Claire saw the shock in his face.
His pupils dilated, eyebrows shot up,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmakmJNezE
like he’d just seen something that shouldn’t exist in this world.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SRwWjQHFH
A mix of disbelief and worry twisted his expression—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfL3qKjIBJk
even his mouth twitched a little.
But she didn’t care what he saw.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvdPfDC9vQ
Claire’s heartbeat was still pounding from the quake.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLCg3Hophl
There was only one thing left in her mind:71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gUPUI4Zso
Get out.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZrwXuIw9H
Now.
She shoved his hands off, pulled herself free from his arms.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlX2BKrxit
It wasn’t graceful—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCglBrIA2V
she practically crashed out of that embrace,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiFIKes7mq
her chest still rattling with leftover tremors.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxucP1o3lZI
She didn’t care.
He said,
“Wait—”
It wasn’t loud.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEL3Gkfs50
It was quiet, pleading, instinctive.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCv8YOSmM2r
But to Claire, it sounded like some pointless prayer.
Wait, my ass, she thought.
She was furious now.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEABQP7lv8
She hadn’t come here to wait.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nTL3p9QTE
She wasn’t someone to be protected.
She stormed to the door.
Grabbed the handle.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqXIzSlWTZ
Yanked hard.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhayBEMUoXo
No finesse—just pure, animal panic.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bYzLNu3o3
Like trying to tear open the edge of reality.
But it didn’t budge.
The door groaned—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOgz0Gu1EN
a horrible creaking, like something was gummed up in the cracks.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofg0Dd9hgP
Claire didn’t believe it.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjx1yLernD
Used her other hand.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBvai8Dq2l
Pushed harder.
Every muscle in her body tensed.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1X3MrPqdA
Shoulder against the door.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbVWxm2PuZ
Feet braced.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWgu2kyKeH
She looked like a beast caged for too long—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPwsIvfVD4
and the only thing in her eyes was escape.
Still nothing.
She gritted her teeth.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlWuPj88Bj
Her palms reddened.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nMJpwjmay
Her arms shook.
She was about to lose it.
Then the officer came up beside her.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWBltW2sIg
He didn’t say a word.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODnc9vSRnC
Just reached for the handle, adding his strength to hers.
They pulled—together.
Their breathing was all over the place,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34OZ24AcKr
but their rhythm began to sync,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdpUVOrEIK
two struggling bodies tugging in perfect time.
Then, finally—
A ding.
A clear chime rang out from the alert bell above the door,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWaVQ59yNJ
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—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmET1dNBbM
like a beast breaking out of its cage.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoaABUJ63J
The world outside was chaotic,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NM359N3ZK
but it still felt better than the warped, rattling room behind her.
Claire didn’t stop to breathe.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZ5a8YBx9P
She ran.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43QCcAKtZJ
Didn’t even wait to steady her steps—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKaw3cBC79
her whole body was moving on instinct,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4prUWW8KN
as if chasing something…71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdFNxPQXwz
or escaping it.
The street was full of confused people.
Someone yelling into a phone.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSAuBNoDbq
Someone staring at shattered glass.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrginoZrLI
Someone gripping an umbrella, frozen in place.
Everyone trying to process what just happened—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCd7pVQYjO
but all their thoughts were trapped at street level.
No one looked up.
Claire felt that old, familiar loneliness wrap around her again.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIX8QBk8CV
Even if the sky split in half,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSNV5hBTKe
no one would see it.
Only she knew it was there.
She stopped.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdz2Fv35JI
Tilted her head back.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcwV6V4ozo
Took a deep breath.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciAgfGKLOc
Closed her eyes.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyUmmN3AAe
And shifted into the Observer.
The tear in the sky was leaking something—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjzB3eTscA
slow as syrup.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Fgeyj4iD9
Something was dripping out.
Not a natural phenomenon.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5B9V1D3NUn
More like... something sick, pulling itself into shape.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZu9puh52Q
Sluggish.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWCPHcPuex
Inevitable.
Vile purple.
Thick like vomit.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGrXiY2uCX
A cursed color.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYPJPyUOKh
She could almost smell it—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJqOkZ8us9
metal, rot, humidity, chaos.
Some of the syrup had already reached the ground.
It was corroding the street.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnEnvBksi8
Smoke.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4scO4L82C
Sludge.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQYjpgJuUN
Tentacle-like forms.
People screamed.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXH5gkymyA
Some still thought it was just a busted pipe.
One blob dangled just above Claire’s head.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9P7DmBAKo2
Not quite touching the ground—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXB3YU3JGOu
it wavered in the air, like sniffing.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3YSnBW5D6
Like it had chosen her.
She felt its attention.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ9U8Qlhmn
Knew it was watching.
She looked around.
The blue-eyed officer was also looking up—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kFNHfQu9j
trying to follow her gaze.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0hjK6pLIs
Confused.
He saw nothing.
Claire moved.
She snatched the gun from his waist.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB1qWrqRas
Aimed it skyward.
Fast.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZM9v4onys9
Silent.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVA8LDPTU4f
Her fingers moved like she'd rehearsed it a hundred times.
She felt him try to stop her,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxQXHvOz1d
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—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdD1O0BcnV
Claire’s eyes were empty.
Just calm.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4HEZ68lvH
And decision.
Too late.
She already had the gun
71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqliKhXXm07
She didn’t look back.
Just tightened her grip around the cold weight in her hand.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVawhzztW4
She knew this feeling.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPmp9Y0BQS
The weight of the gun.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlcnE1Viso
The click of the safety.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQySHvmMDP
Exactly where the catch was.
Bad in strength?71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTpPvIIt3f
Make it up in skill.
She’d long given up trying to win with brute force—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn49HZQT5Zs
but technique?71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NVmcpgyAf
Her technique never failed her.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKKUvsxbzw
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.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUGlJ6y2it
Then Batman took one look at her and said,
“Add her.”
No one laughed.
Everyone knew what that meant.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2z6ZLxk3n
It meant:71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7YkY76Q2Z
“You’re not good enough—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZIA7RQPRR
but you might need to fight first.”
Those sessions nearly killed her.
Especially the first few.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykud8ADXsb
Batman just stood there and said coldly,
“If you can’t get through this,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzK9wNghin
this world isn’t yours to look at.”
She vomited on the mat.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpDWyajrum
Tore the skin off her palms.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuuJAi3SsK
Blacked out once from getting slammed too hard.
And Batman?71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBgZqTjlYz
Didn’t flinch.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oZbXpRnaT
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—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLRFYMWgrb
but perfect accuracy.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdmg71yiI3
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.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqtgYUIaH1
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.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYLw0zrViX
But an hour in, Batman barked,
“Switch. Robin.”
Nightwing had been too gentle.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiPvOFVJoH
Too smiley.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrN8zjqXNb
Too… encouraging.
Claire almost thought she was in barista orientation.
Robin later said Nightwing had
“too many hand gestures,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbIQmGWWCv
too much explaining,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnYOz0t1ur
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,71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvjXlCBPJO
metal clicked.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOY0uLZabj
A sharp ka-clack71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEcvmXQdqb
like her heart syncing into a new tempo.
The air thickened.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWUFCp5HtH
Noise faded.
Claire closed her eyes.
Raised the gun.
And fired at the sludge hanging from the sky.
BANG.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUCymCSAsw
