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My heart skips at the motion, reminding myself I’m not in danger from him.
I’m not one to lay down and accept death. There must be another way. “Why can’t we do the disappearing thing?” I ask.
Leon turns away from me to face the windows as he answers me. “Because Vivian –” He spits my name like a curse now. “The bad guys can apparate too. And they will follow your energy signature from here, to wherever they feel us apparate to. Oh – and if they catch us midway through apparating, they can just divert our energy to wherever they please. That magic will only leave us more vulnerable.”
My shoulders slump and I ignore his mocking tone while I consider other possibilities.
We need to get out of here fast.
Fast.
I can do fast.
“I have a way out of here!” I exclaim, in excited urgency.
Leon turns to me now, very agitated. “They have swarmed the outside perimeter, Vivian. We can’t outrun them. FREE ME.” He urges again, this time raising his voice.
I flinch.
The automatic response to his voice only further pisses me off, and my blood boils as I answer. “I have a fucking car, Leon. Parked underneath the building. If we can get to it, then I’m guessing I can out-drive them.”
Leon pauses a moment before nodding. “The forsaken can’t hurt me. I’ll distract them and lead them away from the building. Once you’re out, I’ll find you.”
I nod, running for my car keys. They’re in my bag. I look around for it, momentarily confused.
My bag isn’t here.
Shit.
I must have left it on the floor of my class when Leon apparated us out.
Good thing I’m used to misplacing things. I dash for my spares, kept on a hook in my medicine cabinet.
Wrenching my apartment door open, I scan the hallways for any sign of whatever the hell is outside. Not seeing anything, I run for the stairs that lead five floors down to the underground parking garage.
Just as I open the stairwell door, I hear glass shattering behind me, followed by an unearthly screech.
There’s no time for caution now. I tear down the stairs as fast as my feet carry me, taking the steps two at a time. I frantically look around as I hit every bend in the stairs, expecting that each will bring me face to face with a monster.
Luck must be on my side because as I round the last bend in the stairs, I can see the door to the parking garage. I let myself be hopeful that not meeting any creatures in the stairwell means they haven’t found the parking garage yet.
I slow my steps as I reach the door, pressing my ear to it while being as quiet as possible.
The door is solid metal, and there’s no way to look inside the garage before opening it. Hearing nothing, I turn the handle painstakingly slowly, trying to avoid any potential creak or click that the door might make.
I’ve never taken the time to pay attention to how noisy the doors are in the building. I make a mental note to be more aware of my surroundings in the future.
Assuming, of course, my future extends past the next five minutes.
The door to the parking garage makes the slightest creek when I open it, just wide enough to poke my head through.
Soft light from the stairwell floods the garage in a bright triangle. I hold my breath as I scan the parking garage. It’s dimly lit by soft overhead lights on a few outer edges.
The garage is relatively small, fitting less than fifty cars. I have about forty feet between me and my vehicle, which is parked midway through.
Scanning as far as my eyes can see in the dim light, I don’t see any sign of movement.
Creeping now, I step from the stairwell area and enter the garage, closing the door behind me just as quietly as I opened it.
