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“We have to go,” I said frantically, my voice coming out panicked and overwhelmed. “Cain has to get to the hospital. He’s dying.”
Stellan's eyes flickered with concern as he stepped forward to follow me.
Without waiting to see if they were keeping up, I sprinted back towards the doorway, trying to hold in the hysteria…and the guilt.
If he died…
It would be all my fault.
“Fuck,” Paxton muttered, and I heard something smack against the concrete floor. I glanced back to see that he’d fallen, and I immediately sprinted to him. After not walking for weeks…and being tortured, his limbs were obviously having trouble holding him up. Stellan was supporting Remington—being a little fresher than Remy and Pax—both of them stumbling along…but Paxton was trying, and failing, to struggle to his feet. I pulled him up, almost falling myself as I tried to support his body.
“Just leave me,” he said through gritted teeth, his forehead beading with sweat over the effort he was making to try and walk with me.
“Shut up,” I snapped as I all but dragged him across the room.
Desperation was seeping into my bloodstream at a steady pace as we made our way excruciatingly slow to where Cain was. Time was a blur, a whirlwind of motion and desperation as we trudged forward.
Stellan cursed at the sight of the Demon's lifeless body, lying sprawled across the floor, a stark reminder of the horrors we all had endured. My mother was backed into a corner, her hands pressed over her mouth as if she were frozen in horror, even with the Demon dead.
The rattling sound coming from Cain had gotten weaker, not a good sign. I held in a sob as I stared between Cain and Paxton. I didn’t want to leave any of them here. Even with the Demon gone, that didn’t mean that Paxton would be safe if we didn’t take him with us. With our luck, one of the Demon’s followers would come by for a visit, and they’d find Paxton like this, a sliver of his former self.
“I’m not leaving without you,” I said, daring him to argue.
“I’ll crawl,” said Paxton, seeing the determination in my face.
I didn’t have a choice but to let him do it. I helped him to the ground as Stellan lowered Remington to the floor and then dashed over to help me with Cain.
My limbs trembled under the weight of Cain's unconscious body, even with Stellan’s help, as we slowly made our way through the dimly lit hallway. Paxton and Remington dragged themselves across the floor as fast as they were able, while Nina limped along.
Each step felt like an eternity as we navigated the labyrinth of hallways, our breaths heavy with a mix of exertion and anticipation. The faint glow of emergency lights danced along the walls, casting eerie shadows that seemed to mirror the darkness that had plagued us for far too long.
"Careful, Aurora," Stellan murmured after I tripped and almost fell over, his voice laced with concern as he adjusted his grip on Cain's limp form. "You can do this. Just keep moving."
I nodded, the weight of Cain's body in my arms fueling my determination. With every labored breath, I willed him to hold on, to find the strength within him to keep fighting. The thought of losing him, after everything we had been through…I couldn’t let myself go there.
Finally, we reached the basement stairs, a gateway to freedom that loomed before us. With careful, deliberate steps, we ascended, each footfall echoing through the stillness.
Stellan’s gaze met mine over Cain’s head, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve. "Almost there, Aurora. Just a little bit further."
We made it up the stairs and the basement door creaked open, revealing the moonlit filled room. Hope surged within me, urging me onward. A little further, and we were through the cabin, finally emerging into the cool night air. Our breaths mingled with the wisps of mist that hung in the darkness, a tangible reminder of the world outside, waiting to embrace us.
“I’m parked down the road,” I whispered dejectedly as we moved forward.
Remington and Paxton hadn’t made it up the stairs yet, but at least I could still hear them moving.
By the time we made it to the car, it felt like an entire lifetime had passed. With synchronized movements, we gently laid Cain's body on the backseat of the car. I leaned over him, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead, my touch a gentle caress filled with love and desperation.
"Stay with me, Cain," I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. "Please."
As I slid behind the wheel, my hands trembling on the keys, Stellan spoke softly next to me, his voice filled with conviction. "He’ll survive. We haven’t made it this far just to lose one of us now."
I nodded, swallowing the knot of apprehension in my throat. The engine roared to life and I raced to the cabin where Remington and Paxton had finally made it to the doorway, Nina hovering behind them with an inscrutable look on her face.
They were as pale as death themselves as I helped them all into the car, filling it with a cacophony of strained breaths and whispered curses. And then we were off, the engine roaring as we peeled away from the Demon's lair, leaving behind the horrors that threatened to consume us. The wind whipped through the car's open windows. The road stretched before us, an uncertain path leading us towards the salvation we so desperately sought. The world outside blurred into a chaotic haze, each passing moment a race against time.
Finally, the hospital loomed before us. I skidded to a halt outside the emergency entrance, the screech of tires piercing the air. I leapt out of the car, and rushed towards the entrance.
"Help!" I screamed, my voice a raw plea as I burst through the doors of the emergency room. "We need help!"
