Chapter 25

(Chapter song ‘Come As You Are' by Nirvana)

PAISLEY Is it possible for the world to look darker. Even on a bright, sunny day. It must be because my world is certainly dark.

My Philip Marlowe turned out to be Eddie Mars and that hurts me so bad. It’s not fair.

I’ll never watch The Big Sleep the same way again.

My phone pings for hundredth time from the passenger seat of my patrol car. I pick it up and it’s another message from Casey asking if I’m ok. I throw it back down and lean on the door. I’m not ok. Aside from the haunting images of myself, the missing time and this feeling of fear, I miss Quinn.

I know he’s the bad guy. I know I can’t feel for him. He took lives. He’s running from us which is a clear sign of guilt. His parting words from my window, constantly play in my head like an old vinyl record. Over and over. The way he said it, like it was the last thing I’ll ever hear him say again.

But I can’t let the other stuff go. The girl he killed is ruined for life. Her brain is so scrambled, she doesn’t make any sense. Her words are jumbled and mixed up. We can’t get anything from her. She speaks in pure gibberish.

Then there’s me. It’s the eyes that get me. How can eyes so special, do something so evil? I don’t understand it. I know the criminal mind is a complicated place, but none of this makes any sense.

The hands that touched me just didn’t feel like the hands capable of taking a life. The lips that kissed me didn’t feel bad to me. The man who protected me in the alley from Liam, didn’t seem like the guy who could hurt another woman a few days later.

As I watch the people walk around their normal lives, I start to think that maybe there’s something more to this. In the sliver of my mind I think, maybe there is something else going on. The rest of my brain says case closed, but every time I think that, my gut twists.

I start my patrol back up and head for the warehouse district. I’ve come here a few times in hopes of seeing Quinn. I want to be the one that captures him. I want to slap the cuffs on and show him he didn’t scare me off. He’s my villain and I will shut him down.

I should just go back to the station. The last few hours have had some light quakes. Word from the unit is the mountain is acting up, but it’s nothing to worry about. We’ve been out here, trying to keep people calm on the streets and I’m distracting myself with Quinn. Just because the mountain is grumbly today, doesn’t mean crime stops. Bad guys still need to be caught.

I park the car and get out. I walk around the abandon sections. The cities not as active right now because everyone’s watching the mountain climb. The final event of the games. Three climbers are trying to reach the checkpoint on top of Mount Brynja and back down. I know I couldn’t do it. Give me an event with sunshine and a coconut drink, I’m your girl right here. Keep your penguin weather.

I don’t have time to think about the games though. As I walk past windows and look in, I feel it. Something big is happening today. Today, I catch Quinn.

When I get to an old abandoned shop, I walk around it. When I get to the back, I notice the padlock on the back door has been ripped off. I pick up the broken lock and look at it.

I pull my weapon and step into the dark building. I don’t know what it used to be, but it certainly hasn’t been used for years. Except now. I shine my light to the floor and see large boot prints in the dust.

He's here. They only go one way. In.

I suck in a breath and turn all around. The spot of my flashlight shines on the walls, old machinery and tables. The windows are all grey and blotted out. There’s lights over head, but I don’t want to turn them on and spook him.

As I move from room to room in silence, I’m on high alert. I follow the footprints to the office area. I see them stop at a door and don’t come back out. He’s still in there. I put my ear to the door to see if I hear movement.

My heart skips beats at the thought of seeing him again. I’m not entirely sure if it’s in a cop and bad guy kind of way either.

I lower my head and close my eyes. As I let my senses go, to try and get all the facts, I’m hit with oak and musk. A lump forms as I take it in. I put my light away and my shaky hand moves to the door handle.

My nerves are all kinds of shot. I’m scared that he might hurt me again, but I’m also scared that he won’t. He can. There’s nothing stopping him right now, but if he doesn’t, it only opens up my doubt that things might not be as they appear.

Just as my hand rests on the handle, the door flies open and I’m face to face with a sight that shouldn’t be terrified of me, but it is. Our eyes meet in both shock and fear. I tried to say something, but nothing came out. Then he knocked me out of the way and ran.

“QUINN! STOP!” I say as I hit the wall. I push off and run after him. He’s so flipping fast.

He bursts through the backdoor and turns in the direction of the dome.

I’m chasing him through the backs of the buildings. “DON’T MAKE ME SHOOT YOU!” I yell to his back. “Please…” I plead to myself. I don’t want to shoot, but I will.

My chest is heaving as I huff out breath after breath. He jumps for a fence that blocks the alleyways, climbs it like he running a race and jumps down the other side.

“QUINN!”

I jump and climb the fence, following him. I’m not letting him off easy.

