I rush down the stairs, only to be held back by a pair of arms.

"Stop fighting, princess," Levi hisses. "I already got told by my fucking brother that you can't leave this fucking place."

"You know?"

"About Cato's fucking demon escaping and running rampant through the city? Fuck yeah." Levi holds me in place. "Stay here."

I shake my head. "You know Cato's there?"

"I know," Levi leans in. "I know you're engaged to my brother, but you can't worry about Cato. He can handle himself."

"You know how deadly the occisor is," my voice breaks. "You've read Cato's journal—"

"Relax. You don't wanna stress your baby."

No matter what I do, I feel like the child in my womb will refuse to rest until I know Cato is safe. Even then, do I have a plan? It's clear Cato's in some sort of danger, but how can I know? He cut access to the news feed, so there's no telling what havoc wreaks behind the scenes.

A buzzing fills the void between Levi and I: Levi's communicator. He takes it from his pocket and answers it.

"She's fine," Levi grumbles into the mic.

I can hear Thomas' high-strung and tempered voice on the other end. "If she fucking leaves that building, I swear I'll kill every single one of you—"

"She's not leaving."

"Good. I'm on my way back now," Thomas mutters, then curses. "Half of the roads are fucking blocked. I think the damn thing is tracking in your direction."

"What the hell do you want us to do?" Levi's eyes widen.

"Lock down the street. Now. Tell Maureen to wait in the apartment."

It's heading in our direction. What could that possibly mean? Where's Cato? Thomas wants to clear the streets, to make sure everyone's safe and sound in their own homes. The last thing we all need is a list of mass casualties on our hands.

"Aight."

"Give her your communicator."

"But—"

"Do it now."

Levi forks up the communicator to me, but not without giving one last order. "Stay in the apartment. Thomas will be here soon."

I nod, slipping the communicator against my ear as I head back up the steps towards the apartment. "Thomas?"

"Daffodil," he mutters, but the edge in his coarse voice is evident. "Just stay on the line, will you?"

I close the door to the apartment behind me, sighing as I lay down on Thomas' bed. I can hear the rampant engine of the car through the speaker, as well as Thomas' erratic breath. He's worried, something that he never used to express. We both can't afford to stress now, even if the chaos ensues through the city.

I run a hand over my stomach. "I guess it's safe to say we need to reschedule that appointment?"

"I'll call the doctor when I get back home," he mutters, going along with my distracting conversation. "As long as they're healthy."

Healthy. Happy. All we need is a sign that everything will be alright.

"I've been thinking," Thomas hums on the other end, his voice low and raspy. He's alone in his car—that I knew the moment Levi handed me the communicator. "Let's just get fucking married."

I giggle. "I already said yes."

"I can get the papers. Let's elope."

"Someone's impatient," I smile, wishing he were here next to me.

"I'm so fucking ready for this."

A part of me is too. I long to settle down and raise this child. I just never thought my man of choice would be Thomas. There was a moment where I thought I'd meet someone else, someone who would win over my heart that wasn't either of the two men. Instead, when Thomas offered me himself, I saw a future brighter than any flame. With Cato, I only saw a dead end. With Thomas, there was a garden full of life.

"Tell me what our married life would look like?"

I envision the smile that taints his voice. "I'd wake up next to you every morning, and then I'd sneak out of bed to make you that gourmet bowl of cereal." Ah, the cereal. One of two foods in his cupboard. "You'd crawl out of bed to the shower, waddling because you'd be pregnant. I'd join you and wash your legs since you won't be able to bend."

I grin, nestling myself against Thomas' quilts. "And after the pregnancy?"

He chuckles. "I listen to you sing lullabies, and maybe if you're lucky I'll sing one too."

The mere image of Thomas singing to a newborn sends me in a pool of need for this man. I clench my thighs, knowing that the vision I see in my mind isn't far off.

"Thomas?" I whisper.

"Daffo—"

A shrill scream pierces through the air. It's not coming from Thomas' end, but from outside. With the communicator in hand, I rush over to the balcony, gazing down on the expanse of Smyth street.

Thomas' street contains an aliveness that no other neighborhood in New Aberdeen has. There's always music mixed with dancing, and laughter mixed with hope. Now, the street has been nearly evacuated.

But not evacuated enough.

A creature, one with teeth strong enough to break bones and venom to kill like poison, becomes the only lifeform to storm the road. Blood flows down the street as the occisor leaves its first victim behind. A woman. I don't know her, but it's clear she belonged here.

"Maureen," Thomas' voice pleads on the other end of the communicator. It's enough to snap me back to reality. "What the fuck is going on?"

"It's here," my voice quivers. "Someone—oh gods, someone just died!"

"Where are you?"

"In your apartment."

"I'm ten minutes out."

I stare at the creature as it runs through the street, heading straight towards the direction of Thomas' apartment. The occisor lifts its eyes, glowing in luminescence. I find my feet planted, stuck, as I fall into a trance. In that second, every hint of danger Cato ever told me about the occisor rushes through my mind. It tracks scents, Cato once told me, and then proceeded to tell me that the creature got agitated by Cato's scent.

"Thomas?" I whimper

"Maureen?" his voice crackles on the other end as the occisor leaps.

It begins to scale the building upward.

I run into the apartment, dropping the communicator as I slam the balcony doors closed.

No, no, no. I need that communicator. Curse my fumbling fingers. Not hearing my voice will cause Thomas to erupt in panic.

Behind me, I see a slimy tentacle slipping over the railing. Those glowing alien eyes lock on my gaze, and I try to look away. The occisor hisses from the other side of the doors. It rams it's hairy body into the thin glass barricades.

Once again, I'm frozen to my spot, unable to move, unable to scream.

Those glowing eyes entrance me, and there's nothing I can do.

Maybe someone from down below can hear my scream, but I know the only person around is Vince. Levi left to go evacuate the street. I need to scream. I need them to hear me.

Yet, my voice fails to come.

My feet finally agree to move, but I fail to make it far. I trip over a floodboard and fall to my knees. Behind me, the occisor pierces through the glass doors, slithering into the apartment.

"Thomas!" I yell, finding my voice, praying he's still on the other end of the line and can hear me.

Instead, all I face are a set of unearthly glowing eyes, a creature yearning for a taste of revenge. It's a creature that's been taken from it's home, tampered and experimented, and tortured under scientific scrutiny. It's deadly and unforgiving.

I thought Cato would be lost amidst the chaos of the occisor's release.

But it's me.

And I know Thomas won't make it in time to save me.

-----

*dramatic music intensifies*

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