Page 60 of Chasing the Flame
I groan, sliding a hand down my face. She’s right, we need to get moving. “Alright, let’s cut the shit. I don’t care what we have to do to get inside. Damn sure don’t give a flying fuck who gets hurt either. I’m getting my girl back. So either help me come up with a fucking game plan worth a shit, or get out of my way.”
Dahlia smiles at me, newfound respect shining in her eyes, but I don’t have time to linger too long on the thought.
It’s time to fuck shit up.
A sharp pain stings the back of my skull, my eyelids heavy as I struggle to wake up. My head is fucking throbbing, and I’m freezing half to death. There’s a dripping noise coming from my left, and an earthy yet musty smell lingering in the air. I try to sit up, but quickly realize I can’t move. I’m shackled to a stone slab, my body covered in a sheer gossamer gown.
I turn my head side to side, trying to get a glimpse of where I am. My eyes widen at the sight of the massive and dark cave-like room, my heart slamming into my ribs. “No,” I whisper, tears falling down my cheeks in streaks.
I fought so goddamn hard to get away. I was fucking safe! A sob breaks free, and I can’t stop the dam from bursting. My sobs permeate the room, coating the walls with the echo of my pain.
There’s got to be a way to get out of here, but my mind won’t stop spinning. I’m stuck on the fear of what’s to come. I was only just discovering who I really am, and now? I feel like my life is dangerously close to being cut short.
Thrashing against the chains, I scream. The bloodcurdling sound echoes off the walls, reverberating through my skull. I’m so damn anxious, and I’ve got to find a way to calm down. Then, as if thingsweren’t shitty enough already, I remember I haven’t spoken to my mother in days.
Fuck! My mother! Oh, god, mom is going to be so fucking worried. I whisper a prayer to whatever god or goddess is listening, begging them to not let me die here.
My mind is racing, panic consuming every thought. “Ugh!” I scream, letting out my rage and hurt. “Get it together Averie, you’re fucking smarter than this.”
My wrists burn from the strain, the cold metal biting into my skin. I scream again, louder this time. It’s the kind of scream that shreds your throat and soul, fracturing it into a million pieces.
Something cracks—not in the stone, not in the chains, but inme.
A jolt of heat pulses beneath my skin, wild and untamed. My vision blurs. It’s like fire is blooming behind my eyes, and the air around me warps, humming with static.
The chains tremble.
A flicker of light—no, not light, something older, something primal—rips from my chest in a blinding surge. The gossamer fabric on my skin flares like it’s caught in a wind that doesn’t exist.
Then—BOOM.
A burst of power explodes from my body, a shockwave that knocks dust from the ceiling and sends cracks spider-webbing across the stone.
The chains snap open. The slab beneath me splits with a sharp crack, and I fall hard onto the cold floor, gasping.
I don’t know how the hell I did it. My body feels like it’s humming, electric even, but my magic’s already fading—like a match struck too fast. I can’t get a good breath, my lungs screaming from the trauma of the blast.
Get up.Move.
I scramble to my feet, barefoot and disoriented. I don’t know which way leads out, but I stagger toward the darkness, arms scraped, heart pounding.
Footsteps echo behind me.
Shit.
I take off sprinting, clinging to the right edge of the wall with my outstretched hand. In seconds it’s almost pitch black. I can barely see, my head is still atrocious, and I’m fucking dizzy. I can’t catch my breath, but there’s zero chance in hell I’m stopping.
I’m getting the fuck out of here.
So, I keep running, occasionally trying to spark my magic back to life. It’s no use. It won’t come no matter how hard I try.
A sob wrenches from my chest. I shove it down, lock it away, and keep sprinting. My limbs are aching, but I can’t let him get me.
The cavern wall is splitting, and I’m running out of time to make a decision. I choose the right, keeping my hand running along the wall.
I’m pretty sure my fingers are bleeding, and it’s a fucking shit show trying to keep myself steady. Then, so low I almost missed it… a voice.
“Averie!”
