The Awakened | ✅

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Hey!" I yelled out, drawing the guard's attention just as they were about to drag Hailey into the building. They turned towards me in sync, a creepy on at that. "Let her go!" I demanded boldly.

"It's the Lewis girl." One of them stated.

"Should we take her dead or alive?"

"Alive. I'm sure Dorian would find her more useful that way."

'Of course they were working for Dorian Grey.' I thought.

I summoned a shield and held my ground as they shot at me. I cried out in pain, my shield faltering as a bullet grazed my arm. I collapsed to the ground wincing. "They made the pain that these things caused so much more minor in movies." I muttered.

The men began to close in around me. It was five of them left, I counted. And they'd left Hailey unattended, slumped against the wall.

I couldn't take all of them at once, mainly because of the fact that my powers were rapidly decaying due to how much I was using them. There was only one way that I thought of.

A way that I was able to do at least.

I flexed my fingers as I heard a gun behind me cock, ready to shoot if necessary, but it was too late.

Suddenly, tendrils of darkness rose up from the men's shadows and shot up their noses. The gagged and choked as black veins snaked up their faces. Flashes of the man from the alley came back to me as I rushed over to Hailey. I saw him gagging, I saw the fear in his eyes as he realized he was going to die, I saw him take his last breath and the twinkle of life drain from his eyes.

I quickly shook the thoughts from my mind. That wasn't important right now. Right now, Hailey and I had to get out of here.

"Hailey," I called as I shook her. "Hailey, come on. Wake up." I tried to shake her awake, but she was out cold. Whatever those men used on her, it sure as hell was effective.

I sighed as I realized that the only way we were going to get out of this situation was if I carried her, and with my arm, that was going to be VERY difficult.

I took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing.' I thought.

I heaved Hailey up and over my shoulder, wincing at the pain that it caused my arm. For a petite girl, she sure was a bit on the heavy side. Maybe it was all that training that she did. She did have a more athletic body than me.

Hailey groaned a bit, but refused to wake up.

I sighed as I adjusted her weight to make it a bit easier to carry her.

I tried my best to avert my gaze from the corpses of those five men. One would think that I would be used to death by now, but I still hated dead bodies. I caught sight of one man who had thick black goo oozing from his mouth and I tried my best to hold back a gag.

'It was either them or you.' I told myself. 'I had to do it.'

But did I really?

I shook the feeling from my head and continued my trek to the car. My arm throbbed as I practically stumbled towards the fence.

The fence. Damn it.

I didn't consider how I was going to get her over it. I couldn't just toss her over like some bag. That wasn't right. But at this rate, I wouldn't be able to carry her over it either.

My heart practically leapt in my chest as I limped the corner and saw Rob, Jesse, Kelly, and Keith were at the fence waiting.

Well, more like squirming

"Guys!" I called out.

They all turned toward me and all started yelling at me to hurry. As quickly as I could, I staggered to the fence.

Jesse extended an arm and a thick vine wrapped itself around Hailey and took her from my arms. Keith climbed to the top of the fence and extended his arms for me to take so that he could help me over too.

Kelly helped me run to the car and Rob carried an unconscious Hailey along too. We piled into the car and I saw Grace grin at me from the front seat. I reached out my hand for her to take and she gripped it softly.

It was fine.

We were fine.

And suddenly, I felt a little bit more whole.