Immortal Burn (ONC 2024)

Chapter 4

"Why?" 

The question worked its way out of Faethe with a quiver, panic welling up within her like a bottle ready to burst from being too full. Her sunlit blue eyes were wide with worry as they not only scanned over the knife wound, but the rest of her mistaken victim as if her mind couldn't process the man in front of her. In her panic, she yanked her hand back away from the knife, its blade remaining buried deep within the person's left shoulder like a child not wanting to let go of its parent. However, that didn't seem to matter to the man now staring down at injury he had just sustained. Shock plastering itself all over his face as crimson dripped from the open wound site, barely plugged by the blade jammed in place. 

"I'm sorry, oh god. . . I'm so so sorry." 

Faethe didn't know what else to do aside from apologizing profusely, especially since the injury given was her fault. 

What she thought had been a Predator or Scorch had been none other than Callen himself. How he had managed to follow her without her finding out was far beyond Faethe's thoughts. Though, the bigger question that had entered her mind was: why was he actually there in the first place when she had left him in the Walled City when she stood outside the gates. She watched the gates close between them, so this whole situation was confusing her. 

Before she could ay anymore or gain a response from the man standing in front of her in shock, that horrible high pitched screeching reverberated through the entire building they were standing in. The sound bounced off the walls and hit both Faethe and Callen like a lightning bolt to the system. Their attention being drawn from the injury and instead, both stared in shared silence towards the front of the building. Silent fear building around both Faethe and Callen, a sudden tension rising to the point it made the air feel far thicker than the humidity already made it. 

"We can take it, it's only one Scorch." 

Faethe's sunlit blue orbs shot back to Callen's, his chocolate brown gaze slowly turning back to her own and locking with them with amazing intensity. 

"No. . ." 

Callen grunted, his teeth clenched tightly as he reached up and pulled the dagger from his shoulder. Pain crossed his paling features at the same time a gasping breath burst from his lungs. The agony he was feeling was mirrored within his eyes, but it was all too obvious that the soldier was fighting to hide all the pain from her so she wouldn't worry. 

It wasn't working. 

". . . We need to get out of here. The entire entrance is crawling with both Scorch and Predators, we won't get far going out that direction." 

Faethe's own skin paled at the realization they had only one exit they could escape from. To their dismay, it would out the back like her original plan. However, with both Scorch and Predators outside, she began to wonder if they were even going to be able to get out. 

While her mind processed the situation they were now in, Callen reached around and wrapped an arm around Faethe's shoulder. He forced her to turn around, giving her a small nudge to get her feet moving, even if her attention was nowhere near being on their escape out of there. His arm only fell when she began moving on her own, Callen's hand resting lightly on the spot between her shoulder blades in order to assure she kept moving towards the far end of the building. 

Everything began moving in slow motion for Faethe as her mind raced to catch up with the fact they were actually moving. Time slowly rushed back to her, spiraling into a normal pace as she allowed her gaze to dart around what could have been a hallway once upon a time. She had no idea where they were going and was relying on the short and quick directions Callen was calling out to her, which seemed to be leading to her original destination out of there before fear had taken over her.