CHAPTER FOURTY FOUR
[44]

song: who's sorry now by connie francis

UNSURPRISINGLY, the feeling of being covered in uncomfortably warm blood was not a new feeling for Daisy. She let out a huff as she glanced down at Kai's now lifeless body. Of course it wasn't permanent, but it was definitely a satisfying feeling. She nudged him with his foot, to make sure he was really out, before plopping down on her couch behind her, music still loudly blasting from the stereo.

The silence, which she used to be so used to, was now overwhelmingly loud, as she's gotten a taste of what life used to be like before this. Whatever this was.

Five years ago, she would've been freaking out, desperately trying to find reasonable explanations and ways to get herself out of this situation— but she didn't have the energy anymore.

All the random explanations that'd she come up with over the past couple years weren't the case, and it didn't matter. She was still here— but now he was here too.

She didn't know what was going to happen from here on out, but she was just focused on trying not to freak herself out. She was fine here, she'd grown to like it. And there's no need to let all that fear that'd she felt before this world come back and haunt her the second he found her.

Daisy got to her feet, stepping over Kai's body and into the kitchen, grabbing the glass of wine she'd poured for herself previously before heading towards the door. She stumbles out of her apartment, letting out a little chuckle as she took a sip.

Kai, after only being 'dead', for a few moments awoke with a gasp. Immediately, he brought his hands down to his stomach where he was stabbed. He let out a groan as it still ached with an immense amount of pain.

He weakly looked around for her, the apartment was empty and he noticed the door standing wide open. He let out a frustrated scream, that turned into a hysterical laugh. He rolled onto his back, still clutching his stomach. Laughter turned back to anger as he recognized the irony of the situation he was in.

He struggled to get to his feet, breathing shakily as he tried to calm the anger that surfaced in his skin, burning all throughout his body. He didn't know what he expected when he saw her again, but this was not at all what he wanted.

Stumbling to the kitchen, he grabbed the same knife she had used on him, and made his way out the apartment and down the long corridor. He had his family's grimoire in his car. He had to siphon more magic from it, and then he could heal himself. Then he could find Daisy.

He clicked the elevator button, blood dripping from his wound as he clutched onto it. As it opened, he stumbled inside, letting out a groan as he fell onto the opposite wall for support to keep him standing up right.

He couldn't die here, but that didn't mean the wounds that triggered death magically disappeared. And these were by far more painful than wounds you would experience in the real world, as those would kill you before they got that bad.

The elevator made it's way downstairs, and as it opened to the lobby. Kai walked out, breathing in and out slowly to try and
contain the little composure he had left.

He looked around. "Daisy!" He yelled, it echoed throughout the empty lobby, which was decorated in white completely. White walls, white marble floor, white couches and tables. He glanced down at the blood that dripped from in between his hands and onto the floor. And let out a shaky breath.

He then noticed a flicker of light that reflected off the marble floors from the outside. He glanced upwards at the glass doors that led outside, a red orange glow flickering more intensely out there.

He pushed them open, and as he made his way outside, he was met with flames, and his car, which was completely on fire, and His eyes widen as realization set in, the grimoire, which was his current resource for magic, was inside.

"No!" He yelled, his voice coarse. He drug himself closer to the car, the heat getting more intense the closer he got. "Shit, shit." He said quickly as he tried to look inside the car which was completely taken up in flames. He couldn't see much inside the car, but the previously leather seats which now looked like skeletons as the fire tore away their skin.

"Looking for this?" Daisy says from behind him.

He spun around quickly. Daisy stood a few feet in front of him, the grimoire in one hand, a lighter in the other. He watched her hesitantly. "Put it down, Daisy." He swallowed, still clutching onto his wound.

She flicked on the lighter and his eyes widened, trudging towards her with no hesitation. Only to wince in pain from the sudden movement.

Daisy chuckled, amused by his sudden movement. "Ooo." She says with a smile. "Almost."

