FOURTEEN
1183 Words
ADINNA’S POV
“Hunter?”
The name slips out before I can stop it. My throat is raw, my lungs are still burning, but I know that face even through the haze. Hunter crouches beside me, one knee on the ground, eyes steady and cold like the chaos around us doesn’t touch him.
For a second, I think I’m hallucinating. I blink, trying to focus, but he’s still there—real and impossibly calm while I’m gasping like I’ve been drowning.
I drag in a shallow breath, clutching my chest. “What are you doing here?”
He doesn’t answer right away. His gaze flicks over me like he’s checking for damage, not out of concern, but out of curiosity. Like I’m some experiment that almost exploded.
Finally, he says, “You breathe too loudly.”
I cough, my chest seizing. “You nearly watched me die, and that’s what you noticed?”
“If I wanted to watch you die, I’d have stayed in the doorway.”
“You WERE in the doorway!” I shoot back, my voice cracking from how hard my throat hurts.
He doesn’t deny it. Instead, he stands up slowly, with his hands in his pockets like this whole thing bores him. “The gas wasn’t lethal. Just educational.”
I stare up at him, still on the floor. “Educational?” I repeat, disbelief and anger bleeding together. “You call that educational? I couldn’t breathe! I thought I was dying!”
“You learned something,” he says, tone casual. “Lesson successful.”
I push myself up to my elbows, glaring. “What’s your problem?”
“Define problem,” he says, tilting his head.
“Whatever makes you think this is normal. That suffocating people is just a fun experiment?”
He looks down at me, his expression unreadable. “Fun? No. But useful.”
I can’t tell if he’s joking or serious. Probably both. “Why did you help me then?” I demand. “If you think I’m just a pawn, why bother?”
He shrugs. “Because dead pawns end the game too early.”
I blink, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere,” he says lightly.
I glare harder. “You’re no different from Jace.”
He crouches down again, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off him. His eyes catch the dim light, sharp and wild. “No,” he says quietly, “I’m worse.”
The words make my stomach drop.
“I don’t believe you,” I say, though my voice trembles. “If you were worse, I’d still be in there.”
He smirks faintly. “Don’t confuse unpredictability with kindness.”
“Don’t confuse cruelty with strength,” I shoot back.
Something shifts in his eyes—something dark and dangerous. “Careful,” he murmurs, his tone suddenly low, sharp. “You don’t know me well enough to say things like that.”
“I know enough,” I say, forcing my voice steady. “You play games with people’s lives. You watch others do the same. You’re all the same brand of poison.”
That seems to hit him. His jaw tightens, and his usual calm wavers for just a moment.
“You think too loudly,” he says, almost like he’s reminding himself not to react.
I glare up at him. “You think too little.”
He exhales through his nose, almost laughing but not quite. “You’ve got a mouth on you, Adinna. That’ll get you hurt someday.”
“It already has,” I snap.
For a second, neither of us moves. The hallway hums with tension. I can still hear the faint hiss of the gas from inside the lab, soft but steady, like the building itself is breathing.
“Why are you even here?” I ask finally, quieter now. “You don’t just show up. You had a reason.”
He looks at me, expression unreadable again. “Maybe I got bored.”
“Bored?”
“Jace’s games are repetitive,” he says with a shrug. “Same moves, same outcomes. You’re a new variable.”
I blink. “You talk like this is chess.”
He tilts his head, considering. “Isn’t everything?”
“Not when people almost die,” I mutter.
He straightens again, glancing down the hallway. “You’ll live.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed,” I mumble, half under my breath.
He hears it. Of course he does. His lips curl slightly, though his eyes don’t match the amusement. “You’re still alive, Adinna. That’s something.”
“Thanks to you?”
He hums thoughtfully. “Yes. Thanks to me”
I scoff. “You’re an ass.”
That finally draws a real reaction. His smirk fades into something sharp. “Call me that again.”
“Ass,” I repeat, just to see what he’ll do.
He leans down close enough that I can see the flecks of silver in his eyes. “You shouldn’t test me,” he says softly.
“Then maybe stop giving me reasons to.”
He laughs once, low and humorless. “You’ve got fire, I’ll give you that. Shame it’ll get you burned.”
“Maybe I’m already burned,” I say. “But I’m still here.”
His eyes narrow slightly. Then, without warning, he straightens. The sound of footsteps echoes faintly down the hall, closer every second. He glances in that direction, his whole body shifting back to that detached calm.
“Perfect timing,” he murmurs. “Show’s over.”
“What?” I start, but he cuts me off.
“Your chaperone is here,” he says smoothly, and before I can blink, he’s gone just the same way he came.
A few seconds later, the lab attendant appears from around the corner, flashlight beam cutting through the haze. His face goes pale when he sees me on the floor.
“Miss Adinna?” he calls out, hurrying over. “You shouldn’t be here!”
I cough, still shaky. “I didn’t really have a choice.”
He helps me up, his grip firm but rushed. “The gas pipe is leaking!” He points toward the lab door. Through the window, I can see faint trails of smoke still snaking from a crack in the wall.
The hissing sound grows louder again, sharper.
The attendant’s eyes widen. “It’s leaking more. You have to run!”
“What?” I ask, but he’s already pushing me back.
“Go!” he shouts, waving his arms frantically. “Now!”
The urgency in his voice hits me like a slap. My body moves before my brain can argue. I turn and sprint down the hallway, my boots hitting the tiles hard, echoing in the dark.
Behind me, I hear the hiss deepen into a low rumble. The air feels heavier again, the faint chemical sting chasing me like a shadow.
I don’t stop. I don’t look back.
- Writer
