Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

I'M ON A DEMONIC HELLHOUND, RACING THROUGH A BURNING BUILDING, AND...

T he word 'fire' echoed in my mind like an ominous warning, and my thoughts spiraled into chaos. My heart pounded in my chest, threatening to burst through my ribs as my lungs screamed for air. How could a fire break out in such a controlled environment like this? Then a worse thought permeated my mind... who would set fire to this place?

"Something... or someone triggered a massive fire throughout the building. It's spreading fast. We need to evacuate now." Ryker announced, completely unaware that I'd plucked the word from the minds of Trux, Seph, and Rhiot.

"Is there any way to contain it?" Seph barked the question while grabbing the arm Rhiot wasn't holding and pulling me toward the door. Rhiot came with us without a bit of resistance. Ryker followed close behind, clutching his tablet as if it were a lifeline.

Once in the hallway, the acrid smell of smoke scorched my nose. Either we'd discovered it late or the fire was spreading quickly. I wasn't sure I liked the idea of either option.

Burning alive was a fairly recent fear... one caused by living in my mother's house since she'd passed. There were too many flammable items packed wall to wall that gave me nightmares of burning to death in my sleep. The fear from that new fear gripped me unlike anything I'd ever experienced before, and I felt myself shutting down instead of doing something more productive. My body trembled as I oscillated on the verge of shock from the sheer intensity of the emotion threatening to tear me apart.

"Keep it together, Parker," I muttered under my breath, attempting to will away the fear that threatened to swallow me whole.

"Something's wrong." Seph's voice was barely audible over the blaring alarm, but the desperation in her tone was unmistakable. "This doesn't seem normal."

"Ryker?" I locked gazes with him, begging for answers without being able to force the words out.

Ryker stared back at me, his own fear reflected in his piercing gaze. "I... can't... find... source..." His voice shook as fingers tapping furiously on the tablet.

"Damn it!" Seph slammed her fist against the nearest wall, but I never even heard it over the sound of the alarms. "If we can't stop it, then we have to find a way out."

"Think, think, think." Ryker chanted to himself, his fingers racing through commands and searches. "There's got to be something I can do."

Seph bolted down the hallway, leading the group through the identical corridors as she muttered directions to herself.

"Ryker, any updates?" Rhiot choked out between coughs. The smoke grew thicker until it burned my eyes.

"Still working on it," Ryker replied tersely, his fingers flying across the screen of the small tablet clutched in his hand.

"Damn it, we need to get out of here!" Seph snarled, her eyes wild and frantic as she scanned the open space we'd come to. No signs directed us to safety. Nothing I could see in our surroundings contained clues that might help us.

Weren't clearly lit exit signs required by the government? Apparently, super secret divisions of the government didn't have to follow those rules. Probably didn't think something like this could happen... and we all saw how that turned out for the Titanic.

"The fire suppression system has failed for both the primary and secondary methods. There's no way to get the fire out. Plus, the containment measures have failed. I don't fucking understand how this is happening. None of the protective and self-preservation systems for this facility are functional!" Ryker snarled, his voice strained with urgency. "The only way we're going to survive this is if we get out of here."

"How?" Seph demanded, her voice tight with tension. "I need a path."

Tears welled up in my eyes as the smoke grew thicker. Even rapidly blinking didn't help much.

"East wing." Ryker said, his words clipped and decisive. "There's an emergency exit there with no demon protections on the door jamb."

"Let's go," Seph urged. I could tell she was trying to project a calm demeanor, but inside, I felt her emotions swirling in panic as she tried to save us.

There was no way everyone would get out of here in time. Hell, we'd be lucky to make it out with how quickly the smoke was building up.

As we sprinted through the dimly lit corridors, the demon side of me raged. The tattoos of Cerberus and Mephistral writhed and twisted on my skin, as if eager to break free and protect me from the impending danger. Or cause more chaos. Between the two of them, it was impossible to predict.

