The door creaked open ominously, and incredibly loudly. Nathan held his breath, listening for any movement, any sign that the alphas had heard and were coming for them. The door opened on to a corridor, and from his position, he couldn't see anything except the blank wall of the opposite side.
He didn't risk peaking around the corner. He raised the wood board up like a club, not daring to take a step forward. Or back. Eliza held onto his left arm tightly.
A minute passed. There was only silence, occasionally broken by the sound of scurrying mice. As time went on, his racing heart calmed, and his confidence returned. He risked a peak down the long corridor.
The hall was only faintly illuminated by warm light bleeding out of the half-open doorway at the end, the rest of the doors were shut and dark. The main light was off. The windows at either end were dark, but he could make out the faint light of the moon, and trees. They weren't in the city any more.
They'd been moved. And he had no idea where they were. Or how they were going to get back. He tried hard not to think about how their escape was getting harder by the second.
His eyes fell on the lumps on the floor. Big lumps. Oddly shaped lumps. Something that didn't belong.
He took a couple steps closer, dragging Eliza along reluctantly. Her grip felt like it was tightening was every step he took. He could see them now.
Bodies.
The alphas. Unmoving. Unnaturally still. Dead. All three of them.
Nathan dropped his improvised club in shock. Eliza flinched at the loud thud. He didn't even hear it, stuck in his own thoughts. It took a moment for him to gather his wits, as conflicting emotions bombarded him.
"You killed them," Nathan whispered in shock.
Eliza whimpered almost inaudibly. She had her face buried in his bicep, refusing to look.
Nathan took a very deep breath, then approached them reluctantly to examine them visually. The two in the corridor had their necks at odd angles. Wrong angles. Their necks had been snapped.
Nathan carefully stepped over the first corpse, making sure Eliza followed his lead. The door hadn't closed because the third body was propping it open. It was face down, a pool of dark red blood underneath.
Nathan looked away, overcome by sudden bout of nausea. The room itself wasn't much. A table. A chair. Some cards. Some chips. A bare bulb shining light into the hall. He was hoping they wouldn't have to go in there.
Eliza tugged at his arm, her whimpers growing louder, more insistent. He glanced down at her, then to the bodies littering the floor. It seemed impossible. He'd heard of people doing crazy things in feral state, cases of inhuman strength, vicious bloodshed. This fit all too well.
"That's what... you really killed them?" Nathan asked her, his voice still a whisper. "Were you trying to find me? Is that why...?"
Eliza gazed up at him, pupils blown wide, wearing an expression that suggested she hadn't understood a word of what he said. Nathan searched her eyes, her expression, for any hint, any clue as to what was going on in her mind. He didn't miss the fear in her eyes.
She broke his gaze, rubbing her cheek against his chest as she whined anxiously. Her grip on his arm was an iron hold, even though her tugging was light.
Nathan frowned, more worried than scared. That could be solved later. Once she was back to normal. Once she could talk again. He decided to focus on the positive, on the present. Three rapists were dead. The world was a slightly better place. Most importantly, their chances of escape were looking a lot better now.
"Right, we'll leave," Nathan declared at a normal volume. It felt strange not to whisper, even though there was no need. He turned around to face the door on the opposite side of the hall, feeling around for the light switch.
The lamp came on with an audible click. There was a pile of clothes on the floor. He searched it, easily finding their stuff. The alphas must not have had time to look through it at all because even their wallets were still there.
As he rifled through the pile of stolen items, he tried not to think about who the other things belonged to. It seemed like they hadn't been this group's only victims. Or rather, they'd been two out of a great many victims.
Any lingering sympathy he may have had for the corpses in the hall vanished.
Getting his clothes on with her holding on to him was a challenge. Her grip was no longer as tight as it had been, but it seemed impossible to get her to let go for more than a second. He ended up juggling her from limb to limb, occasionally grumbling in frustration.
Dressing himself was difficult. Dressing her was impossible.