My feet pound the pavement as we follow the mountain wall to the dome area. He runs across the four lanes of traffic. Horns blow and cars skid out trying to avoid hitting us.

“Why do I have to chase you all the time!” I grit as I cross the park behind him. “STOP!” People point and stare as we run across the grassy area to the stone walkways.

We get to the side of the dome and the ground shakes violently.

The people in the park start to look around. Some scream and I fall backwards onto my but. “What the hell?” I watch the trees in the park sway back and forth as the valley rumbles.

Quinn's on all fours ahead of me. The shaking subsides and he looks my way.

I shake my head no. In complete defiance, he gets up. Damn it!

I get to my feet and the chase starts again. Just as we get to the back door area of the dome, the ground shakes so bad the glass shatters above our heads. I scream and cover my head as glass shards fall all around me.

“PAISLEY!”

The next thing I know, I’m being thrown to the ground. More glass explodes and the city fills with screams.

The sounds of the buildings shaking and cars smashing fills the valley.

I’m on my stomach with Quinn on my back. I can barely see anything from this earthquake ride I’m on. I hear the sounds of twisting of metal as the dome shakes even more right beside us.

“WHAT’S HAPPENING?!” I yell to Quinn.

“I DON’T KNOW, BUT THIS LEVEL OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY ISN’T GOOD!” He yells back as he protects my head.

“NO SHIT!” I scowl at him.

My eyes widen as I look to mountain wall behind us. “Quinn!” I throw my finger out under his shoulder and point.

He looks as a giant crack forms in the rock wall from the ground to the top. His eyes go wide. “Paisley, MOVE!”

He pulls us up to our feet just as what felt like a nuclear bomb exploded across the desert. We were thrown down to the ground just as the rock wall shatters. Large boulders, dust and rock flew hundreds of feet up and all around us.

“QUINNN!” I scream.

“Wha…What?!” He yells as the ground breaks in two under us. The ground shook again and the earth ripped like a piece of paper. It’s spread apart so fast, my brain had trouble catching up to what was happening.

I watch in horror as Quinn disappears from my sight. “PAISLEY!”

I throw myself to my stomach at the edge of the crack, throwing my hand down to him. “QUINN!” He’s two feet out of my reach, hanging from a rock edge.

The sickening sound of what I can only relate to as a stuck pig, whines loud. My eyes get wider as I watch the entire dome turn on its foundation. “Oh fuck!”

It gives a really sharp turn around then before my eyes it crumples and collapses. The crack swallows its foundation and it starts to fall.

Water crashes like a giant wave along the walls and falls down to the bottom of the crack just under Quinn’s feet. Water hits him as the wall of the pool disintegrates and the water is freed.

I look down in a panic. “QUINN, LOOK OUT!”

He tries to cover himself as the giant structure cracks, bangs and shreds apart as it’s frame bounces off the walls of the ravine to its death on the bottom. Bolts, pieces of metal, glass and water all fly like deadly shrapnel out of the ravine as it lands.

I cover myself again as I ride the side of the earth I’m laying on out from the middle where we once were.

The frame bends and cries as it settles into its grave.

I scream as metal bars fall around me. The violent motion of the ground begins to slow. I raise my shaking head and the place is covered in a dust cloud. Tears wet my dirty face as my eyes start to see the scope of what just happened.

The crack cut the entire dome area in half and stopped just before the city. With my mouth open, I turn my head the other way. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. The giant ravine spreads right across the desert to the mountain in the distance, but there is no mountain. “Oh my god…it’s gone. It’s all gone.” I whisper.

Quinn’s struggling echoed in the crack, snapping me out of my shock.

I look down the wall and he’s still hanging by one hand.

I reach down. “CLIMB UP!”

He looks at me then looks down. The bottom is at least 400 feet down.

“QUINN! CLIMB UP!” I demand. My face showing that I’m not playing here.

“I can’t.” He says as his feet dangle.

“YES, YOU CAN! NOW, STOP GOOFING AROUND AND CLIMB UP TO ME!...QUINN!” I shake my hand to him.

He looks into my eyes. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t you dare! Quinn!”

He lets go and spreads his arms and legs out as he falls.

“QUINNNN! NOOOO!” Panic and tears fill my face I watch him twist to his stomach in mid fall, burst out of his clothes and turn to a full, black Lycan. He’s huge, even from all the way up here. His wolf head looks almost regal. His body is full of rippling muscle. He slows his descent by jamming his claws into the rock wall. He falls to the ground and rolls.

My mouth hangs open as he looks at me with glowing blue eyes. He turns, runs down the chasm, out of my life, on all fours. I lay on my stomach and watch him disappear.

I pull my arm up and slam my head into my arms. I sob hard as the sounds of sirens rise from the chaotic destruction.