Arachna

Sleep eluded Lance. He lay on the mattress, the smallest of pops or sounds of movement startling him.

He had nobody to blame for this but himself. He never should’ve joined this group to begin with.

A pile of blankets sat atop him, and a beefsteak MRE warmed his stomach, but he shivered like he was having withdrawals. He gritted his teeth at the memories that surfaced. A small part of him wished for it, for the sweet relief those substances brought; something that could calm him down and get him to sleep. He rubbed at his arm, tracing the faint marks left behind from years ago.

Lance didn’t know how long it took for him to fall asleep. All he remembered was the darkness surrounding him, lingering over him like a predator.

Someone shook him awake.

“You going to sleep all day, oh leader, sir?” Kaela asked. The contempt in her voice was gone.

Lance waved her away as he rubbed his eyes and said with a yawn, “Only if I can get away with it.” He sat up and looked around the room, ignoring the tightness in his chest. “Where’s Derek?”

“He went out the back door a few minutes ago,” Kaela said. “The building next to us has a fire escape, so he’s going to get on the roof and see if he can spot anything out of the ordinary.”

“What time is it?”

Kaela glanced at the computer. “About six.”

“In the afternoon?”

“Nope.”

“Then what was that about me sleeping all day?”

Kaela shrugged. “I was bored, wanted someone to talk to.”

Lance rubbed his face as he imagined his real bed and his TV awaiting him at his store. The two best luxuries he could have ever asked for, and he’d only had one night with them. But he would give them up in a heartbeat if it meant he could get out of this miserable underground nightmare. “What have you been doing?”

Kaela sat in the computer chair. “I’ve been doing some research on Landreau Corp.”

“And?”

Kaela gave a thumbs down and blew a raspberry. “Nothing important. These people are pretty good at making themselves scarce.” She clicked her tongue. “Waste. Of. Time.”

Lance rolled out of bed, stretching his stiff back. The cold floor sent a shock through his feet and up his spine. That Kaela could even act rested this early baffled him. “Any news on Eric?”

Kaela shook her head. “Derek hasn’t heard from any of his agents, and I haven’t heard from any of my escorts… I sent out an email to Amari, but I don’t know when I’ll hear back.” She leaned her head on her hand and stared at the screen. “I hope they’re okay.”

“I’m sure they are.”

Kaela hummed. “Well, I’ll check on them once Derek gives the okay for us to leave. Then I can go get changed.” She sighed. “A nice hot shower wouldn’t be too bad, either.”

The ladder creaked, and Derek walked in a moment later.

“How is it out there?” Lance asked.

“Pretty good. Everything looks normal. Once nightfall hits, we should be able to leave.” Derek’s eyes lit up, and he took a pack of cards out of his pocket. “But until then, I figured we could waste some time with a few games of poker?”

“Wait… wait, what do you mean nightfall?” Kaela asked. “I need to change, pick up a dress, check on my businesses. I’m not waiting until night to leave this dump. You said yourself everything looks normal.”

“Night gives us better cover. And it’s Saturday night, so we can blend in with the street traffic.”

Kaela groaned and rubbed her face. “Fine… fine, I’ll wait until tonight.” She marched to the cabinet and flung the doors open, rummaging through the packs of MREs. “But I am not playing some stupid card game with you!”

* * *

“Royal flush, bitches!” Kaela yelled as she laid her cards flat on the mattress with one hand, a cracker smeared with cheese dip in her other. “I win again!”

Derek made a motion like he was about to throw his cards and covered his face, swearing into his hands. “There’s no way you haven’t played this game before.”

Kaela set her cracker down on a napkin and shuffled the cards, a sweet smile on her face. “Sorry, Derek. You’re either going to have to admit my infallible skills or your lack thereof.”

“Or you can admit you hustled us.”

“Can’t hustle you if we didn’t bet anything,” Kaela retorted.