He breathed heavily, pain and anger overtaking him as she taunted him. "It's protected by magic." He says. "You can't do anything to it."

Daisy examined how nervously he watched her, if he wasn't throwing such a fit she might've believed him. "Let's see then." She brought the lighter to the book, and it immediately erupted in flames, she dropped it quickly and let out a surprised chuckle.

"No!" Kai yelled, ignoring his pain and lunging towards the book.

Daisy watched with a smile as Kai stepped on the book, trying to put out the fire, but was essentially only making it worse. His lip twitched with anger, before he turned and charged towards Daisy, who was to amused by the book to even react before he had her shoved up against the nearest wall, the knife to her throat.

Daisy looked up at Kai, stifling the smile that she felt coming on as the cold blade pressed against her skin. He was fuming with anger, you could see it in his eyes as the burned into hers.

Daisy's lips began to tremble. "Kai." She let out, her eyes soft and scared. "Please," She begged. Kai's expression changed from angry to confused. "Please don't hurt me again." She closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Kai, with the knife still to her throat, felt his mind begin to race with confusion. This felt familiar, too familiar. This was the Daisy he was expecting to find, this was the Daisy he had before.

She opened her eyes again, she looked terrified. And he felt horrible, his eyes darted back and fourth between hers, aimlessly searching for some sort of sign to tell him she was okay as he slowly pulled the knife away from her, without even realizing it.

Daisy practically watched him let his guard down, and it was all too easy. She grabbed his hand, the one that held the knife, and felt him crumble at her touch, she softly grazed thumb with hers, before yanking the knife from his hand, and kneeing him right in his wound.

He fell back onto the ground, the air getting knocked out of his lungs. He gasped for air, shocked and angry by how easy that was for her. "I have to heal myself." He says weakly.

"No," Daisy says. "You're gonna do it the old fashion way. Just like I did when you left me here to die. Bleeding out. Like you're doing right now." Her lip twitched with anger.

Kai laughed, coiling up on the ground as he held his stomach. "You're a bitch." He chuckled.

"I wonder why." She says.

She watched in amusement as he coiled around on the ground clearly in an immense amount of pain. It was satisfying to watch, seeing him in the exact position she was in all those years ago.

She glanced to her right, seeing the burning car in the other side of the parking lot. She'd actually forgot about it until now. Her eyes trail over to the tank of gasoline she'd used on his car, and an idea hit her.

She happily walked over to it picking up the red jug and walking back over to Kai as he squirmed on the ground. Once he realized what she was doing, he froze, his eyes widening as panic set in.

"Daisy!" Kai yelled, struggling to stand up. "Daisy, stop!"
She swung the tank towards him, and gasoline splashed out onto his skin. "Stop!" He yelled.

"You'll be fine." Daisy says in a monotone voice, not affected by the pleading screams as she douses him in gasoline again.

"Daisy!" Kai screams, coughing out the gasoline that got into his mouth.

She drops the now empty tank, wiping her nose before grabbing the lighter from her pocket. Kai's eyes widen at the sight, and he tried to lift himself onto his feet but crashed back down onto the concrete from the pain. "It sucks being so scared of someone you thought loved you, right?" Daisy says, anger surging through her eyes as she bent down towards him.

He trembled in a mix of fear and exasperation, when something clicked in his mind. It was visible on his face apparently because Daisy hesitated.

Kai planted his palms onto the concrete, searching for something, anything, when he felt it reach back out to him. A faint glow began to emit from his hand as he siphoned magic. Daisy stood up quickly, confused and shocked at what she was seeing. He felt it surge through his body, like someone's first drink of water after weeks without it.

He began to stand up, even after removing his hand off the ground, he felt the magic soaking into him as he stood. He breathed heavily, watching as Daisy tried to process it.

She quickly flicked on the lighter and chucked it at him, but he threw a hand out, stopping the lighter in mid air, and throwing it to the side with the wave of his hand.

