Page 61 of Rebirth

With a strangled noise, He’rox drops to his knees. The tentacle holding me swings and dips, lowering before going slack, and I tumble to the short distance to the ground, rolling a few feet away. I scramble upright, adrenaline thrumming in my veins as I watch the few remaining Corrupted descend upon He’rox, clawing at him.

“No!” I shriek, stumbling forward a step.

Aiming, I release my last remaining bullet, hitting one of them in the head.

A tentacle bursts free, swinging and slicing the remaining two Corrupted that had been clawing at him.

For a moment, I can only stop and stare. Is it over?

The forest descends into eerie silence.

And then a figure staggers from the mass of bodies. He’rox emerges, flesh soaked in blood. My heart leaps in hope for one brief second before he turns to face me.

His eyes are dark and empty. Not ice-cold like before. No longer unfeeling, because they hold…nothing.

Without a word, he turns and disappears into the forest too quickly for me to even react.

My eyes widen, my heart thumps hard in my chest as I sink to my knees. My mind still reeling from what’s happened here.

“He’rox?”

I whisper his name even though I know he’s gone.

Except, this time feels different from the last.

Why does it feel like I’ve lost something before it even began?

And then…her.

Movement catches my eyes once more and I spot Maisie turning and running back through the forest.

Inexplicable anger rushes through me like a tsunami through a tunnel as I rise, gun in hand as I step across the battlefield and unmoving bodies. Grabbing my pack, I set off in her direction.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

SOPHIE

Walking at first, then breaking into a run, I chase after Maisie as she flees into the forest. Twigs snap under my feet and leaves crunch, but I pay them no mind. My sole focus is on the woman in front of me.

Because He’rox is gone, and even if I could track him down, I doubt he wants me to. Why else would he leave me alone after just fighting so hard to protect me?

Something happened near the end there, and sooner or later I’ll get answers.

After I find him.

Or when he eventually comes back to me.

“Maisie!” I shout, my voice cracking. “Stop!”

She ignores me, darting between the trees with purpose. More anger rises within me, and I push my legs to move faster. After everything that’s just happened, after He’rox revealing that side of himself to protect me, I refuse to let this woman just run away because something tells me she’s a key in all of this. Something to make this shitshow make sense.

I cut through the bushes like I’m made for the terrain. No longer running terrified, scared for my life, I remember those times I used to run barefoot through the forest near where I grew up. Running with my dad. Practicing for this very moment.

I grit my teeth, resisting the urge to fucking scream her name as I spot her not far ahead of me. Forcing air through my lungs, I gain on her quickly.

“Stop!”

Of course, she doesn’t. One glance behind her and she pushes forward even harder.

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