Chapter 17: The One Who Didn’t Escape
608 Words
Kael ran.
Not perfectly.
Not without pain.
But fast enough to survive.
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His lungs burned, his body screamed at him to stop—but his mind refused.
Behind him—
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Relentless.
Getting closer.
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He turned sharply into a narrow alley, his shoulder hitting the wall as he forced himself forward. His vision blurred for a second, but he pushed through it.
Don’t stop.
Don’t think.
Just move.
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At the other end—
An opening.
Freedom.
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Kael pushed harder—
And burst out into the street.
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For a second—
He thought he made it.
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Then—
A car screeched in front of him.
Too fast.
Too precise.
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Kael barely had time to react before the door flew open—
And someone grabbed him.
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He fought.
Hard.
Instinct took over completely—he shoved, twisted, threw a punch—
But he was outnumbered.
And injured.
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A sharp hit to his side—
The same place that hadn’t healed—
And his strength faltered.
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“Get him in,” a voice ordered.
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Kael’s vision blurred again as they forced him into the vehicle.
The door slammed shut.
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And just like that—
He was gone.
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Across the city—
Luca felt it.
Not physically.
But instinctively.
Like something had just shifted in the worst possible way.
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“They got to him,” he said.
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Arielle’s heart dropped instantly.
“No—no, no, no…”
Her voice shook, panic flooding in.
“You said we’d get to him!”
Luca’s jaw tightened.
“I was too late.”
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The words hit harder than anything else.
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Arielle shook her head, tears filling her eyes.
“We can’t just—what do we do?!”
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Luca didn’t hesitate this time.
No more holding back.
No more protecting her with silence.
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“We get him back.”
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His voice was different now.
Colder.
Focused.
Dangerous.
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Arielle looked at him—
And for the first time—
She fully saw it.
Not just the boy she cared about.
But the version of him that came from that world.
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“Tell me everything,” she said.
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Luca nodded once.
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“The people who took him… they don’t wait,” he said. “If they think he’s useful, they’ll try to recruit him.”
Arielle swallowed hard.
“And if he’s not?”
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Luca looked straight ahead.
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“They won’t keep him alive.”
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Silence crushed the air between them.
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Arielle’s fear turned into something sharper.
Stronger.
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“Then we don’t let it get that far,” she said.
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Luca glanced at her.
Surprised.
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Because she wasn’t panicking anymore.
She wasn’t frozen.
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She was ready.
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“Tell me where they took him,” she said.
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Luca hesitated—
Just for a second.
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Then—
He made a decision.
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“There’s a place,” he said. “One of their main sites. Off-grid. Hidden.”
Arielle didn’t look away.
“Then we go there.”
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Luca studied her.
Measuring.
Realizing.
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This wasn’t the same girl from before.
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This was someone who had stepped into the truth—
And didn’t step back.
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“Once we go,” Luca said quietly, “there’s no coming back from it.”
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Arielle’s answer came instantly.
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“I’m not leaving him.”
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The car sped forward.
Faster now.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
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Because now—
This wasn’t about secrets anymore.
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It was about saving him.
- Writer
