The Butterfly Effect (2020)

fifty seven

TW: mild sexual content

Lloyd pulled me through the halls of the hospital, glaring through his mask.

People stopped and stared as the green ninja passed, walking so fast that it had me stumbling to keep up. I was silent, letting him drag me away from the room that held the still-smug Axon, digesting the situation.
He had people watching us.
There was a mole, somewhere. A person that he believes we'd never suspect.
What's stopping them from spilling the green ninja's secret identity?
What's stopping them from just killing me and getting it over with?
This was weird. This was frightening. My heart was setting a frantic pace, just another thing I had trouble keeping up with.
Lloyd's grip was bruisingly tight as he rushed me out the hospital entrance, mumbling sweetly fake excuses and apologies to the people who dared to approach him for a selfie.
I kept my head down, hair hiding my face as we pushed through the public of the reception area. My own mask that I came in with was back with the others and I didn't have a chance to grab it. I just hoped that we were going too fast for somebody to snap a photo, even though I truly knew that that type of hope was naive - especially considering the public's fascination with the green ninja.

Lloyd shoved us out of the hospital entrance and pulled me through the car park, setting a rapid, storming pace that I had to do an awkward half-jog to keep up with. I kept glancing at the side of what little was exposed of his face. I knew him well enough to know that his fangs were exposed and gritted from behind his mask.
"Wh- where are we going?" I stammered quietly as he summoned Bentley, who regarded the surrounding cars with the same biting glare that Lloyd did. No purring dragon today.
"Getting you out of here," Lloyd murmured darkly, swiftly clambering onto the saddle and hoisting me up before I was ready. Just as I landed in front of him, Bentley took off, his powerful wings scooping the air. I was thrown back into Lloyd's chest by the unusual force of it.
This was supposed to be happening so fast, yet the world felt like it was going so slow. I should barely be able to keep up with what's happening, but instead I've been replaying the situation in my head again and again until I was sure that I'd be able to recite it in my sleep.
I wished it was going too fast for me to comprehend. I wished that I couldn't understand what was going on.
Because Axon's game wasn't over. It had barely even begun, and the anxiety of the whole situation had me feeling like I was going to throw up.

As soon as Bentley's claws touched the grass of my backyard, he disappeared with a burst. Lloyd grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the house, red eyes scanning the surroundings for unfavourable visitors as he hurried me along. He impatiently shoved open the back door and lead me to my own room before throwing open the closet and grabbing my clothes.
I was tossed back into reality just as Lloyd tossed them on the floor.
"Wh- what are you doing?"
"Grab some bags and start packing," Lloyd growled, ripping off his mask. "We're getting you out of the city."
I blanched, staring at him with a stunned expression as he threw more of my clothes onto the floor haphazardly.
"W- wait, Lloyd," I began with a nervous laugh, rubbing my arm. "We sh- we should talk about this before making any rash decisions-"
"Y/n, that man is dangerous in a way I have never experienced before!" Lloyd snapped, pulling himself to his full height as he paused in his task to send me a glower. My lips parted, head reeling. "He has the resources and the plans. He's been eyeing my destruction for centuries and you are my Achilles heel. I have to get you somewhere safe before he strikes."
"He's in custody!" I tried.
"Not his people!" Lloyd pointed out in a shout, turning fully towards me. "We have no idea how many he has on his side! We have no idea how many are watching us!"
"I'm safer in the city than I will be in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere, especially if they're watching us!" I argued. "At least I'm surrounded by people-"
"No-! No, you're coming with me to the monastery," he burst, flicking one of his fangs with his thumbnail, seemingly a nervous tick as his red eyed drifted back to the gutted closet. "The monks can keep you safe even if I'm not there."