Chapter 9 · The Cage Knows His Name

The door slams shut behind us. The echo bounces off stone and keeps going, deeper than it should.

I can't see anything. The glow from outside is gone. Just black and the sound of Cain breathing too hard next to me.

My hand's still bleeding. I can feel it dripping off my fingers. The cut's not deep but it won't stop. I press it against my jacket and try not to think about how much blood I've already lost today.

"Cain?"

He doesn't answer.

I reach out. My fingers brush his arm and he flinches like I burned him. His skin's hot. Too hot. And his breathing—it's not slowing down. If anything it's getting worse.

"Cain, I need you to—"

"Don't." His voice comes out wrong. Half growl, half something that might've been words once. "Don't touch me."

I pull my hand back. "Okay. Okay, I won't. Just tell me where we are."

"I told you." He sounds farther away now. Like he's backing up. "It's a cage."

"You said that already. What does that mean?"

Silence. Then a scrape of boot on stone. He's moving. Away from me.