpio barking orders to his men, telling them to search the building from top to bottom until they found me.
I had to find a place to hide, and fast. My eyes roved over the room, looking for anything that could help me. That's when I saw it. A trapdoor set into the floor, its edges rusted and flaking.
Without thinking, I ran over to it and tried to yank it open. It was clearly a hatch that hadn't been used in a very long time, and it refused to budge. There had to be something in this room I could use to help pry it free. I scanned the shelves frantically, coming up empty-handed.