Racing Against Fate

Selene's feet pounded against the debris-strewn hallway as she ran, her lungs burning with each desperate breath. The sound of distant gunfire echoed through the crumbling facility. Still, it was nothing compared to the ringing in her ears that Caleb was trapped and that she had left him behind because she had no choice but there was no time to dwell on it as Axel was dying and she was running out of time to save him. The corridor ahead was a nightmare of flickering emergency lights and twisted steel as the explosion had reduced the upper floors to rubble, leaving jagged pieces of the ceiling hanging like broken teeth with smoke curled from shattered vents, filling the air with the acrid stench of burning wires making every step she took to a sent sharp pains through her legs, but she didn't stop. Lucian's men were behind her, somewhere in the chaos, they were hunting her but the deeper she went, the more the facility seemed to turn against them all. The next corner she rounded was a war zone because bodies of guards, attackers, and men who had fought and lost littered the ground, their blood streaked the walls in smeared handprints, the metallic scent heavy in the air and the lights overhead flickered weakly, casting everything in a sickly yellow hue. Selene gritted her teeth and pushed forward, stepping over the fallen, the medical wing was just ahead and she could almost see the door marked with the red cross symbol, then she noticed a movement, a shadow shifted in the wreckage ahead. Selene's heart slammed against her ribs as she dropped into a crouch, pressing herself against the wall. A man emerged from behind a collapsed support beam, his uniform was still intact but splattered with dust and sweat, his gun was raised and his eyes scanned the hallway with precision, he is one of Lucian's elite. Selene's pulse hammered, she must not be seen so she lowered herself further, pressing into the shadows and holding her breath barely a whisper, her fingers tightening around the scalpel she had grabbed from a fallen medic's kit earlier, it's a pathetic weapon, but better than nothing. The man took a step forward then another, his gun swept left, then to right, then his radio crackled. 'Status, is she down?" The guard pressed a hand to his earpiece. 'Negative, moving toward the medical sector now, orders?" Selene's fingers tightened around the scalpel, if he got there first, if he reached Axel before she did then it was over, she didn't hesitate and in one fluid motion, she lunged forward. The blade sliced through the fabric and flesh, catching the man just beneath his ribs making his breath hitched with a sharp, strangled sound before he stumbled backward but Selene didn't stop. She wrenched the blade free and shoved him back against the wall, his gun clattered to the ground, but before she could reach for it, his fist collided with her side, and the pain exploded through her ribs. Selene gasped, staggering, but the guard wasn't down yet, his face was twisted in pain, but his hands were still moving, he reached for his backup weapon but Selene kicked it from his grip, and then he snarled, lunging for her instead. She barely dodged the first strike, twisting her body at the last second, his second attack came fast with a brutal hook aimed at her ribs but Selene absorbed the hit, using his momentum against him, she grabbed his arm, twisting hard and a sharp crack filled the air. The guard let out a choked sound before she yanked him forward and drove the scalpel into his throat and the fight was over. Selene staggered back, her breath ragged as blood pooled beneath the man's body, his radio still crackling faintly but she didn't have time to process it, she had to move. She grabbed his gun and sprinted toward the medical wing, the doors were ajar, and a chill ran down her spine as she stepped inside. The room was eerily silent, save for the steady beep of a heart monitor, the air inside was sterile, too clean compared to the wreckage outside, and there was Axel. Selene's heart twisted painfully. He lay on the hospital bed, still unconscious as wires stretched from his arms to the machines beside him, his body was unnaturally still while the bandages on his wound had been hastily redone, but blood was already beginning to seep through them. Selene rushed to his side. 'Axel." Her voice was barely a whisper but he didn't stir. Selene's hands trembled as she checked the machines and noticed his vitals were weak, too weak then she heard a sound behind her. She whipped around, Lucian's men had arrived, three of them, stepping into the room with slow, methodical movements. Selene's grip tightened on the stolen gun, and the first man smirked. 'You've been busy." Selene raised the weapon. 'Back off." The second guard scoffed. 'And then what? You think you'll get him out of here?" Selene's breath shook, she couldn't carry Axel and fight and she was outnumbered. The first guard tilted his head. 'Lucian was right, you never knew when to quit." Then the third guard moved first and Selene fired, the gunshot rang out, and the man jerked backward, clutching his shoulder, the others reacted instantly but Selene ducked as the second man fired back, the bullet shattering a monitor beside her. She grabbed a metal tray from the nearby table and flung it into the first guard's face, using the distraction to move, she turned toward Axel, trying to get him out before it was too late but the second guard charged in and Selene twisted, slamming the gun's but into his jaw. The first guard recovered fast, aimed, and tackled her, sending them crashing into the hospital bed where Axel was lying, his body jerked as the machine beside him flatlined and for a split second, everything stopped. Then, chaos erupted, Selene's blood ran cold, and she barely registered the second guard yelling into his radio as the machine kept screaming. Axel's body wasn't moving and Selene's lungs seized. No. No, no, no. The first guard grabbed her by the collar but Selene shoved him back, scrambling toward Axel but before she could reach him the first guard kicked her away and she hit the floor hard. Her mind was breaking, she had fought too hard and lost too much, then the machine's wailing grew louder and Axel's fingers twitched, his hand clenched, the machine's tone shifted and then Axel inhaled sharply. Selene's chest nearly collapsed with relief but she barely had time to process it before the second guard aimed his gun at Axel's head. Selene's eyes widened, and the world seemed to slow down as she lunged forward reaching for the gun but the guard had pulled the trigger.