Page 8 of Chaos Carnival

I glanced at Maverick, confused by their behavior. “What did they do to them?” I whispered.

Maverick's jaw tightened as he pulled me closer. “The hunters have a way of forcing people to relive their worst memories,” he explained quietly. “They showed Stone and Lux visions from their past—things they've spent centuries trying to forget.” His voice dropped even lower. “It's a special kind of torture, making you experience that trauma all over again.”

My heart ached watching them—these powerful, ancient beings reduced to such raw vulnerability. Stone always seemed to carry himself with quiet strength, but now he looked haunted. And Lux... I'd never seen him so frightened. Seeing them so wounded made my chest burn with helpless rage.

“What do we do now?” I pressed harder, trying to push back the darkness with my own will, but it was like trying to hold back a glacier with bare hands.

Oscar's crystal surface had warmed in my grip, his usual glow returning. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that particular variety of celestial poison requires rather specific treatment. Treatment we won't find in any mortal pharmacy.”

I pulled my hand back from Maverick's chest, my fingers trembling from the bone-deep cold. The black veins beneath his skin writhed like living things, spreading their poison throughhis system. Each pulse sent a fresh layer of frost crystallizing across his flesh.

Maverick's laugh came out rough, like gravel in his throat. “All we can do is run. And pray they don't catch us before we figure out how to fight back.”

The poison throbbed under my touch, a steady rhythm that felt wrong—too slow, too deliberate. We were racing a clock I couldn't see.

“Where are we?” I scanned the alley, taking in the crumbling brick walls and overflowing dumpsters. The humid air wrapped around me like a wet blanket.

“Just far enough that they won't find us if we don't phase again.” Maverick's words came between shallow gasps. “Emergency point. Lux and Stone cleared it recently.”

His knees buckled, and I caught him before he hit the ground. The unnatural chill of his skin seeped through my clothes where we touched, and frost had spread past his collar, creeping up the side of his neck in delicate, deadly patterns.

Oscar's voice cut through my rising panic. “I do believe our friend here requires immediate attention...”

I shifted Maverick's weight, trying to take more of it as his legs threatened to give out again. His normally warm honey eyes had gone glassy, pupils blown wide with pain.

“There's a safehouse,” Lux said, still unsteady. “Two blocks east. We stocked medical supplies, but...” He trailed off, staring at the spreading corruption beneath Maverick’s skin.

“No powers,” Stone cut in sharply. “Any use of abilities will accelerate the poison's advance. That includes phasing, which would attract the hunters anyway.”

Maverick grimaced, the frost patterns fanning further with each labored breath. “Fantastic. So we're doing this the mortal way.”

Lux peered around the corner. “We need to go.”

The uneven concrete under my feet sent jolts of pain up my legs with each step. My breath came in sharp gasps as I tried to match Stone's relentless pace. Behind us, distant sirens wailed, their cacophony blending with the thunder rolling in from the east. With each crack of lightning, Maverick's pale skin and dark veins glowed an eerie blue.

My voice was hoarse as I rasped, “Who the hell were they?”

Maverick staggered beside me, his form swaying. Sweat dotted his brow despite the cold radiating from his body. “Those were the famous seraphim hunters, monstre.”

The rain began to fall in heavy sheets, plastering my hair to my face. I hugged Oscar closer to my chest, his skull slick under my hands. I motioned to Maverick. “How bad is it?”

“Bad,” Lux grunted from ahead. “Celestial poison. It'll keep spreading till he's totally paralyzed.”

A peal of thunder shook the ground beneath us, making me stumble. Maverick caught my arm, his grip steadier than I expected. “We need to get inside,” he muttered.

Stone lengthened his stride, his eyes bore into the dark building looming ahead. I glanced back at the empty street, my heart pounding. Addie's face flashed in my mind, contorted in a silent scream. I couldn't lose her. And now Maverick too… The fear threatened to overwhelm me.

“We need to help Addie,” I said, my throat thick with grief. “Ivan will—“

“We will.” Stone's voice held an edge, as if it was too much to ask. Too overwhelming to think about.

A building loomed closer, its wooden facade illuminated by another flash of lightning. I could just make out a rusted fire escape snaking down one side and a boarded-up window on the bottom floor. Stone reached the door first, his hand hovering over the knob.

The safe house looked like something out of an old horror movie, complete with peeling paint and overgrown hedges. Stone unlocked the door, and for a second, the latch catching was the loudest thing I'd ever heard. Then the door swung inward, and I made out the outlines of rooms beyond.

My heart hammered as I imagined the horrors Ivan could be inflicting on Addie. But I felt depleted, my body weighed down by exhaustion and fear.

Inside was dim and smelled of dampness. Stone flicked a light switch, bathing the small room in dim light.

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