Page 29 of No Way Back
The broken heart is mine, and with it shattered, there’s nothing to contain what’s left of me.
The nausea spills in a violent rush, all I can do is turn my head to the side and let it out. It feels unending, and soon, I’m dry heaving, only bile left, yet my stomach still forces it out.
And then, I hear the wailing, the broken sobbing of a woman who has lost everything, of a woman who has nowhere left to go but hell.
It’s my own.
I’m no longer aware of my surroundings, in a bubble of my own creation as I viciously pound on Naya’s chest with my fists, like it’ll somehow bring her back to life. Then, I’m lifted off her corpse, wrapped in a tight embrace and held against a hot body. He just sits there, rocking me back and forth, his hand brushing my hair in an attempt to soothe my bludgeoned heart.
He’s mumbling in my ear, something soft, but my cries are louder, and there’s no way to stop the noise. “Baby, please. Please.” I barely make out his pleas. “Shh, shh, baby.”
There’s fear in his voice for the first time tonight, but no part of me can stop this. It’s autonomous, and it won’t end until it needs to, until I feel it all.
He kisses the top of my head, just holding me, letting me grieve.
Grieve for her, and for who I’ll never be again.
His hold on me only loosens when we hear a clamoring in the distance, deep in the darkness. I’m choking on my sobs, hiccupping through a loud deluge of tears that keep me prisoner, keep me drowning, but Demetri’s head spins.
“I hear a girl.” The sound of a man’s voice at the end of the hallway pulls my attention.
I look at Harkins, only unease in his expression, and when I follow his line of sight, I see why. Four inmates walk toward us from the stairwell, the faded orange of their jumpsuits enough to guarantee these guys weren’t civilians or haunt actors. Demetriis on his feet in seconds, pulling me up and holding me to his side.
He’s got my ax in one hand and the chainsaw next to him, but there’s no way in hell we can take four inmates at once, not without all of the chaos and distractions to make it easier. Not when they’re coming directly for us.
“I need you to run and hide, Camila.” He pulls me behind him.
“N-no, I’m not leaving you.” I cling to him, shaking my head, even though I know he hasn’t taken his eyes off the inmates.
“This isn’t like the others. I can’t protect us both.” He turns to me, grabbing my face in his hands.
The wild look in his eyes fills me with dread, but I know there’s nothing I can do to change his mind. No mistakes, and I already made the biggest one by leading them down here with my crying. The kiss is painful, consuming all of me, squeezing my heart in a vise as his lips seal over mine. His tongue invades my mouth for only a brief moment, only to remind me what he tastes like.
I’m lost in it, submerged in the feeling of being loved by him, when I feel his hand shove at the center of my chest. “I’m sorry,” he mouths out, shutting the iron door as I fall inside the dark room.
My heart thunders, racing in my chest a million miles an hour. The chainsaw roars, and I lose all reason, pulling at the handle, screaming bloody murder and yelling his name. “Open the door!” I hit it with my shoulder, once, twice, and then I step back a few feet to get a running start.
But it’s an iron door, and there’s no way out.
I’m in solitary confinement.
My breathing is heavy, frantic and choppy as panic floods over all my senses, and the room is cold, so cold that I can see it forming in front of me with every exhale.
“Mila.” I hear my best friend’s voice calling behind me.
“No. No. No.” I cup my ears with my hands and squeeze my eyes shut, pressing the side of my body to the iron door.
And the chainsaw keeps going.
12
A reckoning
Harkins
My head bobs, the exhaustion and need for sleep is finally taking over. Camila’s screaming on the other side of the door and the prison siren have now become my lullaby.
“Who’s there?” I hear an authoritative voice call out from the end of the hall.
