The Cross Over (Silent Moments Series: Book 7)

Chapter 26

 The retinal scanner emitted a soft whirr before blinking green, granting us access to the elevator. The interior was a capsule of cold metal, the fluorescent lights casting sharp shadows that flickered across Levitt's troubled face.

"The Shepherd's unit is guarding the entrance," Levitt said, his voice barely above a whisper in the confined space, the tension palpable.

"Too bad for them," I responded, my tone even but laced with an undercurrent of grim resolve. I felt the cool metal of the grenades in my pocket, their weight a constant reminder of the impending chaos.

"Grenades?" Levitt's eyes widened slightly, a mix of disbelief and dread. "So we answer bloodshed with more bloodshed?"

I didn't respond. As the elevator doors parted with a muted hiss, revealing the dimly lit corridor beyond, I gripped the grenade pins tightly. Each step forward was a step further from the realm of judgment and morality. I was prepared to extinguish every last threat, no matter the cost.

"That's what we do," Octavia's voice resonated with a similar resolve, her eyes fixed ahead as she stepped out beside me. Her presence was a silent yet powerful affirmation of our shared path.

Levitt exhaled a heavy sigh, his footsteps a soft echo on the metallic floor as he followed. "Maybe we don't deserve to transcend," he muttered, more to himself than to us. His words hung in the air, a somber reflection on our dire circumstances.

As we rounded the corner, the hallway stretched out before us, a sterile expanse echoing with the distant hum of the facility. In one fluid motion, I yanked the pins from the grenades, my fingers deft and certain. I hurled them down the corridor, their arcing path a brief dance of death in the air. The explosions were deafening, a concussive force that reverberated through the hallway, sending shockwaves through my body. In the wake of the blast, I drew my gun and Levitt's from my waistband, the familiar weight of the weapons grounding me in the chaos. Gunfire erupted from my end, a relentless volley aimed at the figures staggering through the smoke and debris. Octavia remained eerily calm beside me, her weapon silent, her eyes scanning for threats. I moved methodically, taking down each survivor with precision. Amidst the chaos, one of the assailants, a woman with a fierce determination in her eyes, reached for a fallen sword. She moved with a practiced grace, her actions deliberate in the midst of pandemonium. Handing her rifle to Levitt, she gripped the sword's hilt tightly.

"Cover me," I commanded with a curt nod, my voice cutting through the lingering echoes of gunfire. Levitt, now armed with the rifle, positioned himself, ready to provide covering fire. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and the harsh tang of blood. The corridor transformed into a battlefield marked by our resolute advance.

As we breached the final door, expecting confrontation, we were met instead by an unexpected sight. The room, stark and expansive, was illuminated by a single, mesmerizing orb of light hovering in its center. Its glow was otherworldly, casting elongated shadows that danced along the walls and enveloped the room in an ethereal ambiance. The anticipated figures, the enemies we were poised to face, were conspicuously absent, replaced by this inexplicable luminescence.

"We're too late," Levitt's voice broke the silence, heavy with defeat. His words echoed slightly in the vastness of the chamber, underscoring the gravity of our missed opportunity. The light flickered gently, as if in response, its serene undulations a stark contrast to the storm of emotions brewing within us. The realization that our pursuit had been in vain settled over us like a tangible shroud, the weight of disappointment and uncertainty palpable in the air.

Driven by a mix of desperation and resolve, I didn't hesitate. I lunged into the enigmatic light before Levitt or Octavia could react. The world around me twisted and blurred in a dizzying rush, and then I was elsewhere — an undefined, surreal space. Cadogan stood there, unsuspecting, his back to me. It was a moment suspended in time, the air thick with anticipation. With no flicker of doubt, I raised my weapon and fired a shot straight into the back of his head. The sound echoed unnaturally in the strange void. As his body crumpled to the ground, I continued firing, each bullet a release of pent-up fury, until the clip was empty. The finality of the empty gun resounded in the silence that followed. I cast the gun aside, the clatter sharply punctuating the quiet. My eyes then locked with the being before me. She, an enigmatic presence, held my gaze for a timeless moment before vanishing into thin air. Suddenly, the profound isolation of the space enveloped me, leaving me alone with the weight of my actions and the eerie stillness.