Smash!

•F O R T Y E I G H T•

Jamie's POV

Everything hurts.

Each forced step forward makes every pulled muscle, every sore limb, every broken and twisted body part ache twice as hard than the last step. I push through the need to stop, trying to muster all my strength left to run even just a little bit faster.

"Do you think we can make it?" Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Riley asks the million dollar question while nudging his bruised chin in the direction of the emergency exit. Nate's thundering footsteps come down heavy on the stairs above our bruised heads.

"I don't think so," I shallowly breathe, trying desperately hard to catch my breath.

"Not with that motherfucker behind us." Robin grunts, wiping sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Even in this poor lighting, I can tell Robin is sweating bullets. Beads of sweat are rushing down to pool at the growing sweat stains at her neck, back and pits like a leaky faucet. Her clammy skin is ghostly pale. She shivering as if she's freezing, despite peeling off her leather jacket like she's in the middle of a heat wave.

Whatever Nate drugged her with, she's withdrawing from it pretty bad. Robin needs medical attention. She needs it as soon as possible.

I didn't know I could be anymore afraid, but when I really take in my surroundings I feel the fear amplify into a crippling fear. Forgetting how to move—even how to breathe—I nearly drop to floor. Unlike the rest of the factory, the bottom floor is not one big room used for storage. No, not at all.

As far as I can see, the entire ground of the center room is coated in rust colored blood stains. It looks like a slaughterhouse in here. Like dozens of bodies were dragged and dismembered like Hannibal Lecter's lair. Heavy machinery guns are mounted on the walls, loads of bullets and semi-automatics are caged with a padlock up like a precious museum exhibit.

"This is probably what the inside of Nate's mind looks like." Robin grunts through clattering teeth.

"You never get use to it." Riley quietly mumbles, guiding us further away from the stairs. "just try not to look at any of it, Jamie."

Where am I suppose to look? It's... everywhere. Now standing in this room, I finally realize the high odds of being caught and murdered like an animal down here. Suddenly feeling very small, I try to hold back all the emotions I have felt in the past week, every single one rushing to surface all at once, each demanding my full attention in an over whelming frenzy. Too many at once, they all get lodge in my swelling throat, and I have to bite back the primal urge to scream for help.

I've never felt so much before.

"She looks like she's gonna puke." Robin points out, despite looking she might vomit herself. I think I'm having a panic attack.

"Then that'll make both of us. I've always hated coming down here." Riley rushes us into some backrooms, hopefully towards the emergency stairwell. My feet stay unmoving in the center of the room, while my tearing eyes dart around searchingly. When I don't follow them, Riley rushes back to engulf me in a near tackle, the feel of his arms hugging as much as me as possible makes the ground under me feel sturdier.

"Hey, hey, Jamie," Riley forces my attention back to him. He tries to act strong, but I can't ignore how hard his hands are shaking against me. Some of the hysteria dies down the slightest bit when his forehead softly lands against mine. "I know you're scared. Honestly, it scares me shitless because I have never seen you like this. But that's okay. Now I'm gonna be the mature and level headed one, and keep you safe. I won't let anything happen to you, I will do anything I have to to get you out of here."