Lance smiled, the blanket around his shoulders warming him. The salty bean-and-rice-burrito MRE was settling easier on his stomach than the beefsteak. “I don’t know, I feel pretty hustled right now. I played a lot of poker back at the orphanage, and you’re still kicking my ass.”

Kaela shrugged. “Then I guess we’ll all just have to agree that I’m the queen of poker.” She stretched with a yawn and squinted at the computer. “Well, it’s eight o’clock. Can we go now, please?” She finished her cracker and stood.

Derek nodded. “Yeah, we can go. While you two are gone, I’m going to meet with Rob and see if I can gain any intel.” His expression grew serious. “But once we’re done, we meet back here. If Rob confirms everything to be normal, we can all go back to our homes.”

Kaela smiled. “Then it’s settled.” She walked to the ladder. “Let’s go, Lance.”

They climbed up the ladder and left through the back door. The night air was cold but still warmer than the bunker. Derek disappeared down one end of the alleyway, and Kaela led Lance down the other.

Lance eyed the rooftops, scanning for any movement or silhouettes watching them. His heart skipped a beat, and his feet turned to lead.

Kaela walked onto the street, looking back at him. Lance hesitated, let out a long breath, then dragged himself out of the alley.

Derek hadn’t been lying about the street traffic.

A steady line of cars drove the streets, and an unsteady jumble of people cluttered the sidewalks—laughing, cursing, drunken stumbling, all melding together.

Lance gulped, following Kaela closely.

Too many people.

Way too many.

The humming engines of the cars and the conversations of the people deafened him. Perfumes and colognes assaulted his nose. The streetlights were blinding.

Lance put a finger to his neck, his pulse pounding against his trembling finger.

“Calm down,” Kaela said. “The more suspicious you look, the more likely we are to get caught. Just pretend like you own these streets… I guess you do, actually. Temporarily, anyway.”

“Yeah, that’s real comforting,” Lance said, his voice shakier than his fingers. “I’m the new leader, which paints quite the target on my back.”

“I never thought of it like that,” Kaela said with a pouted lip. She laughed. “I guess I’m glad Eric didn’t pick me after all.”

“Har har,” Lance said. He breathed deeply and kept his eyes forward. “So where are we going?” He didn’t care. He just needed to get his mind off the crowd. He almost missed the slums.

Kaela smiled wickedly. “That’s a surprise. But just trust me, it’ll be fun.” She sighed with her eyes closed. “And have lots and lots of alcohol.”

“Have you always been such a heavy drinker?” Lance squirmed when a man walked too close.

“Yes, I’ve been downing bottles of champagne from the moment I was ejected out of the womb. In fact, my first words were ‘Chardonnay, please’.”

“Funny.” Lance wrapped his arms around himself.

“I’m aware of that. That’s why I said it with such a confident smile.”

Kaela turned onto a new street, where there was a lull in the traffic. Only a handful of people dotted the sidewalk now. Lance breathed for what felt like the first time.

Kaela gasped.

“What?”

“It’s my dress. Every time I look at it, it gets worse. And people are starting to stare at me—not in the good way, either. Good thing we’re heading for a Rose first.” Kaela grabbed Lance’s arm and dragged him behind her with more strength than her arms showed. His skin burned, and he dug his nails into his palms to keep from struggling against her grip. She mumbled for the whole handful of blocks they took to get to the nearest Red Rose. “Can’t believe I have to walk the streets looking like this.” Her hand was still wrapped firmly around Lance’s wrist. He was almost grateful. When they came across another big crowd, Lance shut his eyes and let Kaela guide him, drowning out everything but his burning wrists. Somehow, it helped.

When they turned a corner during another lull in the traffic, Lance opened his eyes to a blue neon sign: The Blue Rose. The building was nearly identical to the other Rose, except the walls were blue instead of red.

“What is a blue rose, exactly?” Lance asked, an eyebrow raised.

A fire lit in Kaela’s eyes. “This is my all-male Rose. So don’t expect to see a lot of cute girl employees here.”

“I don’t understand.”

