Chapter 7: Beneath the Surface

The darkness was suffocating. Elena's breath came in shallow, panicked bursts as she strained to hear any sound in the black void around them. Her hand instinctively reached for Liam, but he was gone.

The sudden absence of his presence sent a sharp wave of fear through her chest. She tried to call out, but her voice caught in her throat.

"Liam?" she whispered, the sound almost lost in the eerie silence.

Nothing.

She took a cautious step forward, her heart hammering as she tried to make out any shape or form in the room. A faint hum echoed from somewhere deep within the walls, but there was no other sign of life.

"Elena."

Liam's voice broke through the darkness, a soft command that sent a shiver down her spine. She turned toward it, but her eyes still couldn't adjust to the absence of light.

"Elena, stop moving."

She froze. His tone was different this time—urgent, but strained. She waited in the silence, her ears straining for any other sound.

And then, a low click echoed through the room.

"Get down!" Liam's voice shouted again.

Before she could react, a searing pain exploded in her shoulder as something sharp scraped past her skin.

She cried out, instinctively dropping to the floor, her hands clutching her wound.

Liam appeared from the shadows, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to safety behind a thick, reinforced pillar in the corner. "Stay down!" he commanded, his breath heavy with tension.

She winced as the pain in her shoulder flared, but the shock from the close call kept her still. Her thoughts scrambled to make sense of what had just happened.

"What the hell was that?" she gasped, her voice raw.

"The reason you're here," Liam muttered through clenched teeth. "It's not just about the contract anymore. There are people trying to erase you from this world."

Elena could hardly comprehend his words. "Erase me?" she repeated, barely able to form the sentence.

Liam's eyes narrowed as he pulled her closer, shielding her with his body as another bullet whizzed past them. "Someone has been hunting you for weeks now. Someone with a lot of power—and a lot to lose."

She felt a cold shiver crawl down her spine. "Who?"

His grip tightened on her wrist. "I'll explain later. Right now, we get out of here alive."

They moved swiftly, with Liam leading her through the labyrinth of corridors, the sounds of pursuit growing closer. Every turn, every step felt like they were inching closer to danger. The walls seemed to close in as she struggled to keep up with his pace, her heart racing from both fear and pain.

When they reached another locked door, Liam didn't hesitate. He kicked it open with one swift motion, revealing an underground parking garage.

"Elena, get in," he ordered, shoving her toward a car at the far end of the garage.

She slid into the passenger seat, her breath still coming in jagged gasps. Liam slammed the door shut and climbed into the driver's seat, his movements fluid, yet there was an unmistakable tension in his posture.

Without a word, the engine roared to life, and they sped out of the garage, the screech of tires filling the silence.

But Elena couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't just escaping danger—they were running toward something even worse.

Cliffhanger

As they drove through the city, the glow of streetlights flashing past, Liam's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, his face going pale. Without a word, he swerved the car to the side of the road, slamming it into park.

"They found us," he said, his voice tight. "And they know exactly where we're going."