"Well, fuck." Daisy muttered, panic overthrowing the anger.

He breathed heavily, gasoline dripping off of him as he felt the magic began to heal his wound before he even ordered it to do so. The feeling was unexplainable, never in his life had he experienced this much magic at once.

"This whole prison world is made up of magic." He let out. "And all of that magic is going to me now." It sounded like he was trying to explain it to himself, not Daisy.

She didn't know what to do, or say. All she knew is that she was definitely fucked.

After he fully processed what was happening, what he was feeling, he spoke. "I'll give you a head start."

Daisy didn't hesitate before rushing back inside the lobby, unsure why back inside a closed space was her best option, but she didn't have much time to think. She sprinted past the elevator and down a hall towards one of the other exits.

She couldn't differentiate the feeling of adrenaline and fear. She knows he couldn't actually kill her, so that almost made it almost exciting. But she also knew that he wouldn't miss the chance to make it the most agonizing death given what she'd done to him in the past hour.

She shoved the back door open, only to be met with Kai standing outside waiting for her right when she opened it. She gasped, clearly startled as she stumbled back.

"Predictable." Kai says, charging indoors.

Daisy grabbed onto one of the lamps that stood on a table in the lobby, chucking it at him as she backed up as quick as she could without actually turning her back to him and running.

He dodged the lamp and it shattered on the ground behind him as he stalked towards her. "You know, I really really didn't want to have to go through this with you again." He says, annoyance rolling off his tongue.

"What'd you expect?" Daisy snarled back, her heart pounding. The worst part was knowing, since he had magic he could just end it right here, right now— but he was drawing it out. This was fun for him. She couldn't blame him, after she literally just tried to set it on fire, but it definitely still sucked. "Did you really think I'd be happy to see you again?" Daisy says, grabbing a table and knocking it over in front of him to try and slow him down.

"Happy? No." Kai admits. "Murderous and slowly going insane? Definitely no."

She slammed into the wall she was inevitably backing herself into and knew she was about to meet whatever he had planned for her. He stopped a few feet in front of her for a few seconds, examining her. She looked more angry than scared, and it felt disappointing. The fear of death didn't loom here, and it took away from the fun.

He stalked towards her slowly and she swallowed, lifting up her chin, trying to appear confident. He felt a tinge of satisfaction at the sight of her trying to act like she wasn't scared. He kept walking towards her and she avoided his eye contact.

He leaned towards her, bringing his face to where her eyes stared onto the ground and forcing them to meet his. She clenched her jaw. "Just do it. Whatever you're gonna do." She says, annoyedly.

He stood up straight and tilted his head a bit as he examined her. "I'm not gonna do anything." He says, quietly. She turns her face towards him, narrowing her eyes confusedly. "We're even. Like you said."

She was more annoyed than relieved. "So you just wanted to scare me then?"

He didn't lean away, he was still uncomfortably close to her. "Not scare you." He shrugs. "Just remind you who has the power here."

She breathed heavily, trying not to let his words affect her when all they did was piss her off. It felt like minutes passed when neither of them spoke. They stared at each other intensely, their gazes burning into one another's as they both stood still.

"Kiss me." Daisy let out, so quiet she could barely hear herself.
Kai didn't lift his gaze off her eyes; he just breathed in and out slowly, his heart beginning to beat rapidly at her words. "Kiss me." She repeated.

Kai's eyes flicked to her lips and then back up to her eyes, and he leaned in quickly.

Before their lips could connect, Daisy quickly brought her hand up and wrapped it around his throat, pushing him away from her. His eyes burst open in surprise, as her lips twitched into a smile. "Predictable."

a/n
i'm so sorry this update took forever. i've been trying to use literally all of my free time to update for yall but it's hard with school and work and udhfhfhfh i'm stressed fhfdh but i hope you enjoyed and i'll hopefully get to update again soon🥲
-jane