“All of the escorts at this Rose are men,” Kaela said. “Can’t just have all-women Roses, you know?”

“So… there aren’t any girls here?”

Kaela hummed. “Well, our clientele is mostly women, but there are men that like to come here too.”

“I remember this place now,” Lance said, his eyes stinging from the bright neon sign. “A woman named Margaret was looking for it, right? She was looking for a Roderick, I think.”

Kaela side-eyed him. “Not a bad memory. Ah, Ms. Margaret. Bless her heart, that woman has a fire in her loins. Let’s go inside before someone confuses us for homeless people.”

Kaela swung the glass doors open and stepped into the Rose.

The interior was even more like the last Rose; birch walls adorned with paintings and pictures, primarily of nude or barely dressed men. The ambient lighting was cool as opposed to the warm lighting of the Red Rose. Several male workers were dressed in either suits or casual attire. Music played subtly in the background. A well-groomed man in a dark-blue suit stepped out of a room. His eyes lit up when he saw Kaela.

“Kaela?” the man said.

The sound of her name alone stirred a chain reaction of men appearing as if from nowhere to see their boss. In the sea of voices, Lance only picked up a couple of things.

“Heard about the explosion.”

“Are you okay?”

“Your dress is ruined!”

“Guys, guys,” Kaela said, quieting the small crowd, “I’m fine… My dress isn’t.” She turned to Lance. “Stay here for now. I’m going to change.” She parted the sea of her employees and walked past. “Can anybody tell me where Taylor is?”

A dark-skinned man with a purple suit and a single earring appeared at the top of the stairs at the end of the hall. “Kaela,” he said, a hand on his chest, “you look awful.”

“I know, Tay.” Kaela pouted. “Think you can give me a helping hand?”

Taylor rubbed at his chin. “I think I have just the thing. Come with me, baby, I’ll get you straightened out.”

“You’re the best.” She stopped midstep then smirked at Lance. “Boys, find Lance here something nice to wear. Casual, if you can find it. He’s not much of a suit person.”

Lance looked down at his dirty clothes, suddenly realizing that they were as bad as Kaela’s. Most of the men disappeared down halls and through doors—business as usual. Some carried platters. They all had smiles on their faces. Kaela certainly knew how to get respect from her employees.

One man with bright eyes and blond hair returned with a set of clothes in hand and said with an even brighter smile, “Here you are, sir.”

“Thanks,” Lance said.

“I’m willing to dress you, if you’d prefer.”

Heat rose to Lance’s cheeks, and he shook his head. “Uh… no. No, I can handle it.”

The man kept his smile and nodded. “Let me know if you change your mind. Bathroom’s over there.”

A lump formed in Lance’s throat. “Sure… Thanks.”

The man walked away. Lance cleared his throat, trying to keep his view on the floor and not the suggestive posters on the wall as he walked to the bathroom. He had to give Kaela credit; her workers knew what they were doing.

He slipped into the bathroom and leaned against the cream-colored wall. He savored the peace and quiet as he changed into the clothes: a black dress shirt, jeans, and new shoes. He lingered in the bathroom before splashing cold water on his face and returning to the lobby.

Almost a half hour passed with Lance sitting on a soft couch in the waiting room. Men passed by with women or other men in tow. They disappeared into the numbered rooms.

Lance wrung his hands, flashes of the burned man’s face striking him every time his mind wandered. He blinked, his breath hitching. The smell of burnt skin stained the inside of his nose. Even the perfumed scent of the Rose failed to replace it.

Finally, Taylor descended the stairs with a proud smile on his face. “Ta-da!”

Kaela appeared. She wore a sleek black dress with a slit exposing her leg. A trail of silver traced down the side of the dress and formed a peacock on her hip. Her hair was up in a bun, and her face was decorated with black eyeshadow and bold red lipstick.

Lance held his breath as she sauntered down the stairs.

