Our Sanctuary

Chapter 16

A pain in my chest formed, but I quickly pushed it away as we jogged down the hallway. This wasn't the time to mourn anyone. I just had to focus on getting as many people out as possible.

My eyes shifted to the sword that was bobbing up and down in Achlys hand as she ran and the dark blood that was running off of it from the Feymon she had just killed. A sour taste filled my mouth. Gratitude for the death of the monster flooded through me, –replacing the feeling of hurt– as anger coursed through my body and mind.

I wanted all of them dead. I wanted them all to pay.

We passed by the cafeteria and made our way to the training room at an even slower pace. A part of me hoped that as we passed they wouldn't be able to see us through the windows, but the other part of me hoped that they would and I could get the chance to kill some of them. Even if I ended up dying, I wouldn't mind. As long as I took some of them with me.

Then without thinking, the part of me that wanted them to notice us took control of my body as we came to the doors and I stopped. We were intending to quickly pass and then make a run for the staircase down the other hallway, but halted and stood in front of one of the windows of the double doors, my eyes scouring from one side of the room to the other.

Most of the Feymon were in the same positions as before, but a few things had changed. Many of the teens hanging from the targets had a lot more holes from bullets and knives stuck in them, and I also noticed that the tall Feymon from before was nowhere in sight. I studied each of the faces trying to find the one with the long scar, but I ended up with no success.

He wasn't there anymore.

My brows furrowed as I looked down each of the hallways, expecting him to suddenly appear out of nowhere, but there were no movements coming from the shadows anywhere. With no luck of catching sight of him, I looked at the rest of my group and the annoyed expressions on each of their faces.

"C'mon, Zoe," Willow hissed with a hand gesture telling me to join them. "What are you doing?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out as I glanced through the window one last time. I then pressed my lips into a thin line as I jogged to catch up with them. They each gave me one last look of annoyance before we resumed our plan of escape.

I kept my eyes on the ground as they each discussed the plan in more depth. Achlys and I were to go to the second level and see if the rest of us were still there while Matteo and Willow were to run down to the first floor and where the garage was to see if they had all gone there. We were then to all meet at the roof where Achlys portal was and we'd have to put all of our trust into her and follow her through.

Once they were done discussing all the final details, Willow glanced at me. Matteo caught the small gesture from Willow and looked at me with the annoyance still very much present on his features.

"What was the point of that anyways?" he asked angrily. "You just wasted precious time that we could have spent looking for them. Zack could be dead because of-"

"I'm sorry," I interrupted, not meeting his eyes. "It won't happen again."

"I'd hope so."

Achlys and Willow both kept their eyes down through the whole conversation and they continued to keep their eyes down as I spoke up again.

"But, I saw one of them earlier and when I checked again, he wasn't there anymore. He must have left the training room and I'm afraid he might be here somewhere watching us."

"What'd he look like?" Willow asked.

We were about halfway down the hallway, passing doors upon doors that we had opened and gone through previously. The blood was still splattered here and there along the walls, but they all dried a long time ago.

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was there before looking back at Willow to answer her question. "He was quite tall and had this long scar-"

Achlys immediately came to a halt and it was so surprising that it took the three of us a moment to come to a complete stop. Once we finally did, we turned around to stare at her and the way her face had drained slightly of colour. My breathing came in short bursts as was Willow and Matteo's from all of the running we had been doing.

"Where was the scar?" Achlys demanded, seriousness in her eyes as she stared right into my own.

Worry pricked at my insides at her sudden reaction and I was so tempted to not answer her, afraid of the response I might get, but I told her anyway.

"Along his face. From his forehead to-"

"Avery," she said, her eyes widening as they shifted from mine to the empty space between Willow and I.

Confusion momentarily filled me at the sudden shift of her gaze until the sound of a low chuckle rumbling from someone's throat could be heard behind the three of us.

"That's my name."