She twisted and turned, making it nearly impossible to get any piece of clothing on her. When he did manage it, it was a short lived victory, as she'd pull it right off again an instant later. Eliza appeared interested in the clothing pile, feeling and smelling different items, but not in her own clothes.
He tried praising, coaxing, pleading, nothing worked. She stayed completely and utterly nude. The miracle that he was finally able to get her to stop clinging was significantly overshadowed by the failure to not get a single item on her, even a single sock.
Eventually, he gave up in frustration, leaving her to her own devices. The adrenaline had faded. His head was starting to hurt. He'd almost forgotten about the injury, but now it was a persistent presence. Exhausted, he sat down next to the door, leaning against the wall.
Nathan finally touched the wound above his eye. His hand came away bloody. After staring for an instant, he wiped his hand off on his pants. That wasn't a good sign. He leaned his head back to the wall and closed his eyes.
Maybe he needed a break. Just to sit down for a few minutes. While she was still preoccupied, with... whatever she was doing.
He watched as she looked through the clothing, her actions nonsensical to him. Fabric was flung in random directions. Occasionally, she'd rub something against her skin, only to crumple it up and toss it away a second later. Before long, the entire room was a complete mess.
He didn't interrupt, hardly paying her any attention at all, his thoughts focused on their other problems. Their captors were dead, but their situation was just as hopeless as before. They could probably walk out right out of here, but then what? They'd be an injured beta and a naked feral omega in heat hiking through the forest in the middle of the night. He had no clue how far they'd have to walk, or even in which direction, to find help. Or if someone would even help them.
He didn't have much faith in the kindness of strangers at the moment.
He slumped against the wall. They'd never make it. They'd end up just as dead as if their kidnappers had simply killed them. This way would simply take longer.
Eliza finally emerged from the pile and crawled towards him. To his surprise, and relief, she was actually wearing something. It was a large shirt, way too big and loose on her, and dirty too. It was more of a raggedly dress than a shirt, but it was something.
Nathan gave her a tired smile. She poked his leg with her nose, her still-dilated pupils gazing at him expectantly. If she could accomplish that... then he could certainly find the energy to keep moving.
"You're right, we can't give up, good omega." Nathan stood up slowly, ignoring the throbbing pain in his skull. "Break time's over."
Eliza purred happily back at him, enthusiastically resuming her position clinging to his arm. Not bothering with socks, he was able to get her shoes on without much fuss. It was an improvement. He decided not to push his luck with anything else, but stuffed her things in a bag to take with them, in the faint hope that she would change her mind later.
"Okay, let's go." Nathan led Eliza back into the hall. He tried another door. Living room. He could see a truck parked outside the front door. That was it, their way out of here. He wasn't the best driver, even without head injuries, but he could make this work.
He just needed to find the keys. Glancing about the room, his eyes fell on the empty key hooks by the entryway. A lump formed in his stomach.
One of the alphas likely had them. He'd have to search the bodies, touch them. The thought made him want to vomit.
Nathan reluctantly went back into the hallway, dreading what he had to do. Eliza whimpered fearfully as they approached the corpses.
"I know, I don't want to be here either. I'll be fast," Nathan promised hopefully. "We're almost out. Just a little longer."
He didn't look at the face. He didn't look at the neck. He blocked it all out, seeing only the pockets.
He tried not to gag as he patted them down. There was something there. Hard. Misshapen. He reached inside and pulled out the keys.
Nathan didn't waste any time getting them out of there. It didn't take long to convince Eliza to get into the passenger seat of the pickup. He jumped into the driver's side and she immediately latched on again.
"I need my hands to drive," Nathan stated dryly. He pried her off his forearm and wrapped her hand around his sleeve. She gripped the fabric tightly. "Hold right there. Just like that. You're doing a great job."
A quiet, satisfied purr filled the vehicle. He couldn't resist a small smile. They'd made it out. He pulled on to the road and floored the gas pedal, with no particular destination in mind other than away from here.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcs3eyXqdG
