Claire saw the shock in his face.
His pupils dilated, eyebrows shot up,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwXHSN2FLc
like he’d just seen something that shouldn’t exist in this world.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qbjlMDutG
A mix of disbelief and worry twisted his expression—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqydmFSgoI
even his mouth twitched a little.
But she didn’t care what he saw.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkZiThOjBl
Claire’s heartbeat was still pounding from the quake.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TzZbMO80C
There was only one thing left in her mind:41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPd5C05euiT
Get out.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1jly0vFYO
Now.
She shoved his hands off, pulled herself free from his arms.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAM2YLwQcn
It wasn’t graceful—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaha6vMpwxU
she practically crashed out of that embrace,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbYL7cK12R
her chest still rattling with leftover tremors.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8qxe6UffG
She didn’t care.
He said,
“Wait—”
It wasn’t loud.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZogOanLYa
It was quiet, pleading, instinctive.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzThRfpdbS
But to Claire, it sounded like some pointless prayer.
Wait, my ass, she thought.
She was furious now.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIigrLLWxp2
She hadn’t come here to wait.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyL76CKvvG
She wasn’t someone to be protected.
She stormed to the door.
Grabbed the handle.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZqISL1IOL
Yanked hard.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZyhI7IIG4
No finesse—just pure, animal panic.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnl7k50GcxA
Like trying to tear open the edge of reality.
But it didn’t budge.
The door groaned—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlSjxUZ47p
a horrible creaking, like something was gummed up in the cracks.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrfMhFVCDV
Claire didn’t believe it.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtOI06RW67
Used her other hand.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwHntSMeB3
Pushed harder.
Every muscle in her body tensed.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeUokjlltq
Shoulder against the door.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCnUOv2V5I
Feet braced.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdAaf3zTyk
She looked like a beast caged for too long—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2QFjMs1RB
and the only thing in her eyes was escape.
Still nothing.
She gritted her teeth.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8aNEhnk99
Her palms reddened.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqOH3AdNj5
Her arms shook.
She was about to lose it.
Then the officer came up beside her.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoYqO0Kdtn
He didn’t say a word.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGkS2WPS5k
Just reached for the handle, adding his strength to hers.
They pulled—together.
Their breathing was all over the place,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhrXuvGQ0U
but their rhythm began to sync,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUMORrQxrD
two struggling bodies tugging in perfect time.
Then, finally—
A ding.
A clear chime rang out from the alert bell above the door,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzied1CJm7
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—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZkAAqFiAH
like a beast breaking out of its cage.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zDumPXEB8
The world outside was chaotic,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJ75p2IMst
but it still felt better than the warped, rattling room behind her.
Claire didn’t stop to breathe.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB49C2YRlkx
She ran.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpZtFZ57Vc
Didn’t even wait to steady her steps—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUwvdUNtq8
her whole body was moving on instinct,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5d6yyERQJ
as if chasing something…41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2E4DZ0Kajs
or escaping it.
The street was full of confused people.
Someone yelling into a phone.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gEBpfKU2M
Someone staring at shattered glass.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rIZa2gVuI
Someone gripping an umbrella, frozen in place.
Everyone trying to process what just happened—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNxKoWqhNV
but all their thoughts were trapped at street level.
No one looked up.
Claire felt that old, familiar loneliness wrap around her again.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA88p3MBulP
Even if the sky split in half,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCfbVivord
no one would see it.
Only she knew it was there.
She stopped.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIHpa4nZpr
Tilted her head back.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRj5aKKj2fv
Took a deep breath.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPV0eHFxDj
Closed her eyes.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMZVVJd6BX
And shifted into the Observer.
The tear in the sky was leaking something—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XLzQcnHhO
slow as syrup.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aakucZQg4
Something was dripping out.
Not a natural phenomenon.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHTw32bRUO
More like... something sick, pulling itself into shape.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9Ntlz9REP
Sluggish.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Ve7hJlKDF
Inevitable.
Vile purple.
Thick like vomit.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXNUMPz3WD
A cursed color.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pzfnkDESs
She could almost smell it—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzTusJcG7i
metal, rot, humidity, chaos.
Some of the syrup had already reached the ground.
It was corroding the street.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysuqmqH0Y7
Smoke.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3hyLFOAuj
Sludge.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRThOe90wj
Tentacle-like forms.
People screamed.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriZK4ViTek
Some still thought it was just a busted pipe.
One blob dangled just above Claire’s head.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzu3HaeI7V
Not quite touching the ground—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTSsdMpuo1
it wavered in the air, like sniffing.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv8rzVDkFj
Like it had chosen her.
She felt its attention.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OTJ57VHAp
Knew it was watching.
She looked around.
The blue-eyed officer was also looking up—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQZjD65W01
trying to follow her gaze.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9cHdUMu8R
Confused.
He saw nothing.
Claire moved.
She snatched the gun from his waist.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnulGmjsoh
Aimed it skyward.
Fast.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmFivAbcam
Silent.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFi1mnVILEP
Her fingers moved like she'd rehearsed it a hundred times.
She felt him try to stop her,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡON4O5zymRw
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—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqEkp4tvo6
Claire’s eyes were empty.
Just calm.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10fQAcO8Dv
And decision.
Too late.
She already had the gun
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2A8l2KpokY
She didn’t look back.
Just tightened her grip around the cold weight in her hand.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9OSVt2Oup
She knew this feeling.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuDWxta793
The weight of the gun.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4IXVp2GcB
The click of the safety.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73sxhPhiXy
Exactly where the catch was.
Bad in strength?41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2wGpVWCam
Make it up in skill.
She’d long given up trying to win with brute force—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzJLwJfw8y
but technique?41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjFgSso4PL
Her technique never failed her.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVXWO2BdP1
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalDNmwG2wp
Then Batman took one look at her and said,
“Add her.”
No one laughed.
Everyone knew what that meant.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8A8wNOlH4
It meant:41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJVAcsTSgn
“You’re not good enough—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZKFepflzg
but you might need to fight first.”
Those sessions nearly killed her.
Especially the first few.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8bUGNH0Y3
Batman just stood there and said coldly,
“If you can’t get through this,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa84eJEsFEb
this world isn’t yours to look at.”
She vomited on the mat.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7esldUr5o
Tore the skin off her palms.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLWo2klTTM
Blacked out once from getting slammed too hard.
And Batman?41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpz89z4Ya68
Didn’t flinch.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8c7ImufHSs
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—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIXBZR1SSv
but perfect accuracy.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0gl0iy2aI
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogJRnFgysW
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfBo0fDTPA
But an hour in, Batman barked,
“Switch. Robin.”
Nightwing had been too gentle.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMQ6DAN7RJ
Too smiley.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiod1IK2RIy
Too… encouraging.
Claire almost thought she was in barista orientation.
Robin later said Nightwing had
“too many hand gestures,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYloZeqoFyO
too much explaining,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡql7LcJO9iZ
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,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQVIYU49Kp
metal clicked.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXGM7VRP5p
A sharp ka-clack41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVwa6CAyhu
like her heart syncing into a new tempo.
The air thickened.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tvA8fPnO3
Noise faded.
Claire closed her eyes.
Raised the gun.
And fired at the sludge hanging from the sky.
BANG.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHYIYD6Xxe
and then Add to home screen.