Page 30 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
“That… that…” He bit his lower lip. “That I—”
A scream broke through the din of the restaurant's clatter. It was followed by what sounded like the screeching of tires and gunshots. Drevan and I jumped to our feet.
“Where did they go?!” he asked, staring pointedly at the empty table Solar and Lunar had occupied.
I had been so lost in Drevan’s words that I didn’t see them leave, and clearly he hadn’t either.
More shots followed. People who had been sitting by the front door started running toward the back. Tables and chairs were overturned, sending silverware and plates crashing to the floor. The desperate patrons slipped in their own meals as they attempted to get away from the commotion.
“This isn’t good,” Drevan announced, grabbing my hand and leading me through the crowd toward the front.
What the hell?!
I wasn’t ready to prove thatdodging bulletstheory Grant and I had talked about. No way Drevan was dragging me into the melee. Refusing to go, I dug in my heels, but I should’ve known better. There was no way to oppose Drevan Morningstar.
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Drevanputhisfreehand up and aimed at the oncoming crowd, which parted like the Red Sea, providing a clear path for us to rush to the front. We jumped over a fallen chair, narrowly missing a buttery pancake that would’ve sent me skating across the floor, and pressed past the entrance. We ran down the cobbled path that led away from the secluded restaurant and made it to the main road.
The scene that stretched before us was one of chaos and confusion. People were running in every direction, spreading outward from the center of the commotion.
A large van sat in the middle of the road, blocking traffic. A line of cars stretched behind it, the drivers further back blowing their horns while the ones closer to the scene crouched behind their dashboards, only the tops of their heads visible as they let their curiosity get the best of them.
At the van’s wheel sat a man wearing a black ski mask, while another one hung from the passenger side door, holding what looked like a semi-automatic weapon.
“Stay back!” he yelled at an elderly guy that started to walk out of an adjacent building, then sprayed the sidewalk with a host of bullets that sent the oblivious old man limping back in.
Shit!I tugged on Drevan’s hand. If that asshole noticed us, we were next. But my demonic friend was unmovable and held fast to me, determined to keep me by his side.
As I’d feared, the trigger-happy dude caught sight of us next and pointed the weapon straight at us.
“Oh, fuck!” Acting purely on instinct, I crouched and put my free hand up, sending a stream of telekinetic energy forward. The invisible force hit Happy Trigger full-on, making him lose his balance and sending him flying against a parked car, bullets spewing upward as he tumbled.
Drevan glanced in my direction, giving me a semi-appreciative look that seemed to sayThank you, but you didn’t have to. I have this under control.
Suddenly, there was a heavy thump of metal from the back of the van and someone calling, “I got her. Go, go, go!”
In the next instant, the driver revved the engine and drove forward white Happy Trigger clambered to his feet and chased after.
“What the hell is going on?” Drevan mumbled under his breath, peering about, trying to understand what the commotion was all about.
“No!” a disembodied voice came from somewhere.
I craned my neck, following the sound, and noticed Solar lying on the ground, propped up on one elbow. He had fallen behind a second parked car and was staring up at the back of the van. Drevan noticed him a moment later and started walking in his direction, dragging me behind them.
“Let go of me!” I jerked my hand back and finally got free.
I stood there as he marched toward Solar, and the van’s tires screeched as it sped away. I followed its trajectory as it swerved around a Mercedes, and drove past it, the van’s side scratching against the luxury car with a loud screech that put my teeth on edge. Looking as if it might tip over, the van took a sharp turn around the corner and disappeared from view.
Bewildered, I grabbed my head and stood motionless for a moment. The world was going crazy. What had just happened? Shaking myself, I headed toward Drevan, who was helping Solar to his feet.
“Shit, shit, shit!” Solar tore at his hair. “Someone stop them.” He broke free of Drevan and started running down the middle of the street, pursuing the van. When he reached the corner, he stopped, then fell to his knees, tears spilling down his chiseled face, lips moving silently as if in prayer.
“Nothing to see here. Nothing to see,” Drevan said in a commanding tone as people started crowding the sidewalk. He pressed past them, making a beeline toward Solar.
I followed in his wake. Sirens wailed in the distance. Several gawkers pulled out their phones and started filming Solar, looking as if they were relishing his distress.
“Hey!” Drevan grabbed Solar by one arm and hauled him to his feet. “What happened?”
