Chapter 48

Ariadne watches as the two Alphas circle each other. Tremors run through Victor's body.

His eyes are glowing coals. His claws are razor blades.

As if to set the ambiance, Arthur's GT catches fire in the background. The explosion is so powerful that the car leaps off the ground in a blue ring of destruction before crashing down in a thunderous boom.

From the ashes, plumes of thick gray smoke and burning debris.

The Alphas remain unaffected. Both Victor and Arthur continue circling one another with pinpoint focus.

All the while, Victor is profusely bleeding from a bullet graze on the top of his head. It looks terrible, a tar-black line coated in red, bits of hair, and skin torn right off.

But as bad as Victor is, Arthur is even worse. His left arm is dislocated, hanging uselessly at his side. He has scratches everywhere. One along his eyes is so deep that he can't even open it.

Ariadne sees everything in slow motion; all the molecules i