Beauty in the Beast

Nick and I stared at each other for a moment, but no bombs were going off. Nick went up to Jackson, who was now coughing blood from his internal wounds.

“What game are you playing?” He asked. Jackson grinned and looked up at Nick.

“I knew you were just going to kill me.” He coughed more blood and spit it to the ground beside him. “I pressed the button as soon as you pulled me from that hole.” He laughed, but it came out as more of a gurgle. “The bombs are linked to a system much like dominoes. After the first goes off, more will follow.” Nick swiped his claws across his uncles’ neck and Jackson gasped for breath as he bled out.

“We have to go now, Emma.” Nick grabbed my wrist and pulled me out the panic room with him. A loud bang sounded from above us and we both fell to the ground from the pressure of the blast. Nick stood up first, pulling me to my feet and pushing me in front of him. “Go!” I started to run, but instantly stopped when I realized Nick took off in the opposite direction of me.

“Nick!” He didn’t stop, so I turned and ran towards him. He grabbed Daniel and pushed him towards me.

“What the hell was that, Nick?” He asked.

“Bombs, we need to get everyone out of here.” Nick responded.

“Alex—” I said. “He’s still in the security room.” Daniel started to go, but Nick stopped him.

“I’ll get him, get her out of here.” Nick took off down the corridor and Daniel headed the opposite direction, but I stood frozen.

“Don’t leave me in here, Emma.” Derek pleaded with me. “We can still stick to the plan, I’ll get the hell away from your pack for good, just don’t leave me in here.”

“Emma!” Daniel called for me from a few feet away. Suddenly, Daniel’s hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me away from Derek’s cell.

We stopped at the elevator, but with another boom from above us we both fell to the ground. Daniel stood up and pressed on the elevator, but nothing happened. The familiar hum of the power was no longer there.

“It’s not working.” Daniel said in a panic. Alex and Nick joined us, and they looked at Daniel with confusion as he banged on the button.

“It’s not going to work.” I said.

“Okay, so how do we get out of here?” Nick asked me.

“I don’t know, I haven’t come across a single set of stairs to get us to the next floor. The elevator is the only way I know.”

“Dammit!” Daniel slammed on the button again like that would somehow make it work.

“Are we trapped?” Alex asked. Everyone was silent as we all realized that there was no way out of this bunker. Nick turned and punched the wall so hard the brick crumbled to pieces.

“There is a way out.” He said. “We just don’t know it.”

“We won’t have time to search this whole place looking for a way out.” Alex said. Nick turned to me and I somehow knew exactly what he was thinking, but I said nothing. Nick spun around on his heels and jogged down the corridor and we followed him. He stopped at Derek’s cell and turned to Daniel with his hand out. Daniel shook his head.

“There has to be another way.” He said.

“If there was, I would be doing it.” Nick stated before another bomb went off above us. “We’re running out of time.”

“Shit.” Daniel muttered as he slapped the key in Nick’s hand. Nick dangled the key in front of Derek.

“Do you know a way out of here that doesn’t involve the elevator?” Nick asked.

“I built this place; I know every inch of it.”

“I figured.” He put the key in the door but didn’t turn it. “You’re going to show us how to get out of here.”

“Then what?”

“Then I’m going to make sure my wolves get out of here safely and you’re going to disappear.” I was shocked Nick was making a deal with Derek right now, but honestly, we had no other option than to wait for a bomb a bomb to go off close enough to us that it kills us.

Nick freed Derek and he jumped from the cell before Nick had a chance to change his mind. I tried to avert my eyes, so I didn’t look anywhere near his general direction.

“There’s a stairwell behind our living quarters, it’ll take us up to the ground level so we can get out of this shithole.” Derek led the way down the hall until another explosion went off. We all fell to the ground again, the structure above us shook; threatening to fall and crush us all.

“We need to move now!” Nick pulled me up to my feet and we all took off running towards the end of the corridor. I thought about our wolves who were on the other floors of the building. I hope everyone made it to the willow tree we were meeting at and no one was hurt in the fire. The loss of Roland and Emmett was hard enough to deal with, I didn’t want more names on the list of casualties.

Nick helped Derek move beds to the middle of the room to clear a path to the secret stairway Derek built in the wall. He dropped to the floor and started counting bricks from the ground up. He passed his hand over them and went one to the left. He pushed the brick in like I had in the cell and the doorway began opening. He turned to Nick.

“This will take you to every floor in the whole building. We just have to make it to the first.” Nick nodded and motioned Daniel and Alex in the wall opening. We all filed through the stairs and began climbing, Derek was first in the group, leading the way. Daniel was after Derek and Alex followed close behind Daniel. I followed Alex and Nick took place in the back of the line. There was no handrail in the makeshift stairwell to hold onto, so when another explosion went off, all five of us went down.

“Is everyone okay?” Nick asked after the cloud of smoke cleared from the debris that fell above us.

“We’re good.” Daniel answered.

“Be a lot better when we get out of this stairwell.” Alex added. Before we had time to recover, another explosion went off, but this one was much closer to us. The stairwell shook and steps in front of us began to crumble, creating a large hole in front of me, splitting our group up.

“Can you make it out?” Nick asked Daniel. His beta examined what was left of the stairs before nodding.

“We should be able to.”

“Good, go and get the hell out. Start rounding up the wolves that are left outside and take them to the willow tree. We’ll meet you there.” Daniel and Alex made their way up more stairs, but Derek stayed behind, looking at me with pain in his eyes. Nick let out a growl, not appreciating the fact that Derek’s eyes were lingering on me.

“Come on.” Derek reached his arm across the hole in the stairs towards me. “Emma, take my hand, I’ll help you over.” I turned to Nick, unsure of what to do. He nodded and I took Derek’s hand. He pulled me over as I semi-jumped and almost instantly threw me forcibly up the stairs. He turned back to Nick and growled, his fangs out for a fight. He jumped over the hole and attacked Nick, but Nick was ready for it and forced him to the ground.

“Emma, go!” Nick screamed to me, but I wasn’t leaving him. I let my wolf forward and she let out a roar before jumping over the hole and landing a punch on Derek’s jaw. Another explosion went off and knocked us all to our asses. Derek swiped at Nick and connected with his shoulder. Nick let out a grunt as blood poured from the new wound on his collarbone.

“Derek, stop!” I called out. “It’s over! Jackson is dead! Let it go!” Derek turned to me and growled. He quickly turned away from us and jumped into the hole the explosion made, escaping our grasps once again.