Claire saw the shock in his face.
His pupils dilated, eyebrows shot up,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdBAK3m4fo
like he’d just seen something that shouldn’t exist in this world.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LZAlDQVCo
A mix of disbelief and worry twisted his expression—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJZcw6W9yc
even his mouth twitched a little.
But she didn’t care what he saw.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLS1rOwSNHh
Claire’s heartbeat was still pounding from the quake.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKbc5CDD1F
There was only one thing left in her mind:25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZERuIib5Wz
Get out.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqsUOEEQT7
Now.
She shoved his hands off, pulled herself free from his arms.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkh0WDpved
It wasn’t graceful—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCLPh4vEfU
she practically crashed out of that embrace,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VKiq59yD1
her chest still rattling with leftover tremors.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqcZAQ1jvX
She didn’t care.
He said,
“Wait—”
It wasn’t loud.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUgjgUV7oW
It was quiet, pleading, instinctive.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLFaFTplSS
But to Claire, it sounded like some pointless prayer.
Wait, my ass, she thought.
She was furious now.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNv0NprZXkR
She hadn’t come here to wait.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vtxmxBKbx
She wasn’t someone to be protected.
She stormed to the door.
Grabbed the handle.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaxvVo0Ete
Yanked hard.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTpYmuJPqs
No finesse—just pure, animal panic.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf79cLlDjhf
Like trying to tear open the edge of reality.
But it didn’t budge.
The door groaned—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mbw8HSheV
a horrible creaking, like something was gummed up in the cracks.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOYgMd137b
Claire didn’t believe it.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJP5vMeMK8
Used her other hand.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3HNpGmGHR
Pushed harder.
Every muscle in her body tensed.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbESwS1Ok4z
Shoulder against the door.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkj948EP2Ha
Feet braced.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWitCdtL6X
She looked like a beast caged for too long—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeR465j0XU
and the only thing in her eyes was escape.
Still nothing.
She gritted her teeth.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkQ8WDzv9z
Her palms reddened.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbChGIPBfq
Her arms shook.
She was about to lose it.
Then the officer came up beside her.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0TgbKYCtS
He didn’t say a word.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJWobsamwu
Just reached for the handle, adding his strength to hers.
They pulled—together.
Their breathing was all over the place,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvmLYXfrAl
but their rhythm began to sync,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcqABjplix
two struggling bodies tugging in perfect time.
Then, finally—
A ding.
A clear chime rang out from the alert bell above the door,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0h4VBFm5a7
as if the universe had just issued permission to flee.
Claire could hear her own pulse echo in her ears.
The door opened.
Cold air blasted in—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxN9rSJchgz
like a beast breaking out of its cage.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIxYLNqFN5
The world outside was chaotic,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksnFLkaJG7
but it still felt better than the warped, rattling room behind her.
Claire didn’t stop to breathe.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuXAMaf70O
She ran.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNs3Y41gAi
Didn’t even wait to steady her steps—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVBzPulzpt
her whole body was moving on instinct,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjmSiDu0SM
as if chasing something…25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vdk4DbgTr
or escaping it.
The street was full of confused people.
Someone yelling into a phone.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MuPcbQHvE
Someone staring at shattered glass.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgqxvn18nf
Someone gripping an umbrella, frozen in place.
Everyone trying to process what just happened—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMgXopY9fQ
but all their thoughts were trapped at street level.
No one looked up.
Claire felt that old, familiar loneliness wrap around her again.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8AWGvLzg4
Even if the sky split in half,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zOGiNqjfS
no one would see it.
Only she knew it was there.
She stopped.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXkXZG4joD
Tilted her head back.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyx8iP5vm1
Took a deep breath.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HFqMRkbFI
Closed her eyes.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSADl2SIeGD
And shifted into the Observer.
The tear in the sky was leaking something—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIMutFNign
slow as syrup.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQv5o1zWHC
Something was dripping out.
Not a natural phenomenon.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NDUcyTaVr
More like... something sick, pulling itself into shape.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yj0715z5g
Sluggish.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNMPKj04ZI
Inevitable.
Vile purple.
Thick like vomit.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5Lf6hR7D5
A cursed color.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1agzqc49m
She could almost smell it—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSIVZ7WOYZ
metal, rot, humidity, chaos.