Kaela held her arms out. “That feels so much better.” She turned to Taylor and embraced him. “Thanks, Tay.” She rejoined Lance’s side. “Hey, you don’t look half bad. Ready?”

Lance couldn’t think of the words to say as she approached him in that dress. “Y-yeah.”

Kaela held her chin high as she walked past him.

“So… where we’re going next… What I’m wearing is decent enough, right?” Lance asked.

Kaela rubbed a single finger across his shoulder, inspected it, and said, “It’ll do. Black was a nice choice.” She kept her graceful walk all the way to the entrance. “Same goes for me. Last time I ever wear anything white.”

Lance chuckled. The safety of the Rose escaped him as the bitter cold of night surrounded him once more.

Kaela stopped, her eyes focused on the road. She turned around and opened the door again. “Taylor!” she called.

Taylor perked his ears.

“I’m not walking in these heels. Get my keys.”

She wiggled her fingers in the air, and Taylor gave a knowing smile and left. Moments later, he returned and tossed a set of keys across the room. Kaela caught them and rounded the building. Lance kept glancing at the rooftops as he followed her.

Kaela unlocked a small gate leading to an alley. She locked it behind them and led Lance to a small parking lot. Lamps on the damp brick walls illuminated the darkness, revealing the cars filling the space.

“Why is this so separated from the street?” Lance asked.

“I try to keep my employees as safe as possible. Why risk walking a block to your car when it’s right outside the back entrance?”

Kaela walked to a car as sleek and black as her dress, opened the door, and slid into the driver’s seat. “Come on, slowpoke.”

Lance slipped into the passenger seat as Kaela cranked the car. The vents blasted him with a cloud of heat, relieving some of the chilly tension in his bones.

“Listen to that baby purr,” Kaela said as she revved the engine. She shifted the car into drive. “Let’s get out of here.”

Lance warmed his hands at the vent. As the car pulled out into the street, he relaxed—no more crowds and no more danger of someone following them. Still, as he let himself fall into a sense of security, something stirred in his stomach like the growl of a predator somewhere deep within him.

* * *

“Here we are,” Kaela said, almost singing the last word as the car came to a halt.

Lance followed her gaze to the sign above the entrance.

“Nightlife… Seriously?” Lance said, his tone flat. “You think they could have tried to be a little smarter with the name?”

“They make up for it in service.” Kaela stepped out of the car. “But oh, perhaps I’ve forgotten that our grizzled leader doesn’t like fun.”

“Are we seriously going to do this now?”

“I don’t plan on winning another argument, Lance, but nothing is going to stop me from making jokes.”

“Yeah, well, they’re not funny,” Lance muttered as he stepped out of the car.

Kaela ignored the comment. “Well… ready to experience some fun for once in your life?”

Lance rubbed his clammy hands on his pants as he followed Kaela inside. When he stepped through the doors, he could barely see anything in the dim, colored lighting. The hallway led to a large room with a dance floor in the center. Tables and booths surrounded it.

A bar stood in the far corner, right next to the DJ. Kaela’s eyes flashed when she saw it.

“Well?” Kaela said, her arms spread out, gesturing to the room. She had to yell for her voice to reach through the music. “What do you think?”

“I think…” Lance trailed off, heavy bass slamming into in his chest and throat.

Colored lights flashed in rhythm with the music. Dozens of people were dancing on the expansive floor.

He cleared his throat, swallowed, and tried again. “I think that this isn’t really my thing.”

“Aw, you’re breaking my heart over here.” Kaela put a hand on her chest and grinned. “Come on, let’s get some food.”

Lance followed Kaela through the crowd of people, sweat beading on his forehead, his eyes darting at every person that came too close. Every bump burned his skin. Too many people. Too close. How does Kaela not mind this?

As the music quieted, Kaela dragged Lance to a booth and slid into a seat. “Finally, food that’s not in a bag,” she said from across the table.

Lance grabbed a menu and flipped through it, the writing barely legible in the dim light.

A waiter approached. Kaela ordered a cup of coffee and an appetizer of fried pickles.

