No Control (Chris Motionless)

Chapter 47 - Escape Plan

The faint taste of blood lingered on the back of my tongue as Mackenzie's fingernails dug into my arms while she tugged me back, pleading, "Amber, get up! We have to run!"

Chris, William, the demon... whatever the fuck he was just shook his head, and if his eyes hadn't been twin voids, I would've sworn that he rolled them too. "Is all of that really necessary?"

"Fuck you!" She snapped as she helped me struggle to my feet.

He emitted a growl from somewhere deep in his chest that made my hair stand on end. It was such a guttural sound that I had difficulty believing that it could even come out of a human. Yet, as sick as it seemed, some part of me was fascinated that something like him could even exist, and the intense energy surrounding him felt as if I was being sucked in. I felt like a dying sun spinning into the black hole that was his very being, and something in me seemed to whisper to me to give in.

"Don't move another inch," Mackenzie warned, startling me out of my stupor when I realized that Chris had taken another step towards us and that Mackenzie now had my stolen knife clutched in the hand that wasn't still wrapped around my arm.

"You thinking that simple blade can hurt me is almost laughable."

A section of text flashed before my mind's eye, and I found myself muttering, "But it can. Until the ritual is complete, you're still basically human."

He smirked as he leaned against the bed frame, his elbow knocking against the handcuffs still dangling over the railing. "It looks like someone has been doing their reading, but you forgot that I become more powerful with each kill, and now you're the last one I need. I'll let you figure out the rest."

I grit my teeth in frustration, understanding that even though it was two against one, including our weapon, he would easily beat us. Glaring up at the horrible thing that possessed Chris's body, something came to me; we still had the element of surprise. I gingerly pulled my arm out of Kenzie's grasp, and we exchanged a swift glance as I hoped that she somehow understood what I was about to do. Her fingertips tightened ever so slightly before letting go, a silent reassurance to say that she was ready for whatever I was about to do.

Without thinking, I launched myself at Chris, causing us both to crash onto the bed. I had to bite back a shriek from having my face a little more than a breath away from that soulless gaze, struggling to comprehend that I wasn't looking into Chris's eyes anymore.

Mackenzie bolted over to us, taking advantage of his momentary state of shock, and sank the knife into the side of his calf. I scrambled to clamp the cuff around his wrist while his other hand reached down to his leg. Arms wrapped around my torso as Mackenzie hauled my body off of his, right as he thought to reach for me. I only managed to grab a handful of the things I needed from my failed binding ritual before Mackenzie was dragging me out the door.

"The locket!" I protested, fearing that we were leaving behind the most essential object in the ritual.

"Just forget it!" She commanded as the sound of groaning metal had us both whipping around to find Chris pulling at his now weak-looking restraint, bending the iron bedframe down the middle.

Not another word was wasted between the two of us as we bolted for the stairs and descended them at a rate that had us both stumbling over our own feet. When we burst into the lobby, it was almost startling to find it just as empty as it had been when we brought Chris inside. As if it were any other peaceful night. The sound of our ragged breathing was unsettling to my ears as I tugged Mackenzie after me this time, desperate to put as much distance between us and the demon upstairs as possible.

"Oh my god, Amber," She calls out to me in a tearful voice as we make our way outside. "You're covered in blood."

"I'm fine. " I spit out as we sprint down the deserted street. "We have to keep going. We need to get help."