The dark corridor was descending. Selena could not see but she could feel the narrow path going downhill.
She was relying on Harry to lead the way. Their hands were tightly linked, ensuring each other of their presence and safety.
The soft shuffles of their feet were the only thing they could hear. And maybe the loud thuds of Selena's heart, but she wasn't sure Harry could hear it too.
A few more steps and Selena could finally make out a speck of light a few feet in front of them.
Harry picked up his pace, half-dragging her with him.
Selena could not take the silence anymore, "What are we running away from Harry? We shouldn't have left Gem. Maybe we should-"
"Don't worry about Gem. She can hold her own."
"I don't doubt that." Selena knew Gemma was a fighter. But she still worried for her. "We should've stayed and helped her."
"It's better that you're not there."
Selena scoffed, "What, you think I can't handle myself?"
"They're after you. They'd be out of her hair as soon as they realize you're not there."
Holy fuck.
"What about my family? What if they go after Papa, Mama, and Tori?"
"They won't touch them. It's part of their shit code or something. And even if they try to, I already have a few people stationed at your house to look after them."
Selena sighed in relief. At least she didn't have to worry about them that much. But Harry didn't see the curiousity that threatened to escape her lips.
The pair emerged from the hidden tunnel to the foot of a small hill. Selena looked back up and she could see the small silhouette of the Addington Estate in the distance.
Harry had let go of her hand and was removing branches and other debris on top of a small mound - underneath was a getaway car filled with a few supplies for situations like this.
A breeze passed by, making her shiver. She put her arms around herself and realized she had left all of her things back in the house. And it wasn't like she could go back to get them that easily.
So she just helped Harry and they left the moment they had uncovered the dark jeep underneath. When they reached a paved road, Selena spoke again.
"Where are we going?"
Harry kept his eyes on the road. "Another hideout. One they don't know I own."
"Who are they? You and Gemma keep talking about them but what the fuck are they?"
"I'm not really sure which one this time."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means there's a lot of fucking people after you now. There's the lost souls called the Damned. And a group of crazy humans I like to call dipshits."
"And they're after me because?"
"Well, Selena, one group wants you to grant a wish that'll kill you while one just wants you dead. Now are you done asking questions?"
"Why are you being such a dick? I didn't ask to be here! Your fucking friend pulled me into this shit!"
Harry pressed the brakes suddenly that they both would've launched out of the car if they weren't wearing seatbelts. "Because!"
Harry breathed heavily as he stared at Selena. They were in the middle of a dark road and only the headlights illuminated their surroundings.
Selena raised an eyebrow at him when he didn't continue. But Harry held his tongue and he started the car again.
"It just had to be you, huh," Harry muttered.
Selena merely rolled her eyes at him. She ignored the sting she felt with his words and just crossed her arms and sulked.
Harry drove for a long time that Selena eventually fell asleep. She woke up hours later, with the early sun on her face.
The car was parked and Selena panicked for a second when she saw that Harry wasn't there. But she realized they were at a truck stop and deduced that he probably just went to the bathroom or something.
She opened the door and stepped out, eager to stretch her stiff legs. She was doing a few stretching poses when a car parked next to the jeep.
The car was heavily tinted. She did not know the make and model but Selena took note of its glossy black rims and how it was a nice contrast against the gray.
Selena could see her reflection perfectly and she brushed her fingers through her hair when she saw her unruly it was. But then she had a creeping sensation that the driver was looking at her.
It was weird, after all, that the driver hadn't even gotten out even after he or she had parked.
Selena just did a 180 and went back inside the jeep, making sure she locked the door behind her. She tried her best not to look at the car's direction but it was hard when she had nothing else to do.
Selena jumped when the driver's door opened.
One look at her face and he knew something was up, "What's wrong?"
Selena glanced back to the car next to them but it was already backing up. She shook her head, thinking that all these bizarre things happening were probably messing with her head.
It was kinda crazy that she found herself in a car next to her ex-boyfriend after avoiding him for so long, after all.
And that's just one of the many crazy things.
"Here." Harry handed her a cup of iced coffee and a small paper bag. She opened it and saw it contained two cream cheese bagels.
"Thanks." Selena pretended that Harry did not remember that she preferred drinking iced coffee even if it was cold and that these bagels weren't her favorite breakfast.
After another hour on the road, they finally stopped in front of a large wooden cottage located in a mountain.
He handed her a set of keys and told her to go ahead and open the front door.
She obliged as Harry went and unloaded some of the bags from the jeep.
The cottage, much like the Addington Estate, was bare. It only contained the bare essentials from what she could see.
Dust had settled in around the few furnitures in the house that Selena sneezed a couple of times.
Harry laughed from behind her.
She turned and looked at him as he stood by the doorway. She knew he was laughing at how she sneezed. He used to always say she sneezed like a kitten.
"It is dusty here so I can't help it."
"Yeah, gotta clean up the place a bit. Here." He handed her a backpack. "There's some clothes you can change into in there."
She took it from him and sighed, "I really wish I had my own stuff with me."
There were soft thuds from behind her and she felt a stabbing pain on her chest. Selena dropped the bag and nearly keeled over from the pain. If Harry wasn't stading there, she would've gone and hit her head on the floor.
"Shit!" Harry exclaimed. He dropped the bags he was carrying to catch her.
Her heart was beating a mile per minute. Harry lifted her up, and she clutched onto him as tightly as her weak fingers could. Her lips had paled and her vision was clouded by dark dots.
On the corner of her eye, she saw the baby blue bag and black purse she had left on the Addington Estate foyer.
Harry sat her down on a small couch after he managed to remove the dusty cloth over it. Selena's nose itched but she was too tired to do anything.
She laid on the couch while Harry grabbed a small, clean towel from one of the bags he brought. He disappeared to another room, came back a second later, and sat next to her.
Harry gently laid her head on his lap and placed the cold damp towel on her forehead.
"I'm sorry. I should've told you about how being a Golden works."
Selena was still too weak and she gently nodded her head to tell him she was listening.
"Granting wishes has a consequence. I told you the power's tied to your life force. So every wish you make requires blood - your blood."
Selena groaned.
"So you have to be careful. Don't just nonchalantly say "I wish" or you'll drain your blood yourself before you even find another Keyper."
"Keyper?" Selena said, her voice so low Harry almost didn't catch it.
Harry folded up the long sleeve on his left arm. Selena could see a few of the many inks that he had gotten over the years.
But one stood out. It was the littlest one of the bunch on his wrist - a key.
And it was glowing gold.