Page 61 of The Hollowed
Alex rushed to the nearest car, raised his gun, and shattered the driver’s side window with a single bullet. Glass scattered as he opened the door and motioned her forward. “Work your magic.”
Her hands shook, but she slid into the seat, pulled the wires free, and forced herself to focus on getting the car started. She was just a spark away when a voice rang out from the shadows.
“Well, well.”
Luci’s head snapped up instantly. The guard from before, the one who’d mocked Alex during the search, stepped into the dim light.
“It’s real easy to kill people when you’ve got a gun in your hands,” he taunted, keeping his eyes locked on Alex. He tilted his chin and gestured to the weapon. “How about you put that down so we can see what you’re really made of?”
Luci’s stomach twisted in knots.
Alex’s expression hardened and the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. “Fuck it,” he whispered, throwing Luci a quick look that was both a warning and a promise. Then, he stepped away from the car and lowered his gun. “Let’s get this over with.”
She tightened her grip on the wires, sparks flew as she twisted them together, but her eyes kept darting up against her will. Alex was quick but he was exhausted and every movement showed it. The guard was larger than him, his blows landing heavier with each passing second. Luna snapped and lunged at him. Her teeth caught fabric and flesh as the guard shoved her aside with a vicious kick that made Luci’s blood run cold.
“Pathetic,” the guard sneered as his fist connected with Alex’s jaw. Blood sprayed across the concrete. “You think you can protect her? When I’m finished here, she’ll be begging me for mercy.”
Luci’s stomach turned, nausea and anger rising. But just then the engine roared to life under her hands. She looked up.
The guard had Alex pinned, straddling him as his fists slammed down in a merciless rhythm.
Something inside her snapped.
Before she could realize what she was doing, Luci grabbed Alex’s gun from the ground, took a few steps forward and raised it.
The bullet tore through the air, finding its target. The guard twitched once before his body froze and slumped sideways.
Luci’s chest rose and fell as her hands trembled around the gun.
Alex coughed, dragging in a ragged breath as he lifted his eyes to her.
The gun slipped from her grip, clattering to the floor. But Luci didn’t care.
“Come on,” she whispered, slipping her arm under his and pulling him up. Alex’s legs wobbled and blood streaked down the side of his face, but he leaned into her and forced himself upright.
There was no time for words so she ignored the shock in his eyes and the pounding in her chest. Luna circled them anxiously, whining as Luci dragged Alex toward the car. She got him into the passenger seat and let Luna into the back before sprinting back around to the driver’s side.
Without another thought, Luci slammed her foot on the gas, the tires screeching as the car shot forward into the tunnel. Together, they tore into the open night. Luci gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles turned pale. Beside her, Alex groaned, and his head rolled slightly against the seat.
“Alex,” she whispered, her voice full of panic. She couldn’t slow down. Not until she knew they were clear. “Just hang on.”
He mumbled something incoherent, and Luna whined from the backseat, pressing her paws into the console to try and crawl to him.
Then Luci saw it. Two faint lights in the mirror, growing brighter with every second. “Shit,” she hissed under her breath. Her grip tightened on the wheel and her eyes locked on the road ahead. “Alex!”
He stirred and blinked through the sweat falling from his brow. “What?”
“Someone’s following us.”
Alex forced himself upright enough to squint into the mirror. “Drive faster.”
She tried to stretch the distance between them, but the car behind them blared its horn anyway.
“This isn’t good,” Luci whispered, bracing herself for the worst possible outcome until a body leaned out the passenger side window, waving its arms.
Her breath caught.
From a distance it looked like Cipher.