Oh, shit.
The Endarkened wouldn’t relent, continuing to feed on my essence, depleting me.
The frigid, hard floor smashed into my kneecaps as my legs gave way at last. I fought to regain control of my essence, knowing if I didn’t, I would die here with no evidence to prove.
I couldn’t see the ghastly creature because of the lack of light, but if I could just…
With numb and leaden arms, I fumbled for my phone in my pocket. My clammy palms struggled to grip it.
I fell forward, catching myself on my exposed side. I was dying. Again. The Endarkened drained my life force faster than I could think to stop it. And I was okay with that, but I needed to capture the fucking photo of the beast first.
Then maybe I could die in peace. Gray could find some sliver of happiness with Slate. Peri would be safe and protected. Slate would protect Gray and take over in my stead for the insurgency.
Maybe this time, I wouldn’t have a random being from another world come and somehow snatch my soul back into my body. This was no life for anyone to live. I wanted out.
I groaned as I did everything I could to lift my hands, feeling like three-ton cinder blocks hung off my wrists. The phone was so fucking heavy, and with the coordination of someone who was nearly paralyzed, I swiped my thumb upward on my phone, igniting the LED from the screen. It asked for a passcode. Fuck, there was no way I could type numbers accurately. But I would die trying.
I angled my arm, sluggishly sliding my thumb to type in the four-digit passcode. It was clumsy, failing on the first two attempts as I hit one digit off each time. But at the last second, my phone accepted my input, bringing me to my home screen to tap the camera icon.
Based on the throbbing in my ears, I couldn’t tell if my heart punched my chest bone or if it only fluttered. Simply too weak, my body sensed its desperate attempt to stay alive. My physique was in peak condition, but it fought a losing battle, so it made sense my body was confused.
My arm shook, but I managed to turn the flash on, aiming it loosely in the direction of the corridor shaded with a black too deep to exist in this world. Touching the red capture button to take the picture, the flash ignited. Blinding light sent off a chain reaction of screeches, piercing my eardrums.
My heart slowed as my head began to swim. I rasped for air, unable to get a full breath.
Oh, fun. I’d suffocate to death.
Hoping I’d snagged a snapshot of an Endarkened on my phone, I slid my thumb across the screen to the icon that let me share it via text message. The screen began to blur with the blinding light of the LED, but I caught Slate’s contact icon and managed to hit send.
Good. My job is done.
Before I allowed myself the freedom to succumb to the blackness swarming my vision, I once again forced my thumb to hit the trash bin icon to delete the photo. Before I did, I glimpsed the horror show in the image. The camera’s flash illuminated the entire hallway, revealing pale, monstrous faces pressed against the bars. Dull gold skin peeled in thick layers and dark gray blood oozed from open wounds.
If I died here, I couldn’t leave any evidence that Slate knew about the Endarkened.
Just one more hoorah, Chrome. Protect them all.
My heart pounded a weary beat in my ears, slowing down in its defeat. My vision blackened on the edges, and I labored to navigate the text messages in my phone. It took everything left inside me, but I found Slate’s thread, sliding it to the side until the red icon appeared to delete the last message.
My vision winked in and out as I wheezed in a wispy breath. The moment my sight flickered into focus, I dropped my thumb on top of the delete icon. My hand crashed to the floor. Mission complete.
I didn’t know what the insurgency would do with this information, but I prayed to the gods it would be enough to overthrow the king from his throne. I wouldn’t die for him to continue beating the princess, for my sister to live in fear, andfor the world to crumble in his quest for ultimate control and power.
With a final gasp scraping from my stiff lips, I counted the last thuds of my heart and fell into the darkness, knowing this time, Valik wouldn’t be here to stop me.
Thump. Thump.
Thump.
Pause.Thump.
Pause.Thump.
Th-thump.
Finally. I was free.
Chapter 30
