It had been hours. Or at least, it felt like it.
Since when was this damn city so fucking big? Even Kael was sleeping; which was wrong. A man like Kael didn't just drop off to sleep while escaping a monster, even after that adrenaline rush.
Kieran resisted the urge to shake him. He didn't have his own watch anymore, he'd lost it while running for his life, but his internal clock was screaming. He looked out the window, watching the streetlamps blur past in a monotonous, repeating rhythm. Too repeating. He didn't like it.
He leaned forward, his voice low, matching the hum of the engine so he wouldn't disturb Kael. "How much further is this sanctuary thing?"
"It's been ten minutes, calm down," the taxi driver replied. He chuckled, but the sound was rough. Forced. "There's only around five more minutes. It's just up ahead."
Ten minutes? Kieran's chest tightened. No. It had been hours. He knew the rhythm of his own breathing, the physical toll of sitting still. The driver was lying. He had to be!
"How long has it actually been?" Kieran pressed, his voice dropping into a cold, accusatory register.
"Ten minutes. Eleven now," the driver muttered, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel. "Stop asking.. you're making me feel like I'm gaslighting myself."
"Stop lying."
"I'm not."
"You are." Kieran didn't yell. If he yelled, it'd just make it obvious he was panicking. He leaned closer to the front seat, his eyes locking onto the side of the driver's face. "Look at your dashboard clock. What does it say?"
The driver swallowed hard, a bead of sweat tracing down his neck. "Uh, 3:14."
"It was 3:14 when we got in," Kieran growled, the realization hitting him like a physical blow. "I made a mental note. The clock hasn't moved. The streetlights outside haven't changed patterns. Where are we really going?"
The driver hesitated, his jaw clenching. ".. The place Boss requested."
"You hesitated," Kieran whispered.
The driver didn't respond. He only gripped the wheel tighter, staring straight ahead at the endless, unfolding road.
The piece fell into place. The warped time. The unnaturally heavy sleep overtaking Kael. The looping streets. This wasn't a normal taxi ride, and this wasn't a normal city anymore. They were being led straight into a trap, comforted by the notion of a long drive.
Kieran turned to Kael. The man, usually so intimidating and vigilant, was dead to the world. He looked.. dangerously vulnerable. Soft, even.
Kieran didn't waste time being afraid. He grabbed Kael's shoulder, digging his fingers in deep, and shook him roughly.
"Kael. Wake up. Boss! Wake the fuck up!"
Kael groaned, shifting slightly before settling again. He barely seemed to even register Kieran's voice.
"WAKE UP!" Kieran growled, urgency sharpening his voice into a blade as he smacked Kael's face.
"Okay, okay, I'm up! Damn!" Kael yelped, jolting awake and rubbing his cheek. "No need to smack me, fuck... you pack a punch for such a scrawny man."
"Check your watch," Kieran demanded, cutting him off before he could complain further. "It was 3:14 when we got in this car. The driver says it's only been ten minutes. What time is it really?"
Kael blinked away the heavy fog of sleep, glancing down at his wrist. His eyes went wide. "Eh... it's... 5:32. Wait— you said 3:14?"
Before Kieran could even answer, Kael slammed his hands against the front seat divider.
"OI! TAXI DRIVER! WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING!?"
Kael's sudden aggression made Kieran flinch, and the driver jolted violently, swerving the vehicle slightly across the asphalt before forcefully straightening the wheel. His knuckles were white, and he didn't answer; though, his eyes glanced fearfully to Kael before snapping back to the road.
"I said, where we going!? Answer my question!" Kael yelled, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the taxi driver as he unbuckled his seatbelt and crept closer to the driver. Probably a bad idea to remove the only safety you have in a car, but that doesn't matter right now.
"Okay, okay! Fine! We're going to a nearby city where I have to turn you in! But now that I remember.. you knowing that information doesn't exactly matter, does it? Not with you in my grasps…" The driver let out a chuckle, his fear shrinking into something more focused, more lethal.
SLAM!
The car jolted to a stop, throwing Kael forward before he caught himself on the seat. He cursed under his breath, then he pulled out a pocket knife. He lunged forward to stab the driver but was instead thrown in the backseat again by him. He dropped the knife, breathing heavily. "Fuck…"
"Kael! You okay!?" Kieran exclaimed, his eyes wide in concern. He unbuckled his own seatbelt, unlocking the car door before leaning down uncomfortably to check on the fallen man. "Hey, come on, get up.. we gotta get outta here.. someone's probably gonna see us stopped and come get us. Pocket the knife, that's.. that's bad to have out. Anyone who sees it would assume we were murderers."
Kieran's words were fast, and quiet. He shot a glare at the driver who was looking for something— wait a minute. What would this guy be looking for? He couldn't react before there was a loud crack of a bullet being shot, and a sticky warm substance dripping down the side of his head. He couldn't tell where it had hit, but the pain was.. so.. much.
The world around him went dark as he slumped, going completely limp.