Page 93 of Awakening the Beast
There’s no time to explain. I pull her toward my bedroom, our footsteps echoing against the marble floor as I keep glancing over my shoulder again, panic tightening in my chest. We reach my room, and with trembling hands, I punch in the code for the arms room. Every second feels like a ticking clock.
“What’s going on?” Lil whispers, laced with fear. The door clicks open, and I hand over Lumi, my hands trembling as Lil stares at me in panic.
I lean in, pressing a kiss to Lumi’s head, holding onto that moment of affection before I look at Lil, eyes brimming. I usher her inside the safe room, my heart breaking at what I have to say next.
“Don’t come out, no matter what,” I beg, my tone cracking, my vision blurring with unshed tears. “Not until you hear a familiar voice.”
“What?” she gasps, clutching Lumi tighter, but I don’t have time and shove her inside.
“Wren, what about you?” she asks desperately as I start to close the door shut.
“I need to call someone.” I choke out, locking it with a final click. Tears spill down my cheeks as I press my forehead against the cold metal, my body trembling with adrenaline and dread.
But like a switch being flipped, the fear inside me morphs into something dark. Survival kicks in, taking over my body as I spin around, dashing toward my bedside cabinet. My fingers move fast, yanking it open, snatching my gun inside and screwing on a silencer. I angrily wipe my tears away. There’s no time for fear now—only war.Fucking bastards.
I pick up my phone again, my thumb shaking as I swipe back to where I left off. This time, I don’t attempt to text her. I hit the call button and press the phone to my ear, my breath ragged. Just two rings later, I hear her voice.
“Wren?” she asks, but her voice is warped, fuzzy, almost robotic beneath the layers of static.
“Mum, I need you,” I whisper loudly, edged with panic.
She says something, but it’s garbled, impossible to make out. My insides clench as everything dawns on me—they're hacking the signal. Fury floods through me like a fucking wildfire, burning away the last of my hesitation.
Another bang reverberates through the house, louder this time, coming from somewhere deep inside. My eyesflash to the open door. I hang up the phone and throw it on the bed. There's no point trying to reach anyone now. It's just them and me. And I have far too much to lose to fuck around. I'm not dying tonight.
With steady hands, I creep toward the door, gun aimed forward, every sense on high alert. Whoever is in my house, they’ve made a big fucking mistake. My fear is gone—replaced by cold, focused rage. I’m more than ready to defend myself and my family.
I step into the hallway, each movement calculated, the floor cold beneath my feet. My breath is shallow, every nerve on edge as I inch closer to the stairs, the noises below growing clearer—footsteps, clattering, maybe from the kitchen. I silently descend, one step at a time, scanning every corner, every shadow. I have no idea how many intruders there are, but I know they're in here with me.
When I reach the bottom step, the noise suddenly cuts off and silence presses in. I freeze, heart pounding in my chest, wondering if they’ve sensed me, if they’re waiting for me to make the first move. For a moment, everything is still.
I decide to push forward, knowing staying frozen won’t save us. I move toward the kitchen, each step careful. As I enter, I spot a figure hunched over by an open drawer, rifling through it—searching for something. My pulse spikes, but I don't hesitate.
I pull the trigger twice.
The quiet shots pop through the silence, hitting the intruder squarely. He lets out a groan, crumpling to the floor in a heap. Ilower the gun slightly, but before I can catch my breath, I hear movement behind me, and I spin around. A shadow flickers in the corner of my vision, darting past the doorway.
Instinct takes over and I move forward into the foyer, ready to fire again, but I’m too slow. Metal swings through the air, cracking against my face with brutal force. My vision blurs as I spin from the impact, the world tilting before I slam into the cold floor frontally, pain radiating through my skull.
Groaning, I roll onto my stomach, the pain in my faceintense but bearable. The sound of approaching footsteps grows louder behind me, each step echoing ominously through the darkened house. I force myself to focus, but shaking my head, then I spot my gun lying a few feet away.
With a surge of strength and sheer willpower, I scramble toward it, my movements desperate and clumsy. Just as a rough hand clamps down on my ankle, I snatch my gun, twisting around onto my back at speed. As soon as my aim is on point, I fire two shots. My bullets enter inside the masked man's head, and he collapses to the ground with a heavy thud.
I barely have a moment to catch my breath, my face throbbing and blood pooling in my mouth. I sit up straight away, trying to steady myself, my senses fighting to detect other threats. As I crouch, I peer around the large foyer, scanning every doorway and shadowed area. While preparing to stand upright, another person rushes toward me, gun raised and ready.
I don't hesitate, I fire again. He drops like a lifeless bundle of shit. My heart races as I scan the room again, blood pumping violently through my veins. Who the fuck sent these patheticsoldiers, I ask myself. They’re definitely not from the Elite, I would be dead by now. But then again, they must have disarmed our men to get in here.
To my right, another movement catches my eye—a fourth attacker charging at me. I don’t think, don’t pause. I pull the trigger once more, and he, too, falls, his body hitting the ground with a muted thud.
The room falls into an eerie silence, broken only by my ragged breathing and the occasional creak of the house settling. I stay low, my gun still aimed fiercely on the shadows, my body tensed and ready for any sign of further danger.
After a while of not hearing or seeing anything, I gradually stand upright, then make my way into the dimly lit dining room, the darkness room in the house. My heart slams against my ribs as I cross the threshold, but before I can fully enter, a hammer fist slams into my stomach, sending me off the ground before I crash back down onto the marble floor. The impact knocks all the air out of me, leaving me gasping for breath, my stomach in excruciating pain.
My vision blurs as I struggle to regain my breath, I can barely move. A towering figure emerges from the darkness, his size and strength is like nothing I have ever seen before. Out of desperation, I try to wriggle across the cold floor, reaching upward for my gun with shaking fingers, not knowing where it is, but just as the tips scrape across the metal, he lunges at me, his weight descending upon me like a nightmare.
He grabs my throat with both his massive hands, his hold so strong that my eyesight dims at the edges. My eyeballs bulge asI claw desperately at his gloved hands, my fingernails scratching against the tough material. The black mask covering his face reveals nothing, just cold, unfeeling eyes staring back at me. I can feel myself slipping, my consciousness giving way as the pressure in my throat and head intensifies.
In a final, frantic attempt, I try to reach for my gun again, but the metal barely grazes my fingertips, taunting me, my life hanging by a thread. The world begins to darken, and just as I’m about to lose consciousness, another shadow emerges through my blurred eyesight, a gun is raised, standing behind the monster sitting on top of me. Before I can fully process it, I finally snatch my pistol. Like a lifeline, fire burns inside me again and I aim it at his face. Then, without delay, me, and the mysterious stranger behind him both fire. Bullets tear through the giant’s head, his eyes widening in shock before he collapses, blood splattering across me.
