Page 127 of Haunted Hearts

“Oh, I was dying. I was lucky they didn’t see me; I was able to take them out with two shots. I passed back out next to Gen after I untied her in Rosa’s office. We stayed there until about ten minutes ago.”

“I felt what was going on, and I was terrified, honestly. But I was able to heal him enough to move, hoping we could sneak out until I felt the threat was gone.” Gen looks at Calli. “Thank you for that…”

Calli looks at them with an empathetic smile as she pulls Gen into another tight hug and whispers something—and I can hear it with my new elf ears.

“I’m glad you worked it out.” Calli’s voice is low.

Gen gives her a soft smile before pulling away and grabbing Calli’s hand.

It’s dark as we all walk down the hallway. Gen stops and hangs back to walk next to me. She grabs my wrist and lifts my sleeve. The light from my now red and glowing tattoos lights the hallway. She looks up at me and smirks.

“Would you look at that.”

I pull my arm from her grip, smirking. She walks ahead to Calli.

“Wait no, pull it back up! It’s dark, you’re like a creepy night-light,” Alok says from behind me.

I don’t respond, but Calli and Gen start giggling in front of me.

“Here.” Jack hands Ben a flashlight from his bag. He turns it on and guides us as we come to a dead end with a ladder leading to the surface. We exit one by one until we all stand in the middle of the woods.

“The police are going to find the trucks if we aren’t fast,” Jack says.

“We’re about fifty yards north of the property right now,” Ben says, looking to me for advice.

“We could carry you guys to the trucks,” Kai offers, looking between Gen, Jack, and Ben.

Before Jack can protest the idea, Alok scoops him up. “You’re gonna want to hold your breath.” He has a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Oh hell, n—”

They are gone quick. Before my change, their movements were too fast for me to process. But I can see it now—useful.

I pick up Gen and Kai picks up Ben, leaving with Calli in tow.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Gen asks hesitantly.

I stand there in the forest and look up at the stars. Closing my eyes I focus on my other senses. I can still hear them.

“Nope.” I open my eyes and move.

I don’t feel like I’m moving fast, but as if I am slowing down everything around me, until I am at the trucks, setting Gen down. Noticing we are the first to arrive.

“Thank you.” She looks up at me. “I don’t know what happened, but I can feel your relief.”

“She’s alive. That’s what matters,” I respond.

“And I imagine you were a big part of that,” she says, her hand settling on my shoulder.

I look over to Calli, Kai, and Ben as well as Alok and Jack as they now arrive, too.

“I had help.”

I walk away and hop into the driver’s seat. Calli moves into the passenger seat and Kai slides into the back seat.

“How did you get here so fast?” Calli asks.

“Just did,” I say, turning the keys and backing up before driving off. Jack follows with everyone else in his borrowed beat-up Chevy. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I answer.