The fall

Chapter 48

Blake

Darkness.

It was all I knew.

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. The weight debris crushed against my back, pinning me down like an unrelenting force. My mind was sluggish, fighting against against the haze of unconsciousness.

Then I heard it.

The rain.

A steady rhythm, pounding against the wreckage above me. Cold. Sharp. Alive.

Holy shit, I was alive.

The explosion had been brutal—I could still feel the ringing in my skull, the searing pain in my ribs. But as I shifted, I realized the cuffs were gone. They either broke in the blast or shattered in the chaos. And by summoning every ounce of strength, I reached out.

water surged at my command, slipping through the cracks of the rubble, pooling beneath me. I clenched my fist—and the weight above me shifted. The debris lifted, hoisted by thick tendrils of water, creating just enough space for me to drag myself out.

The moment I emerged, the rain hit my skin in full force. Cold. Cleansing.

I gasped, sucking in a lungful of damp air, my body aching as I staggered to my feet. Thankfully I didn't have any lethal injuries. I lifted my head and around me was the ruins of the Valortorian building stretched in every direction—collap steel, shattered glass, even dead bodies left and right.

Then I heard it.

Painful and desperate.

"Blake!"

My heart stopped.

Penelope.

I didn't think. I ran.

Slipping, sprinting, cutting through the wreckage as fast as my legs could carry me. The sound of my name had come from the far side of the collapse. I pushed forward, ignoring the pain, ignoring the exhaustion.

And then I saw them.

Penelope lay motionless on the rain-soaked ground, blood seeping from her forehead, her crimson hair spreading around her like a broken halo. And stand above her—his hand reaching down, fingers curling around her arm—was Doctor Fray.

No.

"Get your hands off her," I stepped forward.

Fray barely flinched. Hu turned to face me, his expression calm. Amused, even. "Blake," he mused, straightening as if I wasn't worth his time. "I was hoping you'd be among the survivors."

Anger surged through me so that I started shaking uncontrollably.

"She's coming with me," he continued, gripping Penelope's arm tighter. "She belongs to the Dorothea project."

I took another step forward, the rain thickening around me. "I don't think so."

He chuckled and tilted his head "You can't stop me. You're injured. We both know you don't have the strength for a fight—"

I cut him off in a single motion, I flicked my wrist—and the rain obeyed. A blade of water materialized, sharp as steel, slicing clean through the air—clean through Doctor Fray's neck. His body barely had time to react before his head separated from his shoulders.

I clenched my jaw as I stepped over to him. "Did you really think you had advantage of the situation, when we are in the middle of pouring rain?" For a brief, horrifying second, his mouth twitched, as if trying to speak. Then he collapsed, blood mixing with the rain. I vowed I'd kill him when I had the chance, so I just did.

"I thought so." I continued without wasting another second and heading over to Penelope.

I dropped to my knees beside her, my hands immediately cradling her face. "Penelope," I breathed, trying to shake her awake. "Come on, open your eyes. I'm here, as promised."

She didn't stir.

Panic clawed at my chest.

Her skin was too pale, her body limp against mine. But that wasn't made my stomach drop.

Her hair.

The deep, vibrant red I knew so well was fading—turning dull, color leeching from each strand like it was being drained from her very soul. It's the crimson moon season, so why—My eyes widen at the realization.

"No, no, no" I shake my head, pulling her closer. "Penelope, stay with me. Please."

She was slipping away.

"Stay with me." I pleaded.

I held her tighter, desperately holding onto the signs of life of her I had left, the entire situation was putting another weight on my shoulder. "Please, I can't loose you." Tears started to burn at the edges of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

"Come on, sweetheart, don't do this to me." I cradled her closer, pressing my forehead against hers. Feeling the warmth of her skin, even in the freezing rain, was the only thing keeping me grounded.

I stare at her, still no signs, and I bring her head to bury my shoulder as I feel myself start shaking. I had fought so long. For this. For her. But she was fading, and I didn't know how to stop it.

"Please, don't abandon me in this never ending nightmare.." I whispered again, my voice raw, desperate. "I'm sorry, for what my father did, for lying, for everything—so please, come back to me, wake up."