Fast. Close.
Will froze mid-step and held out an arm to stop us. Then, with silent urgency, he grabbed the nearest door and pulled it open. Without a word, he shoved me and Licia inside. The door clicked shut a heartbeat before boots thundered past.
“Are you lost, sir?” An unknown voice asked. I could see his shadow just outside the door.
Will didn’t miss a beat. “Just looking for the shitter,” he said, casual, as ever.
The man on the other side chuckled. “Well, it’s not in there, is it?”
The doorknob turned, and a man stepped inside.
Then steel flashed, the knife met the man’s throat so fast he didn’t have time to defend. Will shoved him against the wall, blade pressed to skin so tight a line of red already bloomed beneath it.
“Not a sound,” Will growled.
The man went still. Frozen with fear.
“Where’s the exit?” Will asked, his voice low, lethal. “Tell me.”
The man swallowed, eyes darting between us. “Second door to the left. Just past the storeroom.”
“Move.”
Will shoved him forward, blade still pressed to his throat. I grabbed Licia’s wrist and followed, dragging her behind me. Her legs shook with every step, but she didn’t fall. The door ahead creaked open. For one brief second, I let myself believe we were free.
Then we stepped through—and found them. Three guards stood in formation, fully armed, heads turning in eerie unison. The moment they saw us, their hands moved toward their weapons.
“Don’t move,” Will warned, yanking the trembling man in front of him like a shield. “I’ll slit his throat.”
It worked. For one heartbeat, it worked. The guards froze. Calculating. Measuring. Weighing the price of one man against two broken girls.
I guess they did the math. And decided we were worth more.
One shifted, his hand inching toward a dagger. Another took a step sideways, trying to flank us. The third… watched me too closely. Eyes narrowing like he recognized something.
The fire stirred inside me. It clawed up from behind my ribs, heat swelling in my chest, begging to be released.
I could’ve done it. Iwantedto. I could’ve turned them all to ash right there. But Licia stood behind me. And Will was still in the line of fire.
If I let go, I’d take them with me.
I stepped in front of her, heart pounding like a war drum, using my body to shield hers. Ready to buy her a second. Maybe two.
Then the blur came. Steel flashed through the air. One of the guards jerked, a strangled sound ripping from his throat as blood sprayed across the wall. He crumpled to the ground, limbs twitching violently before they stilled.
Aran stepped over the body, face wild, blade slick and dripping.
“RUN!” he roared.
We did.
Licia and I tore down the corridor, feet slamming against wood. My lungs burned with every breath, my legs screaming, but I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. Behind us, the sounds of fighting echoed—shouts, steel against steel, something crashing. I didn’t look back. Licia stumbled. I caught her. Dragged her upright. The hallway twisted into shadow, corners closing in, doors and turns blurring past.
Then—
We hit something.
Someone.
