Evelyn
“I know she is here.”
I can hear Miranda choking, and Lisa nudges me with her foot.
“You have three seconds to come out, Evelyn, or I kill your friend,” Thaddeus growls out.
I instantly hear the sound of chairs moving and the bell going off as people run from the cafe. Standing up, I walk out of the kitchen, Thaddeus has Miranda by the throat. As soon as he notices me walking out, he releases her. My eyes catch her stumbling back, clutching her throat, her red hair half pulled from its bun. She has tears on her cheeks.
I feel so guilty. I shouldn’t have run, or at least shouldn’t have come here. But where else do I have to go? I was hoping they wouldn’t make a scene here, seeing as it is a pretty popular cafe on this side of town.
Thaddeus moves around the counter, reaches for me, and rips me towards him, making me stumble into his chest. His hand goes into my hair as he yanks my head back, making me cry out. “You’re going to regret running,” he growls below my ear, then quickly tugs me and shoves me toward Orion.
“Now, all their deaths will be on your hands,” Thaddeus bellows, as his eyes go black.
The air thickens, the lights flicker and at first, I am confused, until the windows start bursting. Orion shoves me to the ground, and Ryland also ducks down, dropping over me. Gunfire sounds from every direction, and I watch, horrified, as Thaddeus gets hit in the chest and shoulder.
He growls loudly, walks through the door, and heads outside. I cover my ears. The noise is deafening, and I can only make out Lisa’s hysterical screams. Suddenly, the ground moves like a wave, I hear metal on metal and the sound of buildings exploding before everything goes silent. Eerily so.
Smoke and dust fill the cafe, and I can hear electricity zap loudly. I hear a crash and look up just in time to see the roof in the kitchen collapse in on itself. Lisa screams for Miranda, sobbing loudly. I try to see where she is, but can’t see her through the dust and smoke. Alarms are going off in neighboring shops. Car alarms are blaring outside, and people are screaming. I try to get up when Ryland shoves me back down before rolling me onto my back.
His eyes are pitch black orbs, and his canines protrude. “You shouldn’t have run,” he says so calmly I shiver at the coldness of his voice.
I hear the crunching of glass, making me squint into the dust. Thaddeus’ boots stop next to my face. Ryland hops off me, and Thaddeus grips the collar of my shirt, yanking me to my feet. I cough on the dust when the shrill sound of Lisa screaming hysterically hits my ears, making me look in her direction. I can’t see her, but I recognize Miranda’s blue shoes and legs behind the counter.
Getting out of Thaddeus’ grip, I run over to them and see that Miranda has been shot in the stomach. Lisa’s hands pressure the wound as she bleeds out on the floor.
“No, no, no!” I scream, dropping to the floor. This is my fault. Orion comes over, trying to pull me to my feet, but I grip onto Miranda, refusing to let go.
“No! Please help her,” I tell him, but he continues to try to pry my finger from her arm. Thaddeus growls loudly as he walks over and grips me, ripping me away from her. I try to fight him off as he drags me away, kicking and screaming. “Please, please help her!”
“No. You did this. I warned you not to run. Ryland and Orion warned you not to run!” Thaddeus screams in my face.
“Please, Thaddeus! Help her. I will do what you want, but please don’t let my friend die because of me.”
Thaddeus growls, and is about to pull me away when Ryland speaks. “He helps her, you let him mark you.”
“What?” I say, looking over my shoulder.
“Your friend is about to die; choose, Evelyn,” he says, and Thaddeus shakes me, making me look at him.
“What’s it going to be? Choose.”
“Evelyn, please,” Lisa cries out to me.
I nod. “Please help her,” I beg, and Thaddeus lets me go. He turns around and walks over to her. Following him over, I see Lisa jump back, moving out of his way. I watch as he bites into his wrist and places it over her mouth.
Thaddeus pulls his hand away, then shoves his finger into the bullet hole, and I scream, rushing over. “You’re killing her!” Miranda groans in pain.
“Move. I am helping her. She won’t heal with the bullet still in her,” he growls, right as Orion pulls me back.
He drops the bullet to the ground and lifts her shirt. The bullet hole closes before my eyes, and Miranda takes a deep breath like she has been underwater for a while. Her eyes snap open, and she crawls away from him in fear, though he just saved her. Thaddeus growls at her, stands up, and yanks me from Orion.
“Wait! Stop!” I call out to him as he pulls me toward the door. Thaddeus growls again, tosses me over his shoulder, and completely ignores my screams and attempts to kick him.
I won’t stop fighting him. I need to go back to my friends. Then, I feel his hand come down on my ass. The slap is stinging, and I feel his handprint bruising.
“Enough, Evelyn, we need to leave,” he growls, as he finally places me back on the ground and grabs my wrist.
Looking around, I gasp.
The entire street is in ruins; a car is even impaled on a light pole. Bodies are strewn everywhere; the road is split down the middle, and buildings are on fire and torn to pieces. It looks like a hurricane has swept through the city, destroying everything in its path.
Then suddenly, I see Orion grab me. The sound of wind rushes around me, and I struggle to breathe from the pressure. Everything moves by in a blur of destruction. I feel myself becoming dizzy from the motion and am on the verge of passing out when he suddenly stops, knocking what little air was in my lungs out of me. Orion places me on my feet, and I collapse, the ground rushing towards me as my body goes limp.
“Shit,” Orion yells, scooping me up in his arms.
He places me on something soft, and as soon as my body touches it, I lurch forward, throwing up. Orion jumps back, and I barely miss him. He pulls my hair from my face. My ears ring loudly. Something cold touches my face, and my eyes snap open as I flop back onto what they placed me on. When the dizziness subsides, I find we are back in the apartment. Ryland is cleaning the floor beside me with a towel.
Thaddeus comes into my line of vision and glares down at me. “Grab her. Ryland, grab the bags in the room with me.” Orion scoops me up and starts walking. The motion makes my stomach turn, and the dizziness returns before I am placed on leather, and I realize I am in a car. Orion then leaves, and I slide onto my side before I feel hands grip my shoulders, making my eyes open, and I see Thaddeus sit beside me, placing my head on his lap. Hearing car doors close, I feel the car start. Thaddeus brushes my hair out of my face, and I feel myself slipping into the darkness of unconsciousness.