Page 114 of Wicked Little Nightmare

We burst into the hallway, Cam taking point as Kyle barked directions. The corridors all looked the same — stark white and unnervingly clean. It was like being trapped in a fucked-up maze designed by some sadistic asshole with a hard-on for minimalism.Fuck, how had we gone this far down?

"Left here," Kyle gasped as we approached an intersection. "Then two rights and—"

He was cut off by the sudden wail of an alarm. Red lights began flashing, turning the pristine hallways into something out of a nightmare.

"Fuck me sideways," I growled, picking up the pace. My mind raced, trying to recall the way back. But in the chaos and flashing lights, everything seemed distorted.

Kyle led us down another hall when I heard Rose yelp. Looking back, Sarah was helping her up and motioning for us to keep going. Heavy footsteps echoed behind us, growing closer with each passing second. My chest constricted, a mix of fear and exhilaration coursing through me. This was it — the moment where everything could go spectacularly right or catastrophically wrong.

And honestly? I wasn't sure which outcome I was rooting for. As I was readying my gun, Rose flew by me, running like a bat outta hell.

Suddenly, she skidded to a halt in front of me, her eyes wide with panic. Fuck. Of all the times to have a meltdown, she had to pick now.

"I can't... I can't do this," she whimpered, her whole-body trembling like a leaf.

I was about to grab her by the scruff and drag her ass along when Sarah stepped in, her voice surprisingly steady despite the chaos around us.

"Rose, look at me," she said, gripping the girl's shoulders. "You've made it this far. You're stronger than you think. We need you with us, okay? Don’t falter now. Remember the garden? Go back there and keep putting one foot in front of the other. You are doing so well, Rose. Come on, back to the garden."

I watched, fascinated, as Rose's eyes cleared, a flicker of determination replacing the fear. It was like watching a switch flip in real-time. Huh. Maybe there was more to this trauma shit than I'd given her credit for.

We pressed on, the sound of pursuit growing louder. Kyle motioned us towards a thin door, opening it and ushering us in before quietly closing it. We huddled there, barely daring to breathe as a group of guards thundered past, shouting in a language I didn’t recognize.

Cam's body was tense beside me, his eyes constantly scanning for threats. I could practically feel the protective energy radiating off him in waves before he relaxed once the footsteps outside had gone silent. He looked down at me and smirked before bending and kissing me, pulling my bottom lip with his teeth. If we weren’t in front of an audience, I’d have fucked him right then. Probably would have let him have his way with me— even with an audience— it was just a bit too cramped. Also, the guards… they were probably more of an issue, really.

"Clear," Kyle whispered after a moment. "Let's move."

The exit opened ahead, promising freedom. Sarah grabbed Rose and they made a break for it, with Cam and I hot on their heels. Kyle brought up the rear just like a good soldier would.

The stale, antiseptic air of the facility gave way to the crisp night breeze as we burst through the exit. My lungs burned, greedily sucking in the fresh air. Freedom never tasted so fucking good.

"Move your asses!" Kyle hissed, already sprinting towards the treeline where we'd stashed our rides. “Everyone in the SUV, fuck the sedan.”

I didn't need to be told twice. My feet pounded against the damp earth, adrenaline coursing through my veins like liquid fire. The weight of my bag full of stolen files pressed against my chest, a reminder of why we were here. For Janine. For answers.

As we ran, I kept Cam in my peripheral vision. His jaw was set, eyes focused ahead, but I knew he was hyper-aware of every movement around us. The sight of my sexy demon warmed me from the inside out. He grounded me, making me push hard,go faster. He could be so ruthlessly efficient and alert at the same time. He could anticipate before anything ever happened, keeping us both out of harms way. Unfortunately, his skills in the ‘evil-medical-lab’ department weren’t quite up to par with his ‘murdering and killing for fun’ senses.

We’d work on that.

We reached the SUV, piling in with all the grace of a herd of drunk elephants. Kyle gunned the engine, tires squealing as we peeled away. Once we were a safe distance away, he pulled over into a secluded spot. The silence in the car was deafening, broken only by our ragged breathing.

I held onto my backpack, my fingers trembling slightly, turning white from the force of my grip. Not from fear, but from the weight of what we'd just done. What we'd seen.

"Jesus Christ," Sarah muttered, breaking the silence. "Those kids... those babies..."

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the images of tiny bodies floating in tanks. It was fucked up, even by my standards. And that was saying something.

"We got what we came for," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "Now we find Janine and do what we gotta do."

Kyle's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. There was something in his gaze I couldn't quite read. Respect? Wariness? Whatever it was, I knew we weren't done dancing around each other yet. As the others started discussing our next move, I leaned into Cam, drawing strength from his solid presence. His arm came to wrap around me, his lips pressing against my head.

I turned my face upwards slightly so I could ask him a question. "What's your read on Kyle? He didn’t seem phased by the bag babies. Doesn’t feel like I trust him, yet.”

Cam's dark eyes glittered in the dim light, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Trust? That's a strong word, sweetheart. But he's smart, resourceful and hasn’t doneanything to show us he doesn’t deserve it. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Afterall, he got us in and got us out. Probably saw some fucked shit in his lifetime. Bag babies might just be another thing, ya know?"

I nodded, my fingers absently tracing the 'C.A.' tattoo on my wrist. Kyle was an unknown, and I fucking hated unknowns. They had a nasty habit of blowing up in your face when you least expected it. I’d lived a life of variables and that’s why we had kept to ourselves— until now. Sure, he made good on one promise, but would he on the rest? Sarah was alright, as pissed as I was at her, she had tried. Rose was basically a sparrow with a broken wing. But Kyle… Either Kyle is genuine, and time would tell, or he was in deep undercover mode, trying to stir shit up with us, and with his wife.

"We need to stay on our toes," I murmured, watching Kyle's reflection in the side mirror. He was talking to Sarah, his expression intense. "One wrong move, or he stands in our way..."

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