#Chapter 143: No Way Out
Nina
“No,” Enzo said soberly. “I know that now. He was talking about winning a battle.”
A knot formed in the very depths of my stomach. I should have known; of course Ronan was still after me. But this entire attack couldn’t possibly be completely centered around me, right? I lowered my head and kept walking, biting my lip as I thought about the possibilities.
“Is this all my fault, then?” I asked quietly as we walked.
Enzo stopped suddenly and grabbed me by my shoulders, turning me so that I was facing him. My skin raised into goosebumps at his touch, sending a slight chill down my spine. “Of course not,” he said softly. “Ultimately, this is between the Fullmoons and the Crescents. Although, I do think that he saw this distraction as the perfect opportunity to try and kidnap you, but I won’t let that happen. I promise.
“What if something happens and you can’t protect me?” I whispered. “What if Ronan takes me?” I was afraid, more afraid now than I had ever been in my life. Not only was my campus, my home, in peril, but so was my life. Not just my life, but my friends’ lives. For all I knew, Lori and Jessica, James and Matt, Luke and Justin… For all I knew, they were all dead or changed forever now. Even if we did come out of this victorious and Tiffany’s antidote was able to save everyone, the scars were still there. The rogue that Enzo killed to protect me was still dead. And, without a doubt, Ronan would get away.
If I gave myself up, would my friends be safe? Could things go back to normal for them if I was no longer in the picture?
I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Enzo sighed and gently pulled me closer, wrapping his strong arms around me. His warmth emanated throughout my body, and for the briefest of moments, I felt genuinely safe. As long as Enzo was with me, I knew that everything would be okay. In that moment, the looming arranged marriage no longer existed, and as his scent filled my senses, I knew that we would get through this.
I opened my mouth to speak, but before anything could come out, Enzo and I were alerted by the sound of crashing above. Something shook the ceiling above us, raining a thin smattering of dirt and dust down on our heads. The rogues were coming.
Enzo and I pulled apart then stared at each other for a few moments as the understanding of the situation relayed between us. Tension filled the air; there was another silence, then another crash, and more dirt and dust rained down on us.
We ran. We ran as fast as we could down the hallway. I didn’t even feel the pain in my leg anymore, although whether that was due to my natural healing abilities or simply due to the adrenaline in my system was a mystery to me. It didn’t matter, though. We had to move the students.
When we arrived back at the room and skidded to a halt in the doorway, the students were huddled in the corner with Tiffany at the front of the group, looking around wildly as she tried to contact the dean with her walkie-talkie again to no avail. “Cynthia?!” she shouted frantically. Are you there? Please! We can’t stay in the tunnels!”
But there was no response. When Tiffany saw us, her frightened eyes widened. The room fell silent for a moment that felt like an eternity. Not even the air moved, and for a second, 1 thought that maybe the rogues had moved on, not realizing that we were down here. But I knew that that was only a pipe dream when the ceiling rattled again.
No one needed to speak; everyone seemed to be of the same understanding that we needed to get out before the rogues came, and that feeling only intensified when we heard the sound of something large slamming into the steel doors at the main entrance of the tunnels.
Our only other way out was through the forest.
“Come on!” I said, ushering the frightened students through the doorway while Enzo led them further into the tunnels, toward the forest entrance. Once everyone was out, Tiffany and I followed at the back of the group, looking over our shoulders constantly as we ran. I felt her hand intertwine with mine, which was a comfort on this day filled with terror and gave me the strength to push my legs to carry me faster through the dark tunnels. While we ran, I felt my wolf’s power surge through me again just as it had when I ran through the forest, only now I felt my eyes focus in the dark. Everything began to brighten, giving me the sight I needed to guide myself and Tiffany through the tunnels.
Just then, we heard a final crash followed by a loud, booming howl échoing down the tunnels.
The rogues were inside. We ran faster. Some of the students began to lag behind, but Tiffany and 1 pushed them forward, urging them to just keep running. These tunnels weren’t as long as I remembered; soon, we would reach the end. I hadn’t been through that way like Enzo had, but I trusted him to guide us, and he did just that.
The sounds of the rogues came closer. It was a deafening, grating sound that filled the walls of the tunnels and made my ears ring. I could hear their sharp claws scraping against metal, their
guttural snarls, I could even smell their rank musk as they closed the distance between us. There had to be several. All I could imagine was the image of their bodies pressing together as they
lurched through the tunnels, following our scents and coming straight for us. And when I glanced over my shoulder with my newfound night vision, I swore I could see them chasing us far downthe tunnel. Finally, we came to the end. I watched ahead as Enzo clambered up a ladder.
He pushed on something above his head, then the tunnel filled with light. The hatch was open. He climbed back down and ushered the students forward, helping them up the ladder one by one and shouting for them to run until only Tiffany and I were left.
“Go to the cabins,” Enzo said, helping Tiffany up the ladder and tossing her medical bag up to her. “I’ll meet you all there.”
“You’ll meet us?” I asked, my heart racing. Enzo only gritted his teeth and pushed me up onto the ladder, but I wouldn’t budge. “Enzo, you can’t stay!”
“They’ll only keep following us,” he insisted. “I have to hold them back. Don’t worry; I’ll apprehend them. I promise I’ll meet you soon.” I felt tears begin to stream uncontrollably down my cheeks. “Let me help you, then,” I whimpered.
Enzo shook his head. There was a pain in his eyes that I knew he was trying to hide, but I could see right through it. He knew that he might die down there.
“Go, Nina,” he said. “I promise I’ll meet you at the cabins.”
The sound of the rogues echoed closer. Enzo gave me one final shove up the ladder; I had no choice. I climbed up the rest of the way and crawled out onto the forest floor, sobbing as Enzo reached up and yanked the hatch shut behind me.