Lance asked for more time, staring at Kaela with a raised eyebrow.

Kaela laughed. “What?”

“I just…”

She leaned forward. “I’m driving. I love a good drink, but I’m not that irresponsible. Feel free to throw a few back for me, will you?”

I wish.

Lance muttered an apology, but she didn’t hear it through the music. The waiter returned and set down the plate of fried pickles. Kaela downed one after the other, but Lance only picked at them. The loud music and the smell of sweat and fried pickles didn’t stimulate his appetite. He scanned the sea of bodies, writhing and sweating against each other. The place was stifling. He almost preferred the hideout.

“So,” Lance started, his leg bouncing and his voice shaking, “I’m grateful for you bringing me here and all.” He looked around, the words heavy as he tried to speak. “But I don’t know… This really just isn’t my kind of thing.”

Kaela looked up at him with a mouthful of pickles, seemingly unfazed. “I figured you’d freak out at seeing this place. Eric mentioned how excited you got over a TV.”

Lance was glad the dim lighting hid the redness forming in his cheeks. Eric told them? He swallowed the frustration. “Guilty as charged.”

Kaela popped another fried pickle into her mouth. “Well, the night isn’t over yet. Let’s get some real food in our stomachs, and then I’ll bring you somewhere a little more your speed.”

Lance nodded. As if on cue, the waiter returned, and they placed their orders.

Lance forced down bites of his wrap, and Kaela scarfed her burger with the might of ten men.

“I can’t lie, the food was pretty good,” Lance said as he climbed into the car with Kaela. The city air smelled so much sweeter than the body odor infesting that place.

Kaela groaned as she slid into the seat, her hand placed firmly on her stomach. “I think I overindulged.”

Lance chuckled.

“Alright, so this place wasn’t your speed.”

“Not really.”

“Mm-hmm.” Kaela smiled. “But our next destination has something a bit different.”

Kaela drove down the road. Lance leaned back in his seat as he allowed his food to settle. He stared out the window as they passed under streetlight after streetlight. The car hummed as it glided down the road.

The streetlights stopped, and Lance realized he’d closed his eyes. A wave of sleepiness washed over him. He lifted his head from the cold window.

“If you drooled on my window,” Kaela said. “I will personally wipe it up with your face.”

Lance rolled his eyes then carefully checked the window through his peripherals. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted no drool on the glass.

“Are we… leaving the city?” Lance asked as the sight of buildings turned into trees.

Kaela kept her eyes forward. “Yes and no. You’ll see. Don’t get impatient on me just yet.”

A moment of silence passed, then a snicker.

“What?” Lance asked as Kaela’s snickers turned to chuckles. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s just weird,” Kaela said. “Doing something like this with somebody I hated yesterday.”

“So you’re saying you like me now?” Lance poked.

Kaela shrugged. “Let’s not reach that far yet. You’re an acquired taste that I’m still getting accustomed to.”

Lance let the silence hang over them for a moment. “I suppose that’s fair.”

Kaela drove up a dark hill, the headlights their only source of light. Lance kept his eyes on the forest line, his nerves ruffling. Someone could easily attack them from the trees.

They traveled farther up the hill until it plateaued. There, Kaela stopped. They were in a clearing in the woods with a bench across from them. The night sky was in view, dotted with bright stars.

Kaela’s silhouette smiled through the darkness. A sad smile. She opened the door and stepped out, the interior lights of the car igniting in response. Lance followed suit and walked with her to the small clearing, devoid of all trees except one right next to the bench.

Kaela sat and patted the empty spot next to her without looking back. Lance froze and waited for her to say something, but she didn’t even turn her head toward him, as if she was entranced.

Please tell me this isn’t some awful scheme to get rid of me, Lance prayed silently to whatever would listen as he approached the bench. If this was just some ruse and it took him this long to figure it out, he would roll himself off this hill right here and now.

