"We're lost," Kat managed to squeak, but at the same time, Calix declared, "You are in no position to set such terms."
Another guy loomed into view in front of them, bald and tall, dressed in all black like a club bouncer. "Who are you and who sent you?"
Deeply pressured, Kat was about to launch
The girl's face was contorted with contempt, her thick eyebrows drawn downwards and her lips pulled back in a snarl. However, in a striking contrast, her dark eyes were blank, like inside she was beyond emotion.Numb rage. It was all numb rage. And that was more horrible than any show of anger Kat had ever seen.
It was then that Kat knew she was a goner. She didn't communicate with her lucky stars anymore; they'd let her down just moments ago. She just stood there, frozen, waiting for the bullet to turn her into Rita.But it didn't come.The bullet, instead of speeding through her, plopped onto the floor, now a small puddle of melted metal.She didn't know who among her and the men was more surprised. For a moment they stared in united bafflement, glancing at each other, like, What the fuck just happened?And while they marinated in confusion, Calix took his chance and
Calix’s first instinct was to close his eyes, but he didn’t do it. He couldn’t. Even as Kat coaxed him to stand, he was still staring at her.And she was . . . naked.First off, seeing a woman in this state was nothing new to him. Down in Hell, clothing for the human souls weren’t even a thing. He should be unfazed right now. Unbothered. Yet here he was, breathless and rendered motionless, with his skin warm and his stomach fluttering with a strange sensation that almost felt like longing.
"Okay." Kat stepped aside. "Explain."Calix raised a finger for emphasis, preparing for a litigation-type argument, but the only statement that came out of his mouth was, "I did not do it.""That's it?" she said after a pause. "That's your explanation?""Yes, because that is all you need to know," he reasoned. When she continued to look unimpressed, he sighed. "Kat, I do not touch your possessions. I will never do that without your permission—"
Possibly dead, Kat corrected herself as sweat trickled down the back of her neck. He couldn't be dead. There was no way she could've done. . . .What, exactly?She hadn't done anything. She'd been lying still, waiting for that sharp wooden plank to end her. There'd been no contact between her and Calix. He'd just bounced off like he hit a force field. It was like the Range Rover incident again, that sudden gust of wind, only this time, it was on reverse.
For some miraculous reason, Kat was alive, and she was regaining consciousness with each passing second.Something thick and warm was trickling down her forehead. A piece of cloth was grating against the sides of her parted lips. Her eyelids felt like they had dumbbells attached to them, but they were open.Still, it didn't change the fact that she was groggy, dizzy.The dark blue sky above her kept getting blurred with the outline of the treetops. The air was thick, pressing against her aching head. It didn't help that she was being dragged by her hair, by the strong cold hand that was forcing her locks to support her weight.It was Navea's hand, steering Kat into the darkest parts of the already secluded neighborhood.A small stone-and-wood cabin appeared in Kat's muted view, dilapidated and weather-beaten. Its windows were pitch black, the weeds surrounding it wild and overgrown. There was a rectangular concrete slab close by, about two feet high and six feet long, with seams on the
Shock filled up Kat's chest. More tears leaked from her eyes, her throat going tight with the sobs she couldn't let out.She didn't wipe her cheeks, though. She couldn't. The spiral of disbelief within her didn't allow her to do much else. She just watched, speechless and hurting, as Calix touched the gash on his cheek and had his fingers come away with an unmistakable trace of red.All kinds of dark emotions flashed in his face. The transitions were subtle, but Kat felt them moving with her like sceneries changing in a train window. From paralyzing incredulity that slackened his features to painful realization that made his eyes glisten. Then came defeat. Resignation.He fell to his knees, his breathing shallow and labored, his damaged fists digging into the dry grass. At that moment, Calix seemed more like a ticking bomb than ever. Even with all the intensity emanating from him, Kat could tell that he was shutting himself in, closing himself from anyone and anything. He was trying w
Kat woke with a gasp, clutching her chest where her heart pounded like crazy. In an automatic reaction to the fright that surged in her, she turned to her side to find Calix, only to see that the space beside her was empty."Calix!" she called out in panic before she could fully get up. "Calix?""Here."Groggily, Kat got to her feet and saw him standing by the window. Relief washed over her like sunshine. "Thank God. I thought you left or . . . something.""I was waiting for you to wake so we can leave." The corners of his lips lifted in a small wry smile. "I do not feel comfortable here."Kat was all for staying a bit longer since it was only eleven in the morning, but she figured it was about time she listened to Calix. If he said he wasn't comfortable, then something must be off. So, she quickly washed up, gathered their stuff, and headed out the motel room with him following silently behind her.This whole 'silent' thing became a constan