The trip took two hours.
Two long, suffocating hours.
I used them.
Slipped into deep meditation.
It was a risk.
A stupid one.
Blocking was sitting right next to me—
a demon I didn't trust for a second.
But walking into the next trial unprepared would've been worse.
They took us far outside the city.
The place looked like it had once been a sanatorium. Or a camp.
Now—
it was dead.
Rotting.
Abandoned for decades.
A barrier surrounded the entire territory.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Wrong.
That alone told me—
whatever was inside—
wasn't meant to get out.
"A bodyguard does not choose whom to protect. You have twelve hours to find your way out. Your employers will be waiting here."
That was all one of the Specials said.
Flat.
Empty.
Then the gates opened—
and we were sent in like animals.
"To slaughter," I muttered.
"That's it?!" Torrent snapped. "Find a way out? What does that even mean? Only one of us walks out alive or what?!"
"We'll find out at the end," Matthew said, eyes scanning the area, sharp and focused.
"If we live that long," I added quietly.
"They gave us nothing," Torrent went on. "No rules. No explanation. 'Get out'? Get out from what?! What are we supposed to do?!"
"The area's sealed," Vauzer said slowly. "So whatever's inside—they don't want it escaping. Maybe we're meant to eliminate something."
"I doubt it's that simple."
My instincts were already screaming.
Loud.
Relentless.
Wrong.
"We scout first. Stay together."
"Our goal is to leave," another candidate cut in coldly. "I don't trust any of you. I'm not forming a pack."
He turned and walked off.
Another followed.
Good.
Less noise.
That left three of us.
"For the best," Matthew said. "Let's—"
He didn't finish.
The air twisted.
Pressure slammed down on us—
hard enough to crush the breath out of my lungs.
We dropped to our knees.
Then—
everything warped.
Gravity snapped sideways.
We were ripped off the ground—
then thrown.
Violently.
In different directions.
Too fast.
No time.
I barely reacted—
just enough to avoid smashing my skull into the concrete wall of a three-story building.
The force vanished mid-air.
I dropped—
caught myself with a strand of force—
latched onto a tree.
That—
was the only reason I didn't shatter on impact.
"What the hell…" I muttered, forcing myself up.
Empty.
No one.
Gone.
"…Hope they didn't die on landing."
Dark clouds rolled in overhead.
Fast.
Too fast.
Rain.
A storm.
The obvious move—
get inside.
But the building—
felt wrong.
Like it was watching.
Like something inside already knew I was there.
A trap.
I pushed the door open anyway.
It creaked.
Loud.
Echoing through the hollow interior.
Thunder cracked—
right overhead.
Too close.
Like a warning.
The air inside hit me immediately.
Cold.
Damp.
Rotting.
Something sour—
like blood left to spoil.
The place reeked of it.
I moved slowly.
Carefully.
Every sense stretched tight.
Listening.
Waiting.
But—
nothing.
No movement.
No sound.
Too quiet.
I glanced at the camera hovering behind me.
This wasn't right.
Then—
a scream.
Second floor.
Female.
Raw.
Tearing itself apart.
I moved.
No hesitation.
Ran.
The sound cut straight through everything.
Panic.
Pain.
I couldn't ignore it.
A strand of force formed in my hand as I took the stairs.
Blood.
Fresh.
Wet.
Smeared across the steps.
More with every level.
A low growl followed—
wet.
Animal.
Familiar.
My fingers brushed the knife at my belt.
Iveson's knife.
"Get away from her!" I shouted.
The scene snapped into place.
A girl—
cornered.
Pinned.
Bodies between us—
throats ripped open.
Not cut.
Torn.
And the thing over her—
wasn't human anymore.
"Look what crawled in," it rasped, turning toward me.
A man.
Middle-aged.
Heavyset.
But fast.
Too fast.
The girl collapsed behind him, sobbing, choking on her own breath.
I moved.
No pause.
Strands of force lashed out.
First—
missed.
He twisted away.
Second—
caught him.
Wrapped tight.
Locked him in place.
He thrashed.
Snarling.
Spitting curses.
Foam at the mouth.
Eyes wrong.
Empty.
I didn't care.
Stepped closer.
Too close.
Pressed my hand between his brows.
Released power.
Checked.
Nothing.
No soul.
Just that same black void.
I knew it.
Too well.
There was nothing left to save.
My hand trembled—
once.
Then I ended it.
A strand drove straight through his chest.
Fast.
Clean.
No hesitation.
He went limp instantly.
Dead weight.
"Hey… hey—are you okay?" I said, turning to the girl, raising my hands slowly so she could see them.
She flinched.
Pressed herself into the wall.
Eyes wide.
Breathing broken.
"Don't—don't come closer!" she choked.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I said, softer now. "You're safe. What happened here?"
Her mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
No sound.
Shock.
I waited.
Let her breathe.
"I—I don't know!" she finally gasped. "We came here and then—they—they just started attacking! Like animals! They were laughing—laughing while they—"
Her voice broke.
She couldn't finish.
"Who attacked you? How did you get here? Focus. You're alive. Stay with me."
"There were twelve of us," she said, words tumbling over each other. "We just—we wanted to have fun—this place is abandoned—people come here all the time—we thought—it would be fine but they—they're insane! They're not human—!"
Her voice cracked completely.
Up close—
she was young.
Too young.
Barely twenty.
Wrong place.
Wrong time.
"Where are the others?"
"I don't know! I don't know!" she cried. "Paul, Eddie—we hid—we thought we could wait—but they found us! They were hunting us! Driving us apart—!"
Her eyes flicked to the bodies.
She broke again.
"I'll get you out," I said.
Flat.
Certain.
"Anyone else in this building?"
"I—I don't know! Please—please—"
"Hey."
I crouched in front of her.
"Look at me."
She did.
Barely.
"You're alive. That's what matters. Can you move?"
Thunder crashed again.
The storm broke.
Rain slammed against the building.
Heavy.
Relentless.
I had no idea where I'd landed.
How far from the exit.
And if she was right—
if there were more like that—
going outside now was suicide.
I made the call.
"We search the building first," I said. "It's big. And in this storm—anyone still alive would've run inside."
A pause.
Then, colder:
"And whatever's hunting you—might still be here."