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Min-ji eyed Scarlett, the woman had begun to scream in anger as she continued to slice into the door. Staring at her slim back, the decision forming in her head was almost too easy. Oh, how she wished she had gotten more time… All the years wasted. If only she had met Scarlett sooner. But if this was how it ended…then it was worth it.
“Four.”
She let out a watery laugh. “Scarlett…I love you.”
* * *
Eyes widening,Scarlett spun at the softly spoken words. “What…?”
“Three.”
As Min-ji met her gaze, she could clearly see the emotions the woman had just proclaimed to her. Scarlett stepped towards her, gasping as a ward suddenly came up between them. She could get no closer.
“Min-ji…”
“Two.”
Min-ji’s eyes never left hers, as the woman raised her hand up and began to chant. A bright red glowing light appeared at the center of her stomach.
The chant became an echo in her ears, right as the light became blinding.
“One.”
Octavius slammed his eyes shut, holding tightly onto Turney as the countdown hit one. He gasped, eyes shooting open as, right at that moment, something odd surrounded him. He eyed the strange red barrier around him and Turney. His gaze only widened as the bombs went off.
Outside of the barrier, the floorboards, furniture, and ceiling were torn to shreds. What was surely a deafening sound of destruction was muted. The flames spread almost silently as they ruined all in their path. Turney was looking around much the same way, his heart racing.
It went on and on…but just when he thought it would go on forever, it stopped. And the red bubble that had formed around them popped. Most of the hotel…was gone, as was a good part of the forest. Whatever ghouls had been around the outside had been blown away. The explosion had taken out the ward with it. Burning rubble replaced what had been there before.
“We’re…alive,” Octavius said in awe.
Turney let out a soft laugh. “We survived!” Together they slowly stood up. The remaining section of floor beneath them was precarious at best. It felt very unstable under his feet.
“I…I don’t—”
Turney suddenly cried out, grasping at his heart before breaking into full body wracking sobs. “Something’s wrong. Something—something! Scarlett!”
Octavius’ eyes widened at the words, fear filling him. He listened and counted the heartbeats, eyes tearing up at what he found. “One…one of the heartbeats is missing…” Turney let out another heart wrenching sob, and began to fall to his knees. Octavius scooped him up. “Let’s…go find them.”
The minute he took a single step towards the edge of the platform, it began to tip. “Oh, shit!” he yelped.
Leaping off as the floor collapsed, he jumped towards a part of the hotel a few floors down that was oddly still intact. It was small and barely any more stable than the platform they’d just jumped from, but it was better than nothing.
On landing, Octavius paused at the sound that reached his ears… It was one that he hoped to never hear again. Scarlett’s anguish-filled screams.
Seeing no option but to jump from here to the ground floor, Octavius took a calming breath, trying to ignore Turney and his friend’s despair, and jumped.
He landed, foot slipping on some of the rubble that remained of the hotel. Luckily, he managed to catch himself and regain his balance. Just in time too, as he’d been seconds from falling into a burning pile of trash.
Turney grew more agitated, losing himself to the emotions being fed through his bond.
With his zombie still in his arms, he followed Scarlett’s pain-filled cries to a giant hole in the ground, near the middle of all the destruction. Without hesitation, he leaped down.
When he reached the bottom, he almost fell to his knees at what he saw. “Scarlett…”
Scarlett sat there on top of Min-ji, her hands pressing, again and again… She was obviously trying to restart the witch's heart.
“Scarlett,” Turney cried out. The zombie struggled out of his hold, but Octavius caught him around the waist and held him back.
