Page 20 of The Chaos She Brings

I don’t know why I agree. I don’t know why it feels like the only thing to do. My body moves on its own as I turn toward my bedroom, stepping over the remnants of my life that have been scattered like broken glass. The mess—the destruction—of everything I’ve built in this small apartment doesn’t matter anymore. It’s just noise.

I start pulling clothes from the dresser, the action mechanical, detached. Towels, toiletries—anything that feels like it belongs to me, even if it’s just for the night. I shove everything into a bag on autopilot.

What the actual fuck?

The questions keep circling, each one more chaotic than the last.

Why would someone break into my flat?

Did they want something from me?

Is it just some sick joke?

Why the hell does it feel so personal?

Is this some twisted aftermath of Jake’s death?

Did I make a mistake?

How did we even get outside?

I blink as the world shifts around me. Suddenly, we’re in the car. I don’t remember the drive. I don’t remember when we left. I’m floating through it, my body in motion, but my mind is a storm. I barely register Kai as he buckles me in. His touch is careful, almost protective, like I might break into pieces if he’s too rough with me. I don’t pull away.

My mind is a runaway train, tearing through the wreckage of the past two days. None of it makes sense.

Jake is dead.

He tried to kill me.

My apartment is ruined.

Carina is a serial killer.

I watched pigs tear into a human bodylike it was nothing.

A farmer almost caught us.

Kai is a criminal crime scene cleaner.

Kai kissed me.

Kai. Kissed. Me.

And I want him to do it again.

“Tess, you gotta get out of the car.” Kai’s voice slices through my thoughts, snapping me back to reality. I blink, disoriented, confused to find us sitting in his driveway. How did we get here? I can’t remember the journey.

I let him guide me out of the car; my legs unsteady as he leads me inside. I don’t know why I follow him. I don’t know what else to do. Instead of heading upstairs, he steers us toward the living room. I sit on the couch, my body still, my mind too heavy to move. The weight of everything pressing in on me.

A soft blanket is draped over my shoulders, and for a moment, I feel the weight of it, the comfort of something familiar, something real. It drags me back to the present, but only just. I’m still floating in the aftershock of everything that’s happened.

“I’m going to do some digging,” Kai’s voice comes from above, steady and calm, like he’s trying to anchor me to something. “I’ll find out what I can about the break-in. Will you be okay down here?”

I don’t even know what "okay" means anymore. I don’t know what’s real and what’s just a blur of terror and confusion. But I nod, because it’s the only thing I can do. “I… um… Yeah.”

Kai hesitates in the doorway, his gaze lingering on me like he’s searching for something in my eyes. I don’t know what he’s looking for. Maybe he’s trying to see if I’m broken or just numb. Finally, he gives a small nod, his expression softening for just a second before he steps out of the room. The door clicks behind him, leaving me alone in the quiet.

But I’m not alone. My mind is still racing, spinning out of control, and I know that no matter how still the room is, my world is anything but.