The fall

Chapter 47

Penelope

The glass was cold beneath my palms. My breath fogged against the surface as I slammed my fists against it again and again, the dull, echoing thud was the only sound in the sterile, white-washed lab. Every inch of it was bringing back memories I was so afraid to remember.

My throat was raw from yelling, but I didn't stop. I just kept repeating what I had done the first time I was here.

"Let me out!" I screamed, slamming my fists harder. "Please, someone! Let me out!"

The lab was quiet, eerily so. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered slightly, casting sharp shadows on the pristine floors. The room beyond the glass was empty—no scientists, no guards, nothing. It had been hours. Maybe longer.

My heart pounded in my chest, my skin crawling with unease. I didn't know where Dr. Fray was, where everyone was. But something was happening. I could feel it.

I pressed my forehead against the glass, my hands trembling. I know Gabriella and Blake were coming for me, but something felt off. The collar around my neck felt heavier than ever, its cold metal biting into my skin. My evol was useless here. I was useless here.

A sharp, distant sound made me lift my head. A rumble. A vibration beneath my feet.

And then—

The entire lab shuddered violently.

I staggered back, barely catching myself before my knees hit the floor. The walls groaned, the glass infront of me trembling. The lights flickered again—this time, longer.

Another explosion. Closer. The floor buckled beneath me, the ceiling cracking.

Panic shot through me.

What was happening?

I spun back toward the glass, hammering my fists against it as I notice it starting to break. I fell through, glass now digging into my skin. I reach and remove a large piece stabbed into my thigh.

The ground lurched. A deafening screech of metal filled the air. My ears rang, my vision blurring from the sudden force.

Following soon after the ceiling above me split open.

I barely had time to throw my arms over my head before the entire lab collapsed around me completely.

...

A sharp, stinging pain dragged me back to consciousness.

I gasped, my lungs burning as I sucked in the thick, dust-filled air. My body ached—sharp, hot pain radiating from my leg, my arms, my head. The weight of debris pressed against my back, pinning me in place.

For a moment, I just lay there, dazed, trying to process what happened. The lab—explosions—falling, crashing—

Then I felt it.

Or rather, I didn't feel it.

The collar.

The oppressive weight around my neck was gone. My evol—my power—wasn't being suppressed anymore.

With a shaking hand, I reached up, my fingers brushing over the broken remains of the device. A jagged piece of it still clung to my skin, the metal snapped in half, wires frayed. It must have been damaged in the collapse.

I wasted no time.

Gritting my teeth, I yanked it off and tossed it aside, ignoring the sting of raw skin underneath. Energy pulsed through me instantly, my evol stirring to life after being caged for so long.

I wasn't trapped anymore.

Forcing my body to move, I started crawling forward, dragging myself through the cracks of the collapsed building. My hands scraped against shattered concrete and twisted metal, but I didn't stop. The space was tight, suffocating, but I kept going—pushing, shoving, squeezing through until, finally—

Fresh air.

I tumbled out of the wreckage, landing on my hands and knees. My breath came in ragged gasps as I lifted my head.

Rain.

A torrential downpour slammed against the ruins, the wind howling around me. The sky was dark, storming, the heavy clouds blending with the smoke rising from the destroyed lab. Fires flickered in the distance at the main building, struggling against the rain.

I braced myself, forcing legs underneath me. Pain shot up my thigh, and I let out a sharp hiss. Looking down, I saw a deep, nasty wound from the glass shard. Blood started to soaking through my torn tights.

I clenched my jaw and pressed a hand over it, applying pressure before staggering upright.

Summoning my sword was finally a natural instinct.

The moment my fingers curled, the weapon materialized in my grasp, the familiar weight steadying me. I turned, scanning the destroyed premises, my heart hammering.

"Blake!" I called, my voice barely carrying over the storm. "Gabriella!"

Nothing. Just the wind and the rain.

"Anyone?!" My voice cracked, desperation creeping in.

Where were they? Were they alive? Had they made it out?

I stumbled forward, limping slightly, determined to keep searching—

Then a sudden, blinding pain exploded in my skull and the world started tilting violently. My vision blurred as my knees buckled, my sword slipping and disappearing from my fingers.

I hit the ground hard.

Warm blood trickled down my forehead, mixing with the rain. My head swarm, a sharp ringing filling my ears.

Footsteps. Slow. Deliberate.

Then a voice.

Low. Mocking. Familiar.

"I warned you, Penelope," Doctor Fray murmured, kneeling beside me. "If you tried to escape, I'd have to kill you and everyone you hold dear."

I tried to move, to summon my sword again, to fight—but my body refused to listen.

Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision.

No.

I had just gotten free. I couldn't—

Everything faded.