Running Red: Lost Moon

Chapter 47: Endure

Levi sucked in a deep breath as his eyes opened. He really hated when Paxton did that. Secondhand pain be damned, Paxton was getting a swift kick. His body felt heavy as he slowly tried to steady his breathing. He could hear muffled talking as more of his body started to regain feeling. The bruising and aching slowly making themselves known. Levi wiggled his fingers before tapping on the ground. He could make out a glow around him. His chest and legs felt like they were being held down against the ground in a vice grip.

It took Levi a couple of tries to get his head to move fully. He tipped it back to find an empty chair near him. Twisting his head to the side, he could see a woman with long hair and Kacey talking. When Kacey started to turn towards him, he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. The sound of footsteps came closer, only to pause next to him. It was slow, but he could feel the pressure slowly lifting from his chest. When Kacey finally moved over to the empty chair. Levi wanted to scream. That meant someone was watching him. He listened to the woman move around the room before she called out. "I need to go get some supplies for my mentor."

Kacey called out, "Take your time. The kid isn't going anywhere."

Levi wanted to roll his eyes.

Once the witch was gone, he slowly took in a breath. Levi started to wiggle his fingers and hands. Kacey wasn't moving, so he tried moving his arms. Once his chest didn't feel like he had a weight sitting on it, he rolled slowly onto his stomach. Levi looked around him at the large seal slowly fading away. Well, that will be noticeable in a second. He looked up and made eye contact with Kacey. Levi froze in his spot as the two of them stared at each other. Kacey raised his eyebrow while Levi slowly slid his hands under him, getting ready to rise to his feet.

Kacey hummed, then looked away as he yawned and stretched his arms up above his head. Once his eyes were closed, he muttered. "Be a damn shame if someone snuck away 'cause I accidentally fell asleep. Not like he was going to be moving. Well, he shouldn't have been able to move."

Levi quickly shoved himself onto his feet. "Careful of roaming wolves." Then Levi was quickly leaving the large room, leaving Kacey behind. He slowly crept down the tunnels trying to keep calm as he moved. He needed to find Tad and get out.

Whenever he came across someone, he would duck into an open room and wait for them to walk past as he fought to keep his heartbeat calm. Tad had to be somewhere around here. He ducked around a corner only to make a sound of surprise when the chain attached to his wrist caught on a loose nail. Levi quickly tugged it free as he looked around. Wrapping the chain around his wrist and arm, Levi slipped down another tunnel. He stopped at closed doors to press his ear against the wood in hopes of hearing Tad.

The sound of a door opening had him pausing, and he pressed himself into an alcove as he watched Wyatt leave through the open door. Wyatt paused to look down the tunnel in Levi's direction. He quickly ducked around the corner, waiting for Wyatt to walk away. Peaking around the corner, he watched as Wyatt took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. "Just a little longer."

Frowning, Levi watched as he walked away, a hand rubbing at his head as his shoulders slumped. "A little longer for what?" Once Wyatt was around the corner at the other end of the tunnel, Levi rushed down the hall to the door Wyatt came out of. He tried the handle to find it locked. With a frown, Levi looked up and down the tunnel. He gripped the door handle and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. "Okay, you can do this."

Levi slammed his shoulder into the door, and it shuddered. There was a startled sound from the other side. He took a few steps back and then rammed into the door. When it didn't budge, he gave a snarl and kicked at the door next to the handle. Once. Twice. And with a third kick, the wood splintered, and the door swung open.