Page 3 of Finn
Jake froze, his head snapping toward the doorway leading to the bathroom.
“What is it?” I whispered, keeping my voice low.
Jake’s hand was already on his gun. “Thought I heard something.”
But before I could even process what he meant, a figure lunged from the shadows.
It was another shifter, a woman with wild eyes and a snarl that revealed teeth that seemed too sharp, too unnatural for her otherwise delicate features.
I barely had a chance to raise my weapon before she crashed into Jake, her hands clawing for his throat.
The hallway exploded into chaos. Jake fought back, his gun falling to the floor as he struggled under her crushing grip.
Her eyes flicked to me, a crazed glint in her gaze that sent a chill down my spine.
I aimed, trying to find a shot, but they were moving too fast, limbs tangled in a deadly struggle.
“Shoot her!” Jake yelled, his voice strained as he fought to keep her fangs from sinking into his neck.
My finger hovered on the trigger, but the fear clawed up my throat, making it hard to breathe.
It felt like every doubt and fear I’d tried to bury came roaring back, freezing me in place.
“Finn!” Jake’s shout snapped me out of it, and I steadied myself, aiming at the shifter’s side.
I pulled the trigger, the gun kicking back hard in my grip.
The bullet hit its mark, the silver burning through her flesh as she screamed, a horrific, guttural sound that sent shivers down my spine.
She slumped, her body going limp as she slid off Jake, collapsing into a heap on the floor.
Jake staggered to his feet, breathing hard, his eyes blazing as he glared at me.
“You almost let me die, you idiot!” He looked half-ready to hit me, his fists clenched tight.
I wanted to say something, to explain the split-second of hesitation, but I knew he wouldn’t understand.
Hunters didn’t hesitate. They didn’t feel. They simply did what was necessary, no matter how brutal.
But even now, staring at the bodies sprawled on the floor, I wasn’t sure if I could be like Jake, cold and efficient, unbothered by the lives we were taking.
Our squad leader’s voice came through the earpiece again. “Status report?”
Jake took a shuddering breath, giving me one last hard look before he replied, “Secondary hostile down. Exiting the premises.”
The silence that followed was thick and uncomfortable, and I knew what he wasn’t saying.
Tonight, I’d been weak. Tonight, I’d nearly gotten us both killed.
We left the house, stepping out into the cold night air. I’d hesitated, let my emotions get the better of me, and it had nearly cost us everything.
I didn’t know if I could keep doing this, living with the constant threat, the unrelenting violence, the fear clawing at me every second.
Higgins’ face and his fear, it lingered in my mind. Sure, he tricked me in the end, but his performance felt real.
Deep down, he was genuinely terrified. Were monsters truly soulless?
And as we drove away, leaving the bloody, silent house behind us, I realized that question might haunt me forever.
