Claire saw the shock in his face.
His pupils dilated, eyebrows shot up,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodiS7oGRqH
like he’d just seen something that shouldn’t exist in this world.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCfDWuEuxC
A mix of disbelief and worry twisted his expression—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZlnjFPXno
even his mouth twitched a little.
But she didn’t care what he saw.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7to3pGHS6
Claire’s heartbeat was still pounding from the quake.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDHRBdQLqT
There was only one thing left in her mind:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8z1NhOYYPk
Get out.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4rBQmyawe
Now.
She shoved his hands off, pulled herself free from his arms.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6Fx5UdYUU
It wasn’t graceful—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYjYvFt6Be
she practically crashed out of that embrace,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAV8XnZUv8C
her chest still rattling with leftover tremors.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpUv4xkRIl
She didn’t care.
He said,
“Wait—”
It wasn’t loud.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡib1hp2x5pl
It was quiet, pleading, instinctive.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjMtA9AUQF
But to Claire, it sounded like some pointless prayer.
Wait, my ass, she thought.
She was furious now.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8uhmAvf6D
She hadn’t come here to wait.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVepjk6cmO
She wasn’t someone to be protected.
She stormed to the door.
Grabbed the handle.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUilWA0lVM
Yanked hard.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuTsHenFox
No finesse—just pure, animal panic.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkNl5inhqA
Like trying to tear open the edge of reality.
But it didn’t budge.
The door groaned—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Exlr6C2zn
a horrible creaking, like something was gummed up in the cracks.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNfGXGiaJo
Claire didn’t believe it.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqfspSzekA
Used her other hand.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBj4LEhyJqR
Pushed harder.
Every muscle in her body tensed.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGX3YqkPNB
Shoulder against the door.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduHEs4ihWu
Feet braced.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOunPtpn9K
She looked like a beast caged for too long—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwce4ebDr72
and the only thing in her eyes was escape.
Still nothing.
She gritted her teeth.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG20bj01P36
Her palms reddened.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZhWHqyPio
Her arms shook.
She was about to lose it.
Then the officer came up beside her.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKbROfLEQf
He didn’t say a word.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkVnJCVboi
Just reached for the handle, adding his strength to hers.
They pulled—together.
Their breathing was all over the place,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahFDu4DVyD
but their rhythm began to sync,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOR05V06T4p
two struggling bodies tugging in perfect time.
Then, finally—
A ding.
A clear chime rang out from the alert bell above the door,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9GpKGkBtT
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—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sAF3EAFg5
like a beast breaking out of its cage.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0IsERBYwV
The world outside was chaotic,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6qpavSA9S
but it still felt better than the warped, rattling room behind her.
Claire didn’t stop to breathe.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi99l21ulhF
She ran.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35MiPak26I
Didn’t even wait to steady her steps—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7JWPP4yBs
her whole body was moving on instinct,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7chYbsnEi
as if chasing something…16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOco9k3L1J
or escaping it.
The street was full of confused people.
Someone yelling into a phone.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8P54Sm1BMI
Someone staring at shattered glass.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEY7pEzKh1
Someone gripping an umbrella, frozen in place.
Everyone trying to process what just happened—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGINYMg3rC9
but all their thoughts were trapped at street level.
No one looked up.
Claire felt that old, familiar loneliness wrap around her again.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡml5Pt3XFu6
Even if the sky split in half,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5UxlHkspZ
no one would see it.
Only she knew it was there.
She stopped.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZsTLsyvsN
Tilted her head back.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3k4nXSaBG
Took a deep breath.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfZsHUKTqt
Closed her eyes.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmg7Gg7GDRt
And shifted into the Observer.
The tear in the sky was leaking something—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyWw6Grxc4
slow as syrup.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmtxt9KToD
Something was dripping out.
Not a natural phenomenon.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIOIwUXPpe
More like... something sick, pulling itself into shape.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgzQy9LWVK
Sluggish.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJLURa86az
Inevitable.
Vile purple.
Thick like vomit.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcK3DtwXSLD
A cursed color.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEuvYKEWm1
She could almost smell it—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAtZownmNb
metal, rot, humidity, chaos.
Some of the syrup had already reached the ground.
It was corroding the street.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAPOMLheP6
Smoke.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy59ymwBajk
Sludge.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLBw37Lp2l
Tentacle-like forms.
People screamed.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTfXmfFsH6
Some still thought it was just a busted pipe.
One blob dangled just above Claire’s head.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwsqUNJaCW
Not quite touching the ground—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJCuAHuNqh
it wavered in the air, like sniffing.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sK5wYGDb6
Like it had chosen her.
She felt its attention.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZH35nsnf4A
Knew it was watching.
She looked around.
The blue-eyed officer was also looking up—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHowFAyM8f
trying to follow her gaze.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0KaLQorVf
Confused.
He saw nothing.
Claire moved.
She snatched the gun from his waist.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfUyZLMYZj
Aimed it skyward.
Fast.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjA7d3dRLHF
Silent.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXqGTh0yhX
Her fingers moved like she'd rehearsed it a hundred times.
She felt him try to stop her,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DbopO6Nvt
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—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoMgs32vj2
Claire’s eyes were empty.
Just calm.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifXbGXi97H
And decision.
Too late.
She already had the gun
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoxfExHSfJ
She didn’t look back.
Just tightened her grip around the cold weight in her hand.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJG5uWz7D2
She knew this feeling.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4GFNT56nL
The weight of the gun.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0tjT1iQEb
The click of the safety.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhN7z5KXoiF
Exactly where the catch was.
Bad in strength?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBnLxj0qSf
Make it up in skill.
She’d long given up trying to win with brute force—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4m8e0vpqK
but technique?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmuePsSMlL
Her technique never failed her.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVxKCIHj5v
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0hizrPfdt
Then Batman took one look at her and said,
“Add her.”
No one laughed.
Everyone knew what that meant.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIDQaacOqZ
It meant:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvm4vHu8LvR
“You’re not good enough—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeBDkzsOD4
but you might need to fight first.”
Those sessions nearly killed her.
Especially the first few.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JRauhdPAl
Batman just stood there and said coldly,
“If you can’t get through this,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lZoyLNbYk
this world isn’t yours to look at.”
She vomited on the mat.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dD5qtEzV4
Tore the skin off her palms.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfi92iJpVKz
Blacked out once from getting slammed too hard.
And Batman?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPF8jfANCc
Didn’t flinch.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDefOP8oPN
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—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfQDEdpem7
but perfect accuracy.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREjkIitPrx
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbz9Gw1kgw
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgXvApfIUC
But an hour in, Batman barked,
“Switch. Robin.”
Nightwing had been too gentle.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLClRTdP7m
Too smiley.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTy6hnq4Rw9
Too… encouraging.
Claire almost thought she was in barista orientation.
Robin later said Nightwing had
“too many hand gestures,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnTXr01ggQ
too much explaining,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGyLqK6yDh
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,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWjUMXOgxw
metal clicked.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNHhKW3Pmh
A sharp ka-clack16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDXc3vli5x
like her heart syncing into a new tempo.
The air thickened.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkk9kD8y2Go
Noise faded.
Claire closed her eyes.
Raised the gun.
And fired at the sludge hanging from the sky.
BANG.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8hiIfMlzx
