“Empowered. Empowered. I’m strong,” I whispered as I turned to face the hallway. The walls didn’t slant this time. “Yes!” I pumped my fist in the air. “I’m the shit!”
The doors started rolling shut, and a vise around my neck squeezed.It’s okay, I’ve done this before. It’s fine.I’m making it to the lobby.
“Doing great, Angelina. Press the L for Lobby.”
I drew in a long, slow breath as I stepped toward the side, hand raised.
Suddenly, the cab jostled, and the floor fell out from beneath me. My gut clenched as I widened my stance. “Whoa.”
“It’s okay. Someone just activated the elevator elsewhere. Press the button, Angelina. You’ve done this before. You’ve got this.”
I have done it before. A few times. I’d never made it all the way down, but I’d gone several floors before. Even stepped out on floor three, once. It was part of working my way to the lobby.
But right now, I could barely breathe.
I stared at the button.Push it. Push it!If I didn’t, I’d be forced down to meet whoever activated the elevator. I reached out, but I was too far. It felt miles away. Miles and miles.
Heat raced up my neck and to my cheeks.
“Angelina. Press the button right now,” Jenna ordered me. She knew I was losing it.
I stepped forward. Almost there. Almost—
The elevator started plummeting even faster. The whir of the machine continued as if laughing at me as we fell floor after floor after floor.
I cupped my cheeks, almost dropping my phone, as I watched the numbers zoom down the count toward the massively bright G.Garage.
“Oh God. Not the garage.”
“Press L, Angelina, right now, press L. It will stop before you hit the garage. Do it now! Angelina. Right now!”
My legs turned into cooked noodles, and I started sagging to the floor. My finger managed to hit L before the darkness crept in. Such a familiar darkness. It felt like my lungs were two sizes too small. There wasn’t enough air.
The mirrored walls started slanting toward me. I heard Jenna’s distant voice shouting at me to breathe. To name songs.
What songs? I couldn’t even think of one single song right now. Only static filled my ears. Deafening static.
Help!I couldn’t find my voice.
The elevator stopped with a jolt, and I palmed the cool wall trying to stay upright.Wait, what happened to the lit-up L? I need the lobby. Not—
The doors rolled open, and a shadowy figure filled the doorway. A gigantic man with arms bigger than my thighs stomped over the threshold. The whole thing shook and groaned like a monster about to swallow me whole.No. No. No!
The static magnified until I thought my ears would surely bleed. A vise cinched my chest so hard I coughed, searching for air. Just one breath.Help!My phone slid from my slick hands.
The giant reached for me, and his eyes were wide. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear over the blood raging through my head. Those eyes, though, they were a blue like I’ve never seen before. On the sunniest day, right after sunrise, the sky sometimes took on a violet blue color. It was one of my favorite things, and his eyes captured that color exactly. Such a calming, beautiful, blue-sky sunrise.
And it was the last thing I saw.
Chapter Two
Hunter
“Whoa. Hold on!” I raced toward the girl sagging to the floor. Her wide, brown eyes flashed a fear I’d seen before. All too often. “I’m not going to hurt you,” I said. “Not going to hurt you.”
Her tiny body slumped back and would have fallen to the floor had I not grabbed her shoulders.What the hell?
“Hey. You okay? Hey!” I gently shook her, but she was out.