Burning Souls (F.T Sequel)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Hunter's POV

"What do you mean, you 'lost the signal'?" I yell, slamming my hands down flat on the wooden table. A splinter snakes its way through the middle and it separates into two halves, falling to the floor in a violent clatter of dust and debris. It now lies in the middle of everything else that I've been breaking in this run-down, abandoned school. Dominic leans against the door and regards me carefully, a frown etching his features in permanent gloom. 

"I mean, I lost the signal," he repeats, and my vision goes lava red. I let out an enraged snarl again and pick up a chair, throwing it into the blackboard furiously. The sound echoes through the building. Dominic lets out a sigh and steps into the classroom where I've spilled out all of my anger and darkness to escape my turmoil of thoughts that are raging inside of my head. Thoughts bring back an image of my beautiful Emma, a peacefully, smiling face at the front of my mind. "The tracking device lost connection, which means that they're most likely underground."

"Well, isn't that lovely!" I grit out, my hands turning into fists at my side, "It's going to be so much easier finding her again when we've got no idea where the hell to start!" 

Dominic shrugs, and I'm this close to punching that careless face of his. "If the plan fails, we'll know where she is when Gabriel sets his plan into motion anyway." 

"But she won't be herself. She'll be a monster," I press. 

"Just like you," he has the nerve to say. "A match made in heaven." I move towards him but stop when he holds up a hand. I can't forget his strength that surpasses mine greatly. I can't help Emma if I'm dead. So I take in a deep breath and let the unnecessary air calm me down, just like I've seen Emma do so many times before. Always thinking about her is stabbing my un-beating heart over and over again, and I'm so, so close to slipping into darkness and letting it take me over. I raise my head again to look at Dominic, narrowing my eyes and tilting my head to the side. 

"You never told me how you and Gabriel know each other. Tell me Dominic, what's really in this for you?" 

Dominic's mouth sets into a grim line and he prepares to turn away. "You'll find out when the time is right. No need to spoil the surprise." And then he leaves, allowing me to destruct the rest of the pitiful classroom and turning it into nothing more but dust, wood and rock. 

Hunter. 

I spin around and let my eyes scan the broken room. I'm alone. 

Hunter. 

There it goes again. That beautiful voice singing my name like a siren's call. Emma? I march around, throwing furniture blindly off of the floor and crashing it into the walls, creating spiderweb splinters up the crackling plaster. I'm alone. I'm so, so alone. So how? I stand still and close my eyes, feeling a surge of current suddenly fire through the scar baring my face. "Emma?" I whisper to the emptiness around me, feeling myself being pulled further and further into the dark depths of my mind. 

...°...

Emma's POV

My eyes fly open and my mouth opens in a gasp. What the hell just happened? Even though my body feels like it's being consumed by fire and my muscles are tense and stiff, I push myself up onto my elbows, groaning when I try to bend my legs that are bent in an awkward angle in front of me. When a shadow passes over me in head-churching speed I let out a scream. A cold hand clamps down over my mouth, choking back my voice, and I feel a powerful presence crouched beside me. With wide eyes I turn my head and my whole body tenses up in shock. Satisfied that I won't scream, he drops his hand and proceeds to whisk a strand of loose hair behind my ear affectionately. When he rests his elegant hand on my cheek, I instinctively lean into his familiar touch. "How?" I whisper, staring back up into Hunter's dark eyes. He shakes his head, at loss for words. "Are you real?" I try again, bringing up a hand to touch his skin. He closes his eyes as if he were in pain when my fingers brush feather-like strokes over his cheek.