Lance dropped that line of thinking when he sat on the bench and followed Kaela’s stare. The city of Arachna, spread out before his very eyes like a canvas. The dark of night was cast away by the lights of the city. Landreau Corp’s building stood tall in the center, a beacon.

The streets and the alleyways formed a shape resembling a web. Lance almost laughed.

“So this is the place, huh?” Lance said. “Now this is definitely more my speed.”

“Glad to hear it,” Kaela responded casually. “It’s odd when you think about what’s going on in the city at this very moment, while we sit here in the quiet and watch. People sleeping in their apartments, thugs robbing each other in the slums…”

“I’m starting to see why Eric refers to this city as a web,” Lance mused as he took in the sight. “It really does resemble one.”

Kaela cocked her head to the side. “I guess it kind of does… doesn’t it? When you squint.”

“Is this why this place is so special to you?”

Kaela pursed her lips. “No… it’s the farthest away I allow myself to be from this city. I like my job. I like the nightlife. I even like Derek.” She paused to smile deviously at him. “Besides, it’s peaceful. The tree is shady, the bench is comfortable, though a bit dirty. I’ve come here at least once a month every month since I was a kid.”

“Oh? When was the first time?”

Kaela frowned as if considering the question. But her eyes softened, even as she rolled them, and she said, “Yeah. At first, it was with my mom and dad. Eventually, it was just me and my mom. And now…” She looked down at the grass, smooshing the blades flat. “Well, let’s just say it feels good to be here with someone again.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Eh, we all have losses.” She smiled again. “Least I got to spend time with my parents.”

Lance scoffed at the remark, but there was no playful spark in Kaela’s eyes. It wasn’t an insult—just an observation.

“Do you mind telling me what happened?” Lance pried.

“I very much do mind telling you”—she crossed her legs—“unless you’re willing to share something in return.”

Lance shrugged. “You already know how my parents died.” The reminder echoed as a pain in his chest. “Can’t believe I wasted all that time searching for a couple of corpses.” It hurt to say, but knowing it was true hurt even worse.

“Didn’t you ever consider that possibility before?”

Lance sighed. “Yeah… but somehow… I still wasn’t prepared to hear it. It was all I had to cling to out in the slums. Hope.”

“Hope is stupid,” Kaela said bluntly. “But I don’t blame you.”

A heavy silence fell between them. Lance found nothing to say, so he stared out at the city. Hope wasn’t stupid—not to him. If he hadn’t held on to it, he would’ve died, just like his parents.

Kaela let out a long sigh. “Cancer got my dad.”

Lance looked at her.

She was staring forward, her jaw set. “My mom died because some… animal couldn’t keep it in his pants and didn’t want anyone to find out.”

“Oh my God.”

Kaela’s face twisted with fury, and she wiped her eyes. “Don’t worry about it. He didn’t last long.”

“What does that mean?”

Kaela let out a slow, shaky breath, her hands balled into tight fists. “Eric approached me when I started my first Rose.” She took another shaky breath. “He said he’d pay me whatever I want if I joined his ‘web’. I said I wanted revenge. He took care of it for me.”

“What did he do?”

Kaela shrugged. “All I know is that the bastard didn’t go easy. Or quickly. That’s all I care about.”

Kaela’s face twisted again, and she turned away.

“Kaela, I…” He stopped, not knowing what he could possibly say. He reached a hand out but paused before it reached her shoulder.

She wiped her eyes again and sniffled. “I shouldn’t have told you that.” She cleared her throat and adjusted her position on the bench. “Shit, that was stupid.”

“It’s okay,” Lance said. “As far as I’m concerned, you didn’t tell me a thing.”

“Good.”

A chilly wind whistled through the limbs of the trees, brushing Lance’s hair into his face. “Thank you… for bringing me here. It feels good to get away for a while.”

Kaela scratched her nose. “Sure.” She looked out at the city, and Lance mimicked her. “Consider it an olive branch. I was going to say that I still don’t trust you, but I just spilled my guts out to you, so go figure.”

