Page 100 of Dark Night of the Soul

She looked up at me then, met my gaze. Steady. Present.

“Clear?” she asked.

“Clear.”

She nodded once, stepped over the bodies, and went back into the server room. Back to work. Like she hadn’t taken down two trained fighters in seconds.

I watched through the window as she finished destroying the remaining drives, then pulled the accelerant from her pack. She moved methodically pouring it over the servers, the terminals, letting it pool on the floor.

I stood there a moment longer, staring at the unconscious guards.

They’d turned her into this. A weapon that didn’t hesitate.

And I’d helped her sharpen the blade.

The question wasn’t whether she could use it. It was whether there would ever be a reason she wouldn’t.

It should have felt like victory—her controlling it, using it on her terms.

It felt like watching something precious turn into a weapon.

She popped back into the doorway with two empty accelerant cans which she tossed on the floor.

“Ready.”

I reached into my pocket, grabbed the box of matches, and tossed it to her. “Light it up.”

She struck one—tossed. Two—tossed. Three—tossed.

“Three?” I asked.

She shot me a look. “I want to make sure it burns.”

Then closed the door and stood rigid, gaze fixed on that narrow window, watching the flames consume everything inside.

She reached into her pack, drew out a thick black marker and turned to the wall opposite the server door.

In large black letters two-inches high, she wrote:

THIS IS WHAT YOU MADE.

COME FIX IT.

Then tossed the marker on the floor.

“Think he’ll get the message?” she asked.

She wasn’t threatening him. She was notifying him.

“I think he has no choice.” I took her hand. “Let’s go.”

Walking quickly, we retraced our steps. Past security, the fire alarm sounded. Her face was impassive, her jaw set. Her gaze focused. Behind us, chaos.

We said nothing as we made it out, then hiked back to the car.

Back on the road, the first ten minutes passed in silence. I glanced her way. She was focused on the dark road ahead.

“I didn’t hesitate,” she said.