Crossfire - a sizzling slow burn with supernatural powers

Alive

"Perez, you can take her back," Galvan said.

I was immediately alert. Was he letting me go home? I held my breath.

Galvan must have heard my sudden, hopeful intake of air. He looked at me and laughed,

"To the dormitory."

Perez came over to me and pulled me up with a tight grip on my arm. I winced as he gripped me the same place as yesterday. Thankfully, he let go and sent me up the stairs in front of him. As the door at the top appeared to me step by step, I thought of making a dash for it. Bust the door open and run with all that I had in me. I took a deep breath and felt the raspiness in my throat. It was sore after almost being strangulated. Running wasn't in my immediate future.

I waited at the top of the stairs for Perez to push the door open. He lead me down the shady path to the dormitory, I came from. There were people out and about. I looked around. It was mostly men, who gave off the same vibe as Perez with his bulkiness and visible tattoos, but I saw a young mother with one child in a stroller and another at her side with a colorful toy gun. A group of kids were playing soccer on the grass, shouting and laughing. If I didn't know any better, this could be an ordinary residential neighborhood.

Perez stopped me with a touch to my arm and nodded towards the dormitory entrance. Was I mistaking, or was Perez the kindest of the kidnappers? It was Perez who had attacked Titan Fitness with his smoke and his appearance was certainly intimidating, but other than leading me from one place to another, he hadn't hurt me, if I discounted the bruise in my upper arm. And he was the one, I jumped and knocked to the ground.

In the common room, Maria jumped from her seat on the couch and came over to me.

"Harper, are you okay? I was worried. I mean," she met Perez' sour expression and addressed him, "I know she isn't here on a cordial visit, but still you could play nice." She took in my appearance with empathetic eyes.

"I'll live, but hopefully that was the last time I have to prove that I don't have blow smoke." I glanced at Perez, but I couldn't read his face. Perez left us and joined another guy, who was watching a soccer game on the television.

Maria took my hands in hers.

"What do you need?"

I sighed in relief. Maria was the closest thing to a friend in here. I wish I could say to go home and have Brandt's arm around me.

"A hot shower," I answered.

"That you can have. You're in bunk no. 7 and there are towels in bathroom. The door can be locked." Her cheery voice made her sound like an enthusiastic innkeeper. I caught Perez' eye, and went down the hallway to no. 7. He was definitely keeping an eye on me.

I locked to the door to the bathroom and scanned the space. It was small and functional without a window. There was a ventilation unit in the ceiling near the shower. There was no way to escape from here, but I felt safer here behind a locked door. I eyed the shower and took off the work out clothes that I had worn for two days and three confrontations. The hot water was amazing.

The shower left me feeling a little refreshed, even if my body was exhausted. I spotted myself in the large mirror above the sink and almost didn't recognize myself. A bruise was forming around my neck already blue and black. The snake of smoke had left a bruise across my ribs all the way around my back. My upper arms were bruised and held impressions of fingertips. The bruise on my shoulder from the party was almost completely gone. And across my chest was the Lichtenberg figure. I ran my fingers over it, felling the elevated scar tissue. It didn't hurt. My fingers followed the branches of lightning . It was kind of beautiful, just like Brandt has said. When I touched the figure, the sensation carried deep inside of me. I noticed that my shoulders and arms were more defined. As was my waist and stomach. I could see the strength I had worked to achieve all these months. I wasn't the same girl that first saw Brandt in the woods. I was stronger and more, I thought for a few seconds to find the appropriate word, alive. I was more alive than I had ever been. I studied my face and witnessed resolve there. I would find a way out.

I dressed in my dirty clothes and unlocked the bathroom door. On the bed was a set of new clothes, Maria's I suspected, and on the nightstand a steaming cup of tea. It was without a doubt Maria's doing. Sweatshirt, yoga pants, and underwear. I changed in the bathroom, grateful for the clean clothes. Back in the bunk room, I checked the window. It was solid, only top panel opened and it was nothing more than a window width letter slot. There was no escaping that way. I sipped the tea. Perhaps there were other options.

When I left the no. 7, I strolled down the hall away from the common room, sipping the tea from the mug. Nothing happening here. A dormitory probably had a back door. Most rooms appeared to be bunk rooms, some like no. 7, others more like a small apartment, if the distance between the doors was anything to go by. A few doors were open and I glanced in, seeing the same kind of window as in no. 7.

At the end of the hall was a locked storage closet and on one side a laundry room. I could hear children's laughter from the outside. I hurried in and found a window that opened like a door. Escape was near, but closer to the window I saw the decorative and solid window bars.

Across the hall was a mud room and my heart was in my throat, when I saw the door, leading to the outside. I twisted the lock and tried to open it, but the door didn't budge. I only rattled the chain, which held the padlock at the top. My heart sank.

If every bunk window only had a letter slot window, and the back window and door were barred, then the only way in or out was the front door. Every curse word I knew was on my lips and I silenced myself by sipping the tea. How in the world was I going to escape?