Lance allowed himself a small chuckle. “What made you change your mind about me?”

“Hell if I know.”

They looked at each other, and after a small pause, both broke into a low chuckle. The tension eased, and Lance breathed easier.

Kaela opened her mouth like she was about to speak, but among the sound of rustling, a twig snapped behind them.

Kaela whirled toward the sound, her body going still and alert. Lance looked back at the car.

Nothing.

Lance hovered a hand over his pocket, the blood draining from his face when he felt no switchblade waiting for him.

“Kaela?” Lance whispered.

“Yeah?”

“You heard that too, right?”

She didn’t respond. The world around them went silent—no crickets, no wind rustling the trees.

Lance’s heart pounded in his chest as he stood from his spot on the bench, his eyes glued in the direction of the sound.

Kaela was at Lance’s side in the blink of an eye.

“I think we’ve been up here long enough, wouldn’t you say, Lance?” Kaela whispered, watching the trees as she stepped carefully across the grassy hill toward the car.

“I’m in full agreement,” Lance whispered back. “You have a weapon with you, right?”

“There’s one in the car.”

Kaela opened the door on the driver’s side. She reached underneath the seat, mumbling to herself almost prayerfully for a weapon to be there.

She paused for a second, and Lance held his breath until she withdrew a small pistol. They locked themselves in the car. Kaela swore, then swore again and slammed her fist into the steering wheel.

“What?” Lance asked, scanning the trees and the grassy plain around them.

Kaela’s face was pale. “I think I dropped the keys.”

“What do we do?” Lance’s voice shook, his pulse throbbing in his ears. They should never have left the hideout and come to a hill alone. He cursed himself.

“Shoot the first person we see, no questions asked.”

“Better than nothing, I guess.”

Please let us get out of this. The words repeated over and over in his mind as he turned his head toward each window.

Lance froze. A dark figure stood at his window. He opened his mouth to scream, but his window shattered. Shards of glass sliced his face, and above the stinging pain… time slowed. A voice whispered to him in the back of his mind, like the purr of a predator.

Survive.

Calm washed over him, and he let out a breath. His stomach writhed, as if something was crawling around inside.

Kaela screamed as the window on her side shattered as well. He meant to duck or react, but his body was stiff.

The figure at Lance’s window drew a knife.

Kaela screamed again. Gunshots popped, flashes of light filling the car.

Lance’s arms moved as if by themselves. He grabbed the man’s arm and wrenched it upward. Snap. The man cried out in pain. Lance ripped the knife from his grip as he crumpled to the ground.

Kaela had a gash on her leg, trickling blood. The man on her side of the car was also wielding a knife. Kaela pulled the trigger, the now-empty gun clicking over and over. The man twitched. A gurgling sound spilled from his mouth. He collapsed.

Lance leaned out his window. The man with the broken arm was no longer writhing on the ground. He’d disappeared.

Kaela dropped the gun, cursing at her leg. Tears streamed down her face.

Lance’s body moved before he could tell it not to. He opened the car door and stepped out. No sight of the man with the broken arm, but… a sound slipped from under the car. A panicked breath. Lance crouched and spotted him. The man scrambled to get away.

Lance felt no fire or anger in his chest. Just cold.

The man crawled out from under the car with his one good arm, the other dragging at his side.

Lance almost stopped in his tracks when a smile crawled across his face. He shook it away as the man tried to run and tripped over his friend’s body.

Lance rounded the car, the knife firmly in his grip. His stomach twisted as if a snake writhed inside of him. The man took the knife from his friend’s hand and pointed it shakily at Lance, his other arm limp at his side.

Lance felt that smile again, but he suppressed it, then suppressed the fear that came along with it. It was as if he had no control over his movements anymore. He told his body to stop, but it ignored his pleas.

Lance was on the man in an instant, his hand wrapped around his one good arm. The man struggled in vain, the knife slipping from his fingers. Lance slid his hand up to the man’s wrist and wrenched it. It broke with a sickening crunch.

