Blade

Chapter 26: Still the storm

Blade

Not willing to endure another torturous minute of her pointless rambling, I squeeze the trigger again and again, pouring every ounce of my anger into each shot.

Bullets rain through the air, striking her square in the chest. Blood bursts from the wound like a raging waterfall, but I don't stop until her body lies in a vast pool of crimson.

"Blade, that's enough," Nico says from behind me, resting a hand on my shoulder in a gentle attempt to calm me. I shrug him off and turn my glare toward the two men lingering in the corner.

"Clean this up."

They both give me a polite nod and follow the instructions without question.

My lungs tighten as the repugnant stench of blood fills the air, a cruel reminder of my failed attempt to uncover who is plotting my downfall. Wrinkling my nose in disgust, I climb the stairs slowly, each step heavy, until I reach the door that leads out of the dungeon.

My fingers twitch against my resolve, another torturous reminder of what my body desperately craves. I bite the inside of my cheek to distract myself, letting out a long, shaky sigh before wrapping my hands around the cold doorknob. With a deep breath, I push the door open and step out.

I don't know how I manage to make it to my room, but somehow I do. As I step inside, I don't bother to turn on the light. I kick the door shut behind me and stride toward my bedside table. The sharp, twisting ache in my chest flares, making it almost impossible to hold back as my breath comes in short, ragged gasps.

My knees buckle beneath me and hit the cold tiled floor, the sting of impact fading into the blur of everything else. Shaking, I crawl toward the table, my fingers fumbling over the drawers as I try to pull them open.

The damn keys. Where are the freaking keys? Fuck.

My fist crashes against the drawer, rattling it, but it refuses to budge. Pain shoots through my ribs, tightening with every heartbeat, adding to the endless ache that saps the strength from my bones. With a low, frustrated growl, I shove aside the clutter on the table, my phone tumbling to the floor. My eyes dart desperately over the bare surface, searching for the keys, but they are nowhere to be found.

The world tilts around me, a dizzying swirl, as the voices that have haunted me for years scratch and whisper at the edges of my mind.

Oh no. No. No. No. No. This cannot be happening.

You really have been such a worthless woman, Irene.

I press my hands hard against my ears, trying to drown out the sharp sting of his words. My eyelids squeeze together so tightly it starts to ache, a throb echoing the panic rising in my chest.

This can't be happening. Not now.

That's pointless coming from you.

I scramble around on the floor to find the freaking keys, hope dims and flares in my chest as something shiny catches my eyes.

Letting out a strangled breath, I push myself to my feet and stumble over to my desk. Grabbing the key next to my computer, I stride back over to the bedside table and fall on my knees. The voices becomes more and more persistent to drive me in-freaking-sane.