My jaw clenches with vicious pressure, and I fight with myself to not concede to the pain.
An unmistakable battle cry comes from Serena, and using the little strength I can conjure up, my gaze moves to find her. She takes hit after hit, air knocking her back farther each step she takes, but she does not yield. Her water gathers at her feet, creating a whirlpool of destruction beneath her. It propels her toward the line of guards, and she takes out the front runners.
Newfound strength has exploded from within her, and I watch her dodge another attack, pivoting on light feet before striking against her opponent.
As current after current runs rampant through me, theshadows I keep buried deep inside start knocking at my resolve, begging to be set free.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I duel with it, struggling to confine it back into its box. An earsplitting shriek emits from my lungs as it fights its way to the surface.
When the electricity stops, my head swings to Serena, who holds the head of my attacker in her hands, their neck dangling at an unnatural angle.
My face slackens, unable to get the words out before it’s too late. Everything happens in slow motion. The triumphant look on her face falters, morphing into confusion. Her brows furrow as she looks down, and when she sees what I see, her eyes widen in realization. Scarlet spreads over the chest of her garment, the tip of a blade jutting out between her breasts.
Then, the whole place is nothing but fire and crimson.
SIX
The Awakened
The sleep was long. Far too long. Now I’m ravenous—starved. Ready tofeast.
SEVEN
Kallie
Flames engulf my flesh before they dance around the room, swallowing everything in its path. An impenetrable wall forms around me, clear and undetectable. Every attack they throw my way bounces back toward them tenfold. My vision darkens with the shadows waiting to be unleashed. A menacing beam broadcasts over my lips as I let the chaossing.
Trails of fire lick across the ground, each meeting their mark. Cries of pain enclose me. Vines entangle themselves around necks, hanging and snapping with a single command from me.
Smoke billows from the shield, wrapping around Serena’s discarded body. Absent-mindedly, it carries her to a safe spot behind me.
The faces of the remaining stare at the act, and that only makes me smile wider. Using the water Serena produced, I douse the flames before letting it submerge each person in the liquid.
Starting from the bottom, it leisurely starts freezing. Oncetransparent, it now turns into solid ice, keeping their feet seated. Panic arises, and a stream of shadows stares them in the eyes, like a tentacle of doom. My voice booms, and unlike last time, it doesn’t feel foreign—it feels likeme.“Remember me. Remember the life you stole from not only me but all the others before me.” Refraining from looking back, I continue, “You stole hers twice over. And for what? Ask yourself this question with your last fleeting breath.” I pause, waiting for the ice to be just below their neck. “Was it worth it?” Then everything goes quiet.
Dropping the shield, I rush over to Serena. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” I lie to her, pressing my hands over her wound. The corner of her lip quirks up the slightest. She raises one of her hands, brushing against my arm. “No, no. Don’t do that,” I say. “We are getting out of here. I told you that. Ipromisedyou that.” It’s in that moment I see the tears well up in her eyes, and I watch them fall. My eyes are blurry, but I can still make out her face. “Serena, hey. It’s me. We just have to get you that healing serum. It’s gotta be in one of these rooms. It’s okay. I’ll find it. Just hang tight, okay? You can’t leave me.” Trying to stand, she stops me. “Let me go. I’ll get us out of here, and it’s going to be fine. We’ll find your family and—” She shakes her head, using all her energy to pull me closer.
“I can fix this. I have to fix this,” I whisper, resting my head on her. She strokes down the length of my hair, each one slower than the last. “You’re going to be fine.” My promise falls on deaf ears. Her hand stops moving, and when I look at her again, she has a single tear streaking down her cheek, and I let out a choked sob.
Did I do this? If I had just left her here, she would still be alive. But she would…she would still be trapped. I can’t just leave her here.
The distant sound of more guards rushing this way tells me I’m out of time. Kissing her on the forehead, I leave her withpromises of finding her family and telling them all about her. How resilient she was and how hard she fought. She will always be remembered.
Tears blur my vision, and I almost trip while ascending the staircase, gaining as much distance from the wreckage as I can. Following the path of doors, they all blur together in a sea of rage. When I reach the last door, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Whipping around, I see the man I thought I knew standing four doors down. The person I would have put above all else, until he took the biggest knife he could find and stabbed me in the back. Repeatedly. Until I was bleeding out at his feet. And for good measure, he ripped my heart out and stomped on it next to my lifeless body.
Immediately, fire races down my arms, blossoming in my palms. “This is all your fault!” I yell. “None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for you!” He stays unmoving, like he’s paralyzed in the spot. Uncontainable rage bubbles out of me, and I shoot the flames at him. His shadows eat them like a Venus fly trap. Yet, he makes no advance.
“Come on! Fight me, you fucking coward!” My brain threatens to remember the day I said those words to him all those months ago. A different lifetime, a different world. The tears resurface, and I let them fall.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Shadows lace in my peripheral, ready for attack. The guards stomp up the steps, and I know I only have seconds remaining.
Not knowing where this door leads to, I try to open it anyway. Realizing Kate’s finger got lost in the battle, I scoff and throw my shadows at the steel door.
He’s stoic—frozen in place. My gaze doesn’t waver. I don’t even blink until I’m on the other side, and the door closes, severing our connection.
All the light is sucked out of the room when the door slams shut—encompassing me in complete darkness, except for the red machine on the left. I burn it, not wanting Callum or the guards following me.
Holding a ball of flames in my palm, it lights a few inches in front of me. Rocks litter the ground, and stones make up the surrounding walls.
