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I was wrong. What came next was way worse. The screams grew muffled, almost like I was hearing them underwater. People were all right beyond the door, rushing past in a panicked horde, their feet thudding so hard it shook the ground, but something else was filling the air, buffering the noise or focusing my attention so swiftly that everything else faded to the background. It oozed forward, filling even the tiny closet.
Even if I hadn’t been huddled in this closet, if the guns hadn’t been going off, I didn’t need any other thing to signal that I should be terrified of what was approaching now. I felt it on a primordial level, the remnants of my ancestors now warning me I needed to do one of two things, run or hide, unless I wanted to cease to exist. And even hiding didn’t seem good enough.
My heart was beating so loudly that I was afraid its pounding would give away our location. I tried to breathe softly but found that a struggle, as a shaking overtook my entire body.
I tried to swallow back the urge to flee, or scream—or both. It didn’t work. I moved, trying to reach for the knob to get out of this place, to run for my life before I was slaughtered in this closet.
Kaden wrapped his hand around my wrist, pulling it away from the door. He flattened it on his chest, covering it with his own.
He cupped my face, and I could feel the intensity of his eyes, even in the dark, trying to infuse some of his calm into me.
More bullets, louder screams, and I shook my head, trying to fight the urge to run. He curved his arm around my back, pulling me snugly into him, then rubbed gently up and down.
I let myself form to him.
He’d get us out of here, and away from whatever this thing was. He would, but I had to stay calm. I couldn’t unravel.
I found myself gripping the fabric of his shirt, pressing my cheek to his chest, curling into him, listening to his heart, letting his scent surround me. He continued to rub my back with one hand as he cupped my head with the other, slowly massaging my scalp. He was doing whatever was needed to keep me together, and I was letting him because I would’ve been screaming otherwise.
The running faded, and more importantly, so did that strange, horrible feeling that had scared me worse than being thrown into the river. I’d thought I was meeting my death. This thing, this feeling, had seemed a fate worse than dying.
Kaden’s hands stilled as he tilted his head toward the door, listening to or seeing something.
“We have to leave,” he said.
I stood frozen, like I was literally immobilized. The fear coursing through my veins had robbed my body of strength.
I was an accountant. This wasn’t where I should be. My life was supposed to be calculators and numbers, calm and orderly. That hadn’t been a whim. I’d chosen my profession with a good deal of thought. I liked orderly, calm, and neat. I’d never been good under duress. Tax season was about as bad as my life should’ve gotten.
He lifted my chin up, our eyes met, and then his flitted to my mouth.
The door banged like someone had fallen into it before footsteps sounded off in the distance.
“We’re going to leave,” he said, his gaze shifting from my lips. “Don’t look around. Keep your eyes on me and don’t let go of my hand. Do you understand?”
I swallowed, debating how long I could stay in the closet. After what I’d heard, thatfeeling, the last place I wanted to go was out there.
I didn’t have a choice, as Kaden did not wait for me to answer. He gripped my hand and tugged me after him into the room. I followed, trying to keep my eyes on his back as we made our way through the huge room. It was silent now, everyone who could escape having done so. Those who hadn’t been able to…
Just watch his back. Don’t look anywhere else.
I slipped. His quick reflexes and grip kept me from falling, but it didn’t stop me from seeing what had caused my almost-fall. There was a pool of blood. I followed the trail back to the body lying facedown.
I began shaking so fiercely that there was no moving or walking anymore. Kaden had me in his arms the next second and we were back on track as he carried me out of the place. There was a crowd forming around the building, people who had escaped and curious onlookers drawn to the scene. Police sirens blared in the distance.
He didn’t put me down until we were blocks away and at the car.
We crossed a small bridge, and then a larger bridge, all of it a blur until I found myself in the outpost. Kaden’s hand was on my lower back, steering me as if he thought I’d get lost if he didn’t. I might have.
“What happened to her?” Dice said from where he was reclining on the couch, his boots propped up on the coffee table.
I jerked my gaze in his direction, startled, still feeling numb.
“Chaos,” Kaden said.
Dice nodded. “Oh yeah, that’ll do it. First time seeing Chaos is always a bit jarring. Still remember my first time. Don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
Cookie walked in from the kitchen, carrying a bag of chips. “What happened to you?”
