My Darkest Shadow

Chapter 37

One of the men stepped up and began talking to Kael and pointing at me. From across the drop-off, his low monotone didn't travel well. "We've been... and there's absolutely no way... another thought... but then she..." The whole time he was gesturing at me and shaking his head.

Though discouraging, I couldn't help my assumptions. Every word and action indicated that they didn't have a way over without the catwalk.

I couldn't be still. As hard as I tried, staying pressed against the roller door a second longer felt impossible. Every muscle shook as the pain became unbearable. Spasms shot up my calf. My cry couldn't be stifled now. Once the muscle tightened, I lost control. My foot slipped, weak from fatigue.

Most of my weight fell onto the cable. It offered no support and let me fall forward a little. Both my hands fell back to hit the door but they were too numb to serve a purpose. Twisting, I tried and failed to hold onto something. My feet slid at the ledge as I struggled to regain balance.

Somehow I didn't fall. Blindly, my numb hands clamoured against the roller door. For the moment, I stabilized, but the solution was temporary. I felt gravity pulling on me. It wouldn't be long before I followed Madeline.

Kael had moved further away from the drop. When he turned to face me, his eyes oscillated between me and the ground before him. He was thinking of a solution or trying to gauge the distance. Despite anything he might try, it was doubtful that he would reach me in time.

Suddenly revelation dawned. I realised his intentions a second before he broke into a full run.

My mind screamed at him to stop but my lips only dropped open, silent. The divide was too wide. He wouldn't make the jump. No one could. He reached the edge and lept into the great expanse that extended over the levels beneath us.

That sickening thud - I couldn't hear it again. Wincing, I waited for it, unable to watch or breathe. Instead of the sound of him hitting the ground below, I felt Kael's full weight slam into me.

Panting, he gripped the roller door on either side of my face. His wide eyes mirrored my fears. It was a miracle he'd gotten to the other side, and he knew it.

Shaking, my head fell onto the door. He shifted his body beside rather than over me, keeping one arm across my back. After what felt like an eternity of hanging off a ledge, I felt a modicum of security. Maybe I wasn't going to fall.

"Are you ok?" Kael glanced down, still finding his own footing on the narrow precipice.

Keeping my head against the door, I nodded without thinking. Then amended, "I can't feel my hands."

Kael swore under his breath. He must have looked up. My hands were probably purple and covered in dried blood, but I didn't risk checking. My stomach felt weak enough without the gruesome sight.

He swung a leg around to the other side of me, pinning me again against the roller door. It was hard to breathe but I waited, desperate for my hands to be free. Faintly I felt him touch my limbs, but the tourniquet of the cuffs had been in place too long.

As soon as I saw the cuffs falling to the ground floor, I brought my aching arms down. The left hand I tucked into the front of my blouse. Splinters that had been sealed in place by dried blood would be dealt with later.

Circulation rushed to my arms and hands. It almost hurt more than my other injuries. The prickling pain was unbearable. Crying out, I started to double over but Kael was there, bracing us against the door and keeping me from falling.

He was shouting something to his men. I couldn't process his words, only endured the pain with my head burrowed into the roller door. The needles climbed into the tips of my fingers, twisting their ends torturously. It had to end soon. Somehow we both stayed until the wave of agony subsided. Leaving the left one tucked, I looked at my right hand. It was a dusky shade of pink as I'd suspected. The wounds from the cuffs had left it covered in blood.