"Focus on escaping." I urged myself through soft muttering. My vision blurring as I fought against the panic that clawed at my nose and lungs from the burning acrid smoke. "You need to stay in control. The last thing we need right now is your unruly demon power lashing out and doing something incredibly inconvenient."

The hazy, bright corridor was like something out of a horror movie. The lights flickered erratically until they didn't turn back on. Rhiot and Seph kept their grips on me as we ran. Which was a damn good thing, since I couldn't see where we were running anymore.

"Almost there." Ryker called out, his voice barely audible over the sound of our frantic footsteps and screeching alarms.

We skidded to a stop in front of the flaming wall that separated us from freedom. I stared at it in horror. My heart thumped erratically in my chest as the fire grew larger and louder with every passing second. Now they were starting to drown out the alarms.

"We can't go through that!" I shouted, feeling like my lungs were going to burst. I felt Rhiot and Seph tighten their grips on my arms, pushing me back from the flames. The heat of them left sweat evaporating as quickly as it formed.

"You're right," Ryker said, watching the wall as if he expected it to come down at any moment. "We'll have to find another way." He pointed toward an open door on the other side of the room, leading out into the night air.

But we still had to get through this burning inferno first. We'd have no chance against it without help. Suddenly, a loud creaking sound filled the space around us and I felt a wave of heat wash over me. The ground shook beneath our feet as part of the wall collapsed, sending pieces of flaming debris flying and nearly singeing my skin.

I screamed, unable to control my terror and frustration any longer. We were going to burn to death. Fuck, I didn't want to go out that way.

We all scrambled backward from the wreckage as quickly as we could, barely making it back out of harm's way before more debris flew outward from what was left of the wall.

The only thing separating us from safety now was a raging fire that seemed determined not to let us pass. Even though we were so close to freedom now, it seemed like an impenetrable barrier between us and our goal. Survival.

The air was thick with tension and helplessness. I felt my breath hitching in my throat as my lungs refused to take in the poisoned air. Rhiot tugged on my arm as he caught my attention, the weight of Rhiot's gaze burning into me.

"Summon Cerberus, Parker," Rhiot demanded, his voice low and urgent. "We need him now."

I hesitated, fear clawing at my insides. Every time I summoned the three-headed beast, chaos followed, and I had little control over what came next. But there was no denying the urgency in Rhiot's voice. He knew something I didn't, and I'd take any chance I could get right now.

"Cerbie, come to me." I muttered, raising my arm to reveal the demonic tattoo snaking across my skin. With a deep breath, I focused on the image before me, channeling all my energy into bringing the beast to life. A wave of ice rippled through my body, an instant relief from the unbearably hot room. The inked image of Cerberus pulsed with life, swirling around my arm until he lept out of my hand. The flat, 2d image of him expanded a giant form filled the hallway.

Chaos engulfed the room as the massive three-headed dog appeared, snarling and snapping at the air. Its eyes glowed like molten lava, each head searching for a threat to eliminate. I stumbled back, heart pounding in my chest as the icy feeling he left behind evaporated from the heat of the room.

"Talk, Rhiot," I ordered through gritted teeth, struggling to keep my voice steady. "What's going on? Why do we need Cerberus?"

Rhiot didn't take his eyes off the beast, his expression a mix of awe and determination. "There's more to this, and I'll explain as soon as we're safe, but we need to get out of here first."

"Damn it, Rhiot," I hissed, sweat beading on my brow as the temperature continued to climb. "If you don't tell me the second we're safe, I'm going to beat the answers out of you."

"I'll explain everything soon, but right now, we need to focus on getting out of here. With Cerberus's help."

As much as I wanted to argue, to demand answers right then and there, I couldn't deny the truth in Rhiot's words. Whatever was happening, whatever danger we faced, our best chance at survival meant I needed to follow orders. I didn't know enough about anything going on to think I could do things better than him.

"Fine," I breathed, steeling myself for what came next. "Let's do this."

"Ryker!" Seph shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. "This was our only route. Shut down this security system. We need to move!"

"Already on it," Ryker replied in a distant voice, his fingers flying over his tablet.