The man yelled in pain, and Lance swiped his blade clean across his neck. A small amount of blood shot out at first, but then the man writhed and grabbed at his neck, more and more blood spewing violently out of the artery. He reached out to Lance as if begging for help.

Lance just watched. He dropped the knife. The calm left him in an instant, and he stared at the lifeless eyes of the man before him.

“I’m sorry,” the words slipped out. The world sped back up, and a breeze drifted by. Lance slowly turned around.

Kaela’s eyes were pointed right at him, wide and shocked.

His body felt warm again as he walked over to the man Kaela shot and picked up the keys lying in the grass, shining just bright enough to spot in the moonlight. Without saying a word, he handed the keys to Kaela and returned to the passenger seat. Kaela started the car and drove back down the hill. He tried with all his might to ignore the bodies lying still in the grass.

* * *

Kaela was quiet as they wriggled through the narrow passageway back to the spacious concrete room of their safehouse. Derek wasn’t awaiting them like Lance thought he would. He hoped he hadn’t also been attacked. Blood stained Lance’s clothes as much as his mind. Every time he blinked, that man’s fearful eyes stared back at him.

Kaela’s wound was wrapped tightly with fabric ripped from her dress. She took a seat in the computer chair and leaned back, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Lance cleared his throat and paced, biting his nails.

“I hope we weren’t followed,” Lance said, eyeing Kaela carefully.

She didn’t even seem to hear him until she said, “We ditched the car in the middle of nowhere and wound through a bunch of alleyways before we even came here. I’m sure if we were being followed, we lost them.”

“Did you also think that when we went to that hill?”

She glared at him. “Are you seriously trying to start an argument with me right now? I thought we would be safe.” She jumped from the chair. “And what the hell was that back there with that man?”

Lance choked on his words. His stomach twisted, and nausea curled around his throat. He didn’t know what made him sicker—that he had killed again, that he had lost control over himself… or that Derek had been right. This one had been easier. Much easier than the burned man.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“You murdered him.”

Cold rage sent a chill down Lance’s spine. “Don’t act like your hands are clean, either. You riddled the other guy with holes because he was going to kill us. I did the same thing.”

“No, you didn’t.” Kaela took a hesitant step forward. “That was… different. The look in your eyes… like you enjoyed it.”

The words bubbled to Lance’s throat before he could stop them. “What was it you said? ‘Wasn’t quick, and it wasn’t easy’? Don’t sit on your high horse and judge me when you’ve spilled your share of blood.”

Kaela’s face softened, and her eyes glistened; but then her expression hardened, and she slapped him. “Don’t—” her voice cracked. “Don’t you dare throw that in my face. I knew I shouldn’t have told you that.”

Lance tensed, his hand against his stinging cheek. The whisper returned to the back of his head, quieter than usual, but still present. Kaela raised an eyebrow. She noticed.

“I’m sorry,” Lance said. “I didn’t mean to say that, it just… came out.”

“Like hell it did,” Kaela scoffed. “What are you?”

Lance bit his tongue, his eyes watering. The way she looked at him—so similar to how the matron did that night. “Please don’t look at me like that.”

“How am I supposed to look at you?”

“It was either him or me.”

Kaela looked sick as she said, “You were crying over that guy we left in the alleyway just yesterday, but back there, you… I don’t know… savored it.”

“I don’t know,” Lance said. “I guess… I was just caught up in the adrenaline or something.”

Kaela stared at him for a long moment before turning away and letting her hair down. “Shit… Eric saw it before I did, but he was right. There is something about you… I wouldn’t use the word ‘special’, though. ‘Dangerous’, maybe.”

“I’m not dangerous.”

Kaela sat on her bed, staring at him with that look again. Lance turned away from her. It was enough that the men he’d killed stared at him from behind his eyelids, that the memories of the matron and the kids stared at him, but now Kaela was doing the same.

Kaela sighed. “I hope not.”