Some of the syrup had already reached the ground.
It was corroding the street.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMCcyhfzXj
Smoke.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp7t7bYdbt
Sludge.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7JkZyPd7l
Tentacle-like forms.
People screamed.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TrAZjYFjX
Some still thought it was just a busted pipe.
One blob dangled just above Claire’s head.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSE24NwlARR
Not quite touching the ground—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL01TOT6WOM
it wavered in the air, like sniffing.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVE72NxFQn
Like it had chosen her.
She felt its attention.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1kjtvJZr4
Knew it was watching.
She looked around.
The blue-eyed officer was also looking up—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNWluM1sok
trying to follow her gaze.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQt6YvXOW0M
Confused.
He saw nothing.
Claire moved.
She snatched the gun from his waist.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOSHrzJNXF
Aimed it skyward.
Fast.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NwZAig3fO
Silent.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhDDwjNGt3
Her fingers moved like she'd rehearsed it a hundred times.
She felt him try to stop her,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2sBAWIh7F
but it was too late.
She was already in position.
“Wait—!”
His voice cracked with panic.
He hadn’t expected her to actually do it.
His eyes were wide with fear.
But Claire—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslQchKz6V4
Claire’s eyes were empty.
Just calm.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvvArAxAzG
And decision.
Too late.
She already had the gun
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vfmoQuZIF
She didn’t look back.
Just tightened her grip around the cold weight in her hand.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJ58MTIUwL
She knew this feeling.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5ea3MgegW
The weight of the gun.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfRJP5R3Qe
The click of the safety.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLrhmWWBI3
Exactly where the catch was.
Bad in strength?25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCN8tOhc8i
Make it up in skill.
She’d long given up trying to win with brute force—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TbJNcfYjE
but technique?25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDC7pJpvuf
Her technique never failed her.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQBxN6zlm3
Form, angle, purpose—everything precise.
She was, after all, the one Batman personally added to the emergency combat class.
Originally it was just a one-time workshop.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCM94BqCDw
Then Batman took one look at her and said,
“Add her.”
No one laughed.
Everyone knew what that meant.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjd51Jj9i9Q
It meant:25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GA39dR7WJ
“You’re not good enough—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLS58hezVzS
but you might need to fight first.”
Those sessions nearly killed her.
Especially the first few.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMKgZ09fgy
Batman just stood there and said coldly,
“If you can’t get through this,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QI8r8Y3TG
this world isn’t yours to look at.”
She vomited on the mat.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJCDky6Xq6
Tore the skin off her palms.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiE2VFcmDF
Blacked out once from getting slammed too hard.
And Batman?25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYHS7oQkay
Didn’t flinch.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhg3gjD2DXC
Just said,
“Get up. Again.”
She remembered thinking:
If I don’t get up, the world ends.
Her sparring partner?
Robin.
The kid had zero chill—25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUUFJBkAYr
but perfect accuracy.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc63cHrHKCy
Each correction hit like a needle to her reflexes.
He also taught her how to handle guns.
How to tell the difference between a threat and a survival shot.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwJ4PhlpdK
How to know when it’s time.
He once told her,
“If you’re going to shoot—don’t hesitate.”
Technically, Nightwing was supposed to be her trainer.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpQXymMSec
But an hour in, Batman barked,
“Switch. Robin.”
Nightwing had been too gentle.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnf4jS2VYWS
Too smiley.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJL4f5LVy2v
Too… encouraging.
Claire almost thought she was in barista orientation.
Robin later said Nightwing had
“too many hand gestures,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZ2S82HkTG
too much explaining,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcfLiowwrP
and a face that made people want to trust him.”
Batman stood in the back, deadpan.
“Robin.”
So now—
Safety off. Chamber loaded.
Her fingers flicked,25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBUu5hVagU
metal clicked.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbnxVQwkW9
A sharp ka-clack25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLu1Z5aq8eb
like her heart syncing into a new tempo.
The air thickened.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauabeTaMW9
Noise faded.
Claire closed her eyes.
Raised the gun.
And fired at the sludge hanging from the sky.
BANG.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUcv4PTSWs
and then Add to home screen.