Page 95 of Echos and Empires
She couldn’t move. She didn’t have the strength. But she didn’t have to do this alone. Not anymore. Liam was here, and that meant she could be okay. That meant she would be okay.
A gunshot rang out, deafening and close. Her mind reeled with the chaos, trying to make sense of it all. Victor landed on top of her, his weight crushing. Emma gasped for air, for anything that made sense in this madness.
“You won’t win,” Victor’s voice was tight with pain.
He was still alive. How was he still alive? She had thought they would save her. She had thought they would save her from this. Victor’s hand went to his shoulder, bloodied and shaking. He laughed, a low, menacing sound.
The fear clawed at her, fierce and overwhelming. Emma struggled against Victor, against the panic that threatened to consume her. But Liam had come for her. She couldn’t give up. She couldn’t give in.
The weight on top of her lower half shifted. Another shot fired, and Liam’s scream nearly broke her. She wouldn’t survive this. Not this time.
“Emma, take it. My arm, I need my right arm to hit him and not you.”
She knew it was Liam’s gun. She didn’t know how she’d do it with Victor pressing against her, his hands clawing close to her neck. but her hands were already reaching for it. Even though she couldn’t see the gun, she heard it clatter against the cave floor. Emma rolled, driven by desperation and adrenaline, grabbing it with trembling fingers.
There was no time to think. Victor’s hand reached for her, bloody and unrelenting. She couldn’t let this happen. Couldn’t lose everything she’d fought for. Emma aimed and fired, the recoil jarring her, her heart pounding in time with the shots.
Her body acted before her mind could catch up. She was shaking, terrified and resolute. Victor’s body jerked, once, then again. He looked surprised. Surprised and afraid. His hand fell short, inches from her throat.
Emma struggled to process, to understand what had just happened. She had killed a man once before. She hadn’t thought she could do it again. She hadn’t thought she would have to.
But here she was, here they all were.
Her instincts were all she had. All she could rely on. It was more than she ever thought she’d have, more than she thought she could manage. The cave felt like it was closing in, but she stayed focused, stayed strong.
Victor slumped against her, his body heavy and lifeless.
The chaos stilled, but Emma’s heart refused to slow. Her breaths came ragged and uneven, as if her body hadn’t realized the fight was over. As if she couldn’t let herself believe it.
The fear had been all-consuming, but now there was room for something else. Room for relief. Room for hope.
The gun was heavier in her hand, a reminder of everything she had done. Everything she could do. She was stronger than she knew. Stronger than she ever let herself believe.
Emma felt the shift in the cave, felt the violence drain away. The silence wrapped around her, leaving her trembling. Leaving her exhausted and free.
The nightmare had ended, and Emma was still here. Still alive. Still fighting for this life.
Emma jumped up, her voice echoing in the cave as she shouted for Liam. Her panic twisted into desperate relief when he answered, telling her he was okay. “Just a scratch, but no way in hell was I going to risk shooting with him closer to you and my dominant arm injured,” he called, wincing as he clutched his side. She didn’t believe him. She wanted to. She couldn’t let herself. Somehow, Liam was already getting hurt protecting her.
“Ranger!” Emma choked on the word, pointing wildly. “Liam, please, the light.” She needed to see. Needed to know. Liam nodded, shining the flashlight on the spot where Ranger lay. She was there in an instant, tears flowing, her heart breaking and mending all at once.
Ranger’s leg was at an awkward angle, but he was alive. Alive and licking her face, thumping his tail weakly. “Oh God,” she sobbed, holding him tight. “I thought I lost you.”
There were footsteps, voices, the clatter of weapons. Alex, Bash, William—rushing in, shouting her name. She couldn’t focus on any one of them, couldn’t wrap her head around the chaos. It was too much, and not enough.
Alex cursed when his flashlight landed on Liam. “You idiot! You jumped off the truck!” He was at Liam’s side in seconds, assessing the wound.
Emma was supposed to help him. She was supposed to know what to do. But her mind was a whirlwind, and she couldn’t.
“And it’s a damn good thing I did. He was already here,” Liam snarled as Alex was already tending to his arm. “Fucking arm…again.”
Bash’s face was a mix of anger and concern. “Emma! Jesus, we thought—” His voice cut off when he saw Victor, lying dead.
William stared, wide-eyed. “You did that?” He looked from Victor to Emma, to the gun still in her hand. She didn’t know how to answer. Didn’t know how to make any of this make sense.
Chris entered, blood covering his face. Her heart dropped at the sight, a wild surge of fear rushing through her. But then she saw his eyes, steady and certain, and she could breathe again.
“I thought—” Emma’s voice broke. She was crying, laughing, unable to process the confusion and relief. “I thought you wouldn’t come back.”
