Ryder ran through the alleys, his heart pounding in his chest. He almost dropped a little statuette, but managed to squeeze it into his bag without slowing down.
The military were on their way. Survival instincts took over and he could think of nothing but getting away safely. June had split from him and gone somewhere else, which would probably make it likelier that they'd both escape.
As for Rayne? She'd be fine. The woman was invisible for crying out loud!
As Ryder spun around a corner, he tripped over his own feet and landed hard on his elbow, dropping his bag.
In front of him was a tall woman, soundlessly staring at him, glowing yellow gloves over her hands. Sinister claws extended from her fingers, and before Ryder could stand up again, she lunged forward and slashed at him. He barely rolled out of the way, leaving the bag on the ground as he struggled to hop to his feet.
The woman's claws came at him again, barely missing his abdomen. Ryder tripped back and landed on his rear, then rolled out of the way as she came at him again. Her leg came at him and kicked him squarely in the gut, making him gasp and fall to the ground again.
She grabbed his throat with her glowing claws, pulling him upright so he was kneeling on his legs, struggling to catch his breath.
Who was she? What was she after?
"Caught you," she said slowly, her breath tickling his ear. Ryder shuddered, looking around wildly. Was this it? No one would come save him, he was sure of that.
So how did he get out of this?
When he moved his arm slightly, the woman's grip on his neck tightened, making Ryder squeak. What was she planning? Was she going to kill him here?
No. He wouldn't let that happen.
Without any other way out, Ryder activated his Miracle, forming a round brace around his neck that forced her claws back. The barrier was gone as soon as it appeared and he stood and ran, the woman hot on his heels. He'd barely bought enough time to start running, and he could only pray that it would be enough.
Now how to lose her?
June was getting tired. Jacob's chains came at her incessantly, and without a Miracle to save her, she was going to wear out and make a mistake long before Jacob did.
Part of her wanted someone to save her. Most of her screamed that no one could come. She wouldn't let anyone else put themselves in danger.
A chain caught her leg, throwing her to the ground again. June rolled away as more chains came to capture her, desperate to get away.
"You should just give up now and make this easier for everybody," Jacob said lazily, still standing in the same spot he'd been the whole time.
She didn't reply, too focused on evading the chains. One finally caught her wrist, however, and she took the opportunity to give it a hard yank. It wasn't connected to anything she could pull, but June figured it was worth a try.
Meanwhile, the chain wrapped tighter around her arm, and others came to snake around her legs. No matter how hard she struggled, the chains only dug deeper into her skin. If she hadn't been wearing clothes all over her body, she might have started bleeding.
Jacob walked toward her, a smug smile on his face.
"What did I tell you? This was the way it was always going to end." He stopped in front of her, the expression on his face sending shivers through June's body. She wanted to run. She wanted to get as far away as possible. Jacob was dangerous.
He reached for her mask, slowly pulling it up over her face, so June bit him on the finger. Jacob took a step back, looking astonished.
What? Did he really think she wouldn't keep fighting back as long as she could?
Ruby blood pooled on his finger, and he looked at her, this time fury twisting his features.
June spit at him, pulling at her restraints.
"We'll break that spirit of yours before long," Jacob said coldly, grabbing her neck and squeezing just barely tight enough to make breathing difficult.
June spit at him again, then winced as he tightened his grip on her throat.
"Tell that precious Jase of yours that you need him to come save you. If he trades himself for you, we'll let you go."
As if June would ever let that happen. Worst case scenario, she'd disappear when they weren't looking and tell Jase where they were hiding.
Ryder gasped for breath as he kept running, the woman with the claws right on his tail. He'd tried almost everything - darting through narrow alleys, through stairways, backtracking...
He'd even considered jumping down a level. The only reason he hadn't was because it would probably break his legs.
The only thing he could do now would be a last-ditch effort with his Miracle. Should he try to take out his pursuer? Or should he use it to try and escape?
Escape. He wasn't sure he was good enough to take out a fighter of her caliber, so he'd give himself a mobility advantage.
If he could jump down a level or two...
Maybe three or four.
Ryder ran for the main streets again, and this time he leapt over the railing with no hesitation, creating a trampoline at his landing point and praying that it worked.
His pursuer made a surprised sound, and as he bounced off the trampoline and back onto solid ground, he dared to look back up at her. She was staring down at him, though he couldn't read her expression behind her mask.
Whatever. The trampoline disappeared and Ryder hopped down another level. Once he had enough distance, he'd sneak off and change out of his bandit costume.
Then he'd meet June and the others back at the hideout. Things had gone sideways, but at least things would work out in the end.
