Page 18 of Oblivion
“Fine.” She huffed. “What do you need from me?”
It was obvious she wasn’t happy with this, but she also understood what was at stake. I grinned, hope brimming brightly in my chest.
“Where’s the service elevator?” I asked.
“Come with me,” she said and turned toward the direction of the elevators.
I rushed after her and the rest followed, their eyes on my back. I just hoped we would be able to get out of here before they got to us. I didn’t care about me, but these men didn’t need to lose anyone else to The Syndicate.
“There.” She pointed at the wide elevator further away from the ones we usually used. “It will take you straight to the basement.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I murmured, hugging her to me.
“Go. Go now.”
She didn’t need to tell me twice.
I ran toward the elevator first and pressed the down button. The rest joined me within seconds, and my hands trembled as the digits on the screen turned from one to six.
“Go, come on,” I said as the doors opened, ushering them inside.
But as soon as I said those words, the elevators not too far away from us opened up and I turned around and saw them—five figures in tactical uniforms, similar to the one I used to wear.
Their eyes zeroed in on us, and I knew that they knew who we were.
“Go!” I yelled out, pushing Felix inside the elevator and stepping outside.
“Ophelia?” Storm said. “No, no.” He thrashed against Atlas and Indigo. As I looked up at their faces, they finally realized what was going to happen. Storm tried getting out of his wheelchair but he was held down by Atlas and Indigo.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, looking at Storm. “I love you. I will always love you. I’m sorry for everything.”
“No!” He started pushing himself up again, trying to get out of the chair. “Ophelia!” he roared, pain and anguish lacing his voice. “Please!”
“Take him down,” I choked out. “Go, please.”
“Ophelia, don’t do this!” he bellowed as the doors started closing. “Ophelia!” His anguished roar echoed around me as the doors closed, and I could finally breathe, seeing the numbers going down toward the basement. I thought I knew what pain was, what it felt like, but this time, something cracked inside my chest.
Something vicious released from the anguish rushing through my veins.
I turned slowly, looking at the five figures who came closer to me, as if they were waiting for something.
“You know who I am?” I asked them, smiling through the pain of leaving Storm again.
They all nodded in unison, bracing themselves for an attack.
“Then you know you never should’ve come here. You never should’ve tried to attack what’s mine.”
I took out my knife, hidden in my right boot, and I ran toward them.
5
OPHELIA
There weremoments in my life where I wished I was born somewhere else, where I was someone else. But this last month made me realize that I liked who I was, no matter what. No matter the struggles, the breakdowns, the horrors I’d committed, I liked who I was because all that I went through prepared me for this moment.
To protect those I loved.
My heart hammered in my chest as I ran toward the group of them. I knew what people thought of me—that I was reckless, that I never planned, that I killed whoever and whenever I wanted, but none of those statements were true.
