Arcanum Hominem (#1)

Chapter 25

Whoever was in the room was trashing it badly from what I could hear.

"What can we do while we're in here? I feel useless right now." I whispered, getting antsy.

"All we can do is wait. Wait until they're done," he whispered back, pacing in front of me.

"But what if they come in here? We have nothing to help defend ourselves." I tried to keep my voice low, but it was hard with all the commotion happening on the other side, making my heart rate go up.

"They're not, trust me. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" He glanced over his shoulder at me and raised his brows, trying to emphasize his point. I calmed down just a little bit at his words and nodded. I didn't really want to, but there was no point in panicking. So we just stood there, waiting for it to be over. After a minute of the room sounding like it was being trashed, I heard the first footsteps in the closet. That was when my heart started beating quicker again, and I moved closer to Killian before I could stop myself, my arm brushing his. When it sounded like the closet was getting destroyed, Killian put his arm out and pushed me slightly behind him, shielding me from anything that would come through that door. 

I kept my breathing even, and my nerves calm, but it was hard. Every possible bad thing that could happen to us was going through my mind, and I was starting to wonder if this was even a good idea. Being here with him, not knowing the full story, just trusting his word. And now my life was in danger. Was that enough for me? Enough for me to continue to put myself in a position like this where I could end up losing my life? I didn't have a definitive answer right now. 

The trashing of the closet finally stopped, and it sounded like they left. 

"Are they gone now?" I asked Killian, keeping my voice so low, I wasn't sure if he heard me or not.

"I'm not sure, so you need to stay quiet," he whispered back, and I gritted my teeth. 

"Are you going to check to be sure?"

"Scarlett, shut up."

I huffed. "I'm gonna rip your fucking tongue out," I muttered to myself. He chuckled at my words, and then it was quiet again. For what felt like five long minutes, we stood there unmoving, listening out for anyone. 

"I'm going to go out and check to make sure it's clear," Killian whispered, and I nodded but realized he couldn't see me.

"Okay, don't die, please. I can't defend myself." 

I heard him scoff before pressing something against the wall, making the door slide open. I held my breath as the door revealed us, my heart beating a million times per second. A little light came into the room from the closet, and from what I could see from behind Killian, who was blocking most of the way, the closet and his room were both trashed. Shoes and clothes were thrown everywhere, and I took a step forward in the doorway of the closet and the small room to see more. Lamps were smashed, the pieces shattered, all over the floor.

His dressers were all pulled open and bed unmade, the mattress turned sideways. I walked out of the room fully, though I wasn't supposed to leave, and gasped softly when I saw the full extent of the room. It was a horror.

"Watch out!" Killian yelled out just as a hand grabbed my shoulder, yanking me down, and I fell to the ground before I could even register what was going on. I looked up in time to see Killian grabbing a person with black headgear on, most of the face covered, and he punched their throat, making them wheeze for air. The person grabbed their gun from their side and quickly pointed it at Killian, and I yelled out to him. 

Killian grabbed the arm holding the gun just as it fired, and I finched, putting my fingers in my ears, rubbing it, and shaking my head to stop the ringing. Killian kneed the person in the stomach and grabbed the sides of their head, twisting it in one snap. I gasped and scrambled backward as a sickening crunch filled the air. The body dropped to the ground in front of me, and I jumped up to my feet with a yelp. Killian was in fight mode and quickly grabbed the gun off the floor, pointing it at the window before pointing it at the bathroom, walking inside, and then coming out and slowly walking out of the bedroom, gun still pointed. 

I stood where I was, frozen in place. That person was dead. He just killed someone in front of me. I stared at the person on the floor in awe. I glanced back at the door to see that Killian wasn't back yet, so I crouched down and removed the mask, revealing a man. His were still open. 

"We need to leave, now." Killian's voice startled me, and I almost fell over from my crouched position. I stood up and looked down at the guy one last time, staring at his blank eyes before running after Killian down the stairs. 

The front door was already open, and we sprinted out of it, stepping on broken glass as we went. Killian unlocked his car door and didn't even have to say anything to me; I immediately hopped in. He started up the car in record time, smashing the gas, reversing the car, and sped down the road. 

We were dead silent in the car. The only sound heard was the hum of the engine.

"What the hell was that? The truth Killian, now." I finally spoke, my voice stern. I needed answers right now. My heart was still racing, and I was trying to comprehend everything, with no success. 

"Those men were there to kill me," he answered me, making me roll my eyes.

"No shit sherlock, they certainly weren't there for me. I need more than that. Give me the details if you want me to trust you."

"You have no choice. We're on the run now." He shut me down, and I squinted my eyes at him.

"On the run? No, I can't be on the run. I have school, and even if we were, I would need my things like a duffel bag and some clothes, an-"

"Forget about that. I'll make sure that you're good with your classes. I'll speak with your professors." He interrupted me to speak, and his response surprised me a little—just a little bit. I leaned back into my seat, blinking. 

"Okay. Thank you, but I still need my stuff. That's not up for debate." I told him, leaning my arm against the car door. I needed my journal, I had so much to write down, and my brain was not handling all of this information at once well, at all. 

"Fine. We'll do a quick stop, and then we need to go because the people who are after me will be tracking me, which means they'll be tracking you as well, got it?" he told me, and I nodded quickly. 

"Since we're on the run then, you have time to explain everything to me, so explain." I turned in my seat slightly to face him, a winning smile on my face. He couldn't avoid me now. He had no choice but to explain everything. His jaw clenched, and he let out a loud, deep breath before glancing at me. Then he began to explain.