My chest was burning. My throat had become as dry as the Sahara desert. We haven't stopped running.
Not once.
Marco and his men have been chasing us for fifteen minutes now. I was desperately trying to catch my breath as it felt like I had none left anymore.
The occasional announcement made by the military could only faintly be heard as we were now moving further and further away from the city center.
Ronan was still holding my hand, our fingers interlocked as we made our way down the dark and empty streets of New York City.
It suddenly started raining again. Huge droplets of rain hit my skin, each drop feeling like a punishment.
Ronan pulled me into an alley, and we quickly made our way down it.
We both spotted an open café at the same time. We rushed over to it. Once were inside the café, Ronan closed the doors behind us before walking back over to me.
He took my face into both of his hands before placing a longing kiss on my mouth. My eyes fluttered shut and I was instantly consumed by butterflies.
I didn't care if I hadn't caught my breath. I just needed his lips against mine. He picked me up and my legs circled his torso. I took the chance to breathe and adjust myself against him.
He held a firm grip on my thighs. He placed another kiss on my lips and I passionately kissed him back while his fiery hands roamed my body.
I was burning with passion. Everything was on fire. Inside of me, outside of me. My brain became a blurry mess as soon as Ronan started trailing steamy kisses down my neck.
The sound of an alarm loudly started ringing through our ears as an army tank drove past the café we had found refuge in.
I slowly pulled back from Ronan and he gently placed me back on the ground before taking my face into his hands again.
"I.F.L.Y.," I softly uttered, and a smile rested on his face. He seems so perfect when he smiles.
"I.F.L.Y." He shortly responded to my words before wrapping his strong arms around me. I rested my head against his chest before listening to his calm heartbeat.
"You know my only hope is that we'll make it out of this alive," I confessed to Ronan and he quietly watched me in adoration.
"We will." He told me in a promising tone.
"Do you think the others have made it to the car yet?" I asked Ronan and he clenched his jaw before shrugging.
"I don't know." He said while looking into my eyes. For a moment we just quietly stood there in each other's arms. As if the rest of the world had just gone quiet.
Once the rain stopped falling Ronan and I left the café again. This time, we walked in the direction where we parked the car.
We were quick to hide from every military tank that passed us in the street. I loved how stupid it made them seem.
They were so hopelessly unaware of our whereabouts. They had no idea that we were right in their midst, right under their noses. It gave us the upper hand.
We walked into a rotter and before it could scream, Ronan cut his sharp blade into the rotter's skull. He placed his machete back inside the black leather sheath it came in.
We quietly stalked past a small group of hulks who ran toward the noises being made by the military. Their loud alarms and announcements were drawing unnecessary attention to themselves.
We made our way past a couple more burnt-down skyscrapers. We stopped dead in our tracks when we ran into a horde of rotters.
They slowly turned around to face Ronan and me. Their clothes were bloody and ragged. And it seemed like they were out for our blood.
Marco and his men stopped at the other end of the horde.
The rotters stormed at us and I protectively stepped in front of Ronan.
The rotters instantly stopped in their tracks. Then there was silence. The kind of silence where you could hear a needle dropping to the ground.
Suddenly, I started to fill up with pain. It jolted through my body. And then-
I could hear what they were thinking. Their thoughts started filling up my head and all I could do was stand there and listen to them.
"I should have gone home… I should have gone home…"
"It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Make it stop!"
"I never told her I loved her… she'll never know…"
"I never finished my book."
"Why does my skin feel wrong? Something's moving under it."
"God, I wasted my life."
"It's okay. It's just a dream."
"I hope someone finds this note."
"I left the stove on..."
"I was supposed to walk my dog."
"I still hear my daughter's laughter."
"It was just a bite… just a little bite…"
I'm hearing their final thoughts. I realized.
Hopefully, they can hear mine, too.
Marco and his men jumped out of their vehicles before raising their weapons into the air.
I closed my eyes before channeling all of the energy inside of me. It felt like electricity, pulsing through my veins.
Once I opened my eyes again black veins were tattooing my skin again. I looked at a building to my left and saw my reflection in the glass. My eyes were glowing a bright shade of blue.
I set my gaze on the rotters, and suddenly, their eyes started to resemble mine. They turned around to face Marco and his men. They charged forward, attacking the soldiers in front of them, and loud screams filled the air.
"What the fuck?" Ronan uttered but I had no time to explain. I grabbed his hand before running down the street again. I was eager to get out of the city, eager to go home again.
"You can't run from me forever, Hailey-Jade!" Marco menacingly yelled after us.
Ronan and I continued running down the street but came to an abrupt stop when we saw a giant- man in the distance, or a creature of some sort crushing a building with his bare hands.
Another giant appeared, and another, and another. Until there was a horde of them, demolishing everything in front of them.
A horde of hulks started swarming the streets shortly after and my legs wanted to cave.
"Fall back!" Marco yelled from behind us.
"Colossus!" One of the soldiers yelled in horror. "Run!" He added. His voice was filled with panic. I looked back and found that the soldiers were running away from us.
"Come on, Princess," Ronan told me before we started running after the soldiers.
"All citizens report to a bunker immediately! I repeat all citizens report to a bunker immediately!" The army started making announcements again, alarming the citizens.
We reached Marco and his men, and strangely, they made no attempt on our lives.
We were running away from a common threat at the moment.
"Follow me!" Marco uttered, and every bone inside my body hesitated. But what else could I do? The world was ending all over again and I needed to survive it.