"Go!" Seph locked eyes with me. "Get out of here, find an exit! We'll catch up."

"Are you sure?" I hesitated, not wanting to leave them behind. But there was a fierce determination in Seph's eyes that told me she would do whatever it took to keep her promise.

"Trust us, Parker," she insisted. "We're not about to lose or leave you."

With a deep breath, I nodded, steeling my resolve. Rhiot jumped onto Cerberus, gripping the coarse fur on one of the beast's three necks. He reached out a hand to me, and I took it. After a moment of hesitation, I pulled myself up onto the creature's broad back.

"Stay close." Rhiot warned as Cerbie spun and lunged down the smoke filled hallway. Rhiot pulled me tight against his chest. "And hold on tight."

"Rhiot, wait!" I protested as the beast let out a blood-curdling howl, his muscles rippling with raw, demonic power. Rhiot's arm wrapped around my waist, keeping me secure as the monstrous creature began to move.

"Trust me," Rhiot whispered into my ear, his breath cool against my skin. "I won't let anything happen to you."

As we galloped down the fire lit hallway, I felt the heat growing more intense. Sweat beaded on my forehead, trickling down my neck and soaking into my clothes. Between the sweat and smoke, tears poured down my cheeks from the burning pain. The scent of sulfur and smoke filled the air, stifling in its heaviness.

"Rhiot, this is insane!" I shouted over the roar of Cerberus' strides. This way was worse than the one we'd left, which meant that there was no way Seph and Ryker wouldn't be able to get out.

"Sometimes you have to trust. They'll be okay... we all will." He replied, his voice low and steady despite the chaos surrounding us. His grip on me tightened, making me acutely aware of the strength in his arms, the contours of his body pressed against mine. Even in the midst of danger, I couldn't ignore the need inside of me that seemed to spark the demon lust always burning inside of me.

Cerberus' massive body twisted and bucked, each powerful stride threatening to throw me into the inferno below.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice strained with effort as he directed Cerberus through the chaos. With the index finger of his other hand, he drew incomprehensible symbols over my chest.

"Define 'alright,'" I gasped, terror clawing at my insides. "I'm on a demonic hellhound, racing through a burning building, and… and..."

"Focus, Parker," Rhiot urged, his breath cool against my ear. His hand moved as he drew something on my left thigh. "Focus on me. We'll get through this together."

A wave of heat washed over us, scorching the air and stealing my breath away. For a moment, I felt suspended in time; the world reduced to nothing but fire and fear. But then Rhiot's grip tightened, grounding me once more in the present.

"Up ahead!" he shouted, pointing towards a wall of flames that stretched from floor to ceiling. "Hold on!"

I clung to him, eyes squeezed shut as Cerberus lunged forward, muscles rippling beneath us. The roar of the fire filled my ears, its ferocity a living, breathing thing that threatened to devour us whole.

"Rhiot!" I cried out, the world spinning wildly around me.

"Trust me." He whispered, determination lacing his words. Another symbol, this time on my forehead. "Just trust me."

My heart pounded in my chest, fear warring with the inexplicable surge of desire that Rhiot's closeness stirred within me. I wanted to believe in him, to trust that he would keep us safe, but the flames were closing in, suffocating us with their deadly embrace.

"Rhiot..." I choked out as despair clawed at my chest, my voice barely audible over the cacophony of destruction surrounding us. My fingernails dug into his arm as I braced for... well, I didn't know what the fuck to expect. We were running into a wall of fire.

As we plunged closer to the inferno, the heat intensified, and the flames licked hungrily at our skin. But Rhiot never faltered, his determination and reassurance sliding through the bond to strengthen me. For the first time since this nightmare began, I dared to hope that we might just make it out alive.

"Hold on!" Rhiot shouted, his grip on me tightening like a vice grip until it was painful as we barreled toward the wall of flames.

My mouth opened to scream, but I choked on the smoke. My lungs froze, completely seized by smoke and heat. The last thing I saw was a wall of fire coming right at me.