Then nodded to one of the guards. “Increase her sedation. I need her conscious but calm.”
The guard moved toward me with a syringe.
I barely registered it. All my attention locked on Xavier, watching him die, knowing I couldn’t save him this time.
“I’m sorry.” The words came out broken. “I’m so sorry, Xavier. I love you. I...”
Then everything changed.
The lights died.
Complete, total darkness. Absolute. Like someone had severed power to the entire building in one precise cut.
I couldn’t see anything. Not the monitors, not the restraints, not Xavier seizing on the table beside me. Nothing but black.
Then sound erupted. Deafening, disorienting static blasting through speakers and earpieces. High-frequency noise that made my skull vibrate and teeth ache.
Pulse hammered. “Xavier?”
Guards shouted. Confusion. Panic.
Footsteps stumbling, crashing. Someone cursed violently.
I strained against the darkness, trying to see anything, but the black was impenetrable.
Then, the air shifted close to me. Someone standing. Moving with purpose.
The guard with the syringe made a choking sound. A crack. Bone breaking. The syringe hit the floor with a sharp clatter.
Impact sounds. Bodies hitting walls. Hitting the floor.
I couldn’t see any of it. Could only hear the violence happening around me.
“Xavier?” Words came out strangled. Terrified.
“Clare.”
Calm. Right beside me.
Warm palms found my wrist restraints and clicked them open.
“Can you walk?”
“I... yes.” I was shaking. “Xavier, what’s happening? I can’t see...”
“I know.” Fingers found mine in the darkness. So warm. “Stay close to me. Trust me.”
The chest restraint released. Then my ankles.
I tried to sit up, but the room tilted violently, sedation still dragging at my system, making everything sluggish and disconnected.
Xavier’s arm came around my waist instantly, steadying me. Supporting my weight.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe. I promise.”
Murmured against my ear.
Around us, guards crashed through the darkness. Shouting. Confused. The deafening sound still blaring through the facility.
