Keiba lowered her arm and watched as the fire started to ignite along the trails of gasoline Meaghan had left around the shed. There was more splattered along the walls. With the door out of the question, Keiba looked to the window that Meaghan had broken as her means of escape. She could hear Darcie shouting at Meaghan. She seemed so upset that the gravity of their situation had yet to hit her.

Keiba dropped Meaghan’s knife and got to her feet quickly, but carefully. There was glass all around her. She tried hopping over the majority of it, but she still felt the stinging bite of a wayward shard penetrating the sole of her foot. She gritted her teeth through the pain and turned that foot to the side. She limped quickly to the table, hoping neither of the girls would notice her escape, but the clumsiness in her gait was obvious, and Meaghan spotted her easily.

As Keiba put her knee on top of the table, Meaghan detached herself from Darcie and grabbed Keiba by the waist. She hauled her backward until she’d fallen off the table.

“Darcie, go!” Meaghan shouted. “Go before the whole thing burns down.”

With a curse, Darcie started moving before Meaghan had even finished speaking. Fear finally setting in, she didn’t even glance at Keiba as she passed them, scampered on top of the table, and jumped out of the window—leaving Keiba and Meaghan by themselves.

“Let go!” Keiba shouted, struggling.

Meaghan was much stronger than she looked. She held on tightly to Keiba as she dragged her away from the window.

But they were both starting to feel the heat. Sweat was running down Keiba’s face as she struggled, and Meaghan’s wasn’t much drier. Their stamina was running out quick. Keiba had to get Meaghan off and soon because in another minute, the heat was becoming more and more intense.

She pushed in the direction Meaghan was pulling and threw the other girl off balance. She wrenched herself out of Meaghan’s grasp and ran toward the window. But her wounds proved to be more of a hindrance than she’d thought. Getting on top of the table gave Meaghan just enough time to run and grab her knife. As Keiba’s hands grasped the windowsill, Meaghan rushed toward her and drove the blade into her body.

Keiba’s scream echoed throughout the forest, startling birds and animals away from the immediate vicinity. Meaghan grabbed the back of Keiba’s dress and again hauled her backward. At the same time, she yanked the knife out of Keiba’s body, causing her to scream again.

“Looks like I’m going to have to do this myself.” Meaghan said, and raised the knife again. But she paused.

Keiba took a second to glance at her over her shoulder, and when she did, she saw that Meaghan had become transfixed by the blood coating the blade. She turned her hand slightly watching as the moonlight glinted off of it. She’d never been the one to spill blood herself—she’d never even seen this much of it in person. She touched it with her other hand and rubbed the blood slowly between her fingers.

Keiba took advantage of this distraction and shook her off. The pain was intense, but she tried again to get on top of the table. Tears of frustration and pain blurred her vision. She glanced again behind her and saw that Meaghan had the knife raised in her hand ready to strike again. She kicked at her and scooted backward toward the window, one of her hands reaching blindly for the sill.

Meaghan caught her foot and yanked Keiba toward her coughing a little as the fire grew even more intense. She fit herself in between Keiba’s legs and gripped a handful of her dress to keep her in place. Keiba writhed about, her eyes on the knife. She knew it was as thirsty for her blood as Meaghan was.

It lunged at her. Keiba stopped it, grabbing Meaghan’s arm with both hands. Meaghan added more weight to her arm, pushing down on it with her other hand. Meaghan was as determined to kill her as Keiba was determined not to die.

They smelled the smoke before they saw the shed.

The officers and Min-Kyung moved toward the smell. They hadn’t spoken a word since entering the forest, except for Banks to call in to the fire department about the smoke, but when they heard the sound of footsteps approaching rapidly, they knew to have their guard up.

Min lifted his flashlight and illuminated in the direction the footsteps were coming from. He did some searching, but eventually the light hit a rat.

And its name was Darcie.

“Hey, you!” York shouted. “Stop!”

Darcie looked at them for a moment, startled. Then the deer in headlights look passed and she ran as fast as she could through the trees.

York cursed and started after her, but Banks stopped him. “I got her.” He said. “You and Min-Kyung go get Keiba.”

York nodded and looked at Min. He looked like he was about to say something, but Keiba’s shrieking cut them off. It was at that time that Meaghan stabbed her.

The color drained from Min-Kyung’s face. He whipped around so quickly that his hair flared out from his head. Completely ignoring York’s protests, he dashed through the trees until the shed was in sight.

And then he froze.

The flashlight fell with a light thud to the forest floor. He could see the fire burning inside the shed. At that distance, the smell of smoke was even more potent. And he thought he could feel the warmth against his skin.

These sensations took him back to that day in Ardyn Grove. And suddenly the scent of burning flesh joined the smoke, and he could hear the screams as his classmates and teachers fall victim to the heat. His knees trembled, but his legs refused to take another step. His brain and heart seemed to be screaming for his body to move, but his muscles had locked up.

He stared at the shed, terrified.

The blade was pointed at the dip between Keiba’s collar bones, and it was inches away from piercing into her skin. If she didn’t do something now—right now—she’d be done for.  

And then she got an idea. It was dangerous to put into action, but her body was already moving before she could fully process what the ramifications would be.

In one oddly graceful movement, Keiba slid down the table, moving her hips closer into Meaghan’s, and lifted her legs. Her shin caught Meaghan hard in the back of her head. It didn’t incapacitate her, but she hadn’t been expecting the sudden hit. With a cry, Keiba sat up and shoved Meaghan away with her last ounces of strength. The hilt of the blade pushed into Meaghan’s chest as she fell backward, tripping over her poorly placed feet.

Coughing and tearing up from the smoke, Keiba labored to the window. Her hands grasped the windowsill as she dragged herself toward the opening. The flames had started to close in on her. Some had started to eat at the legs of the table.

Min-Kyung had fallen into a very dark pit of fear, but the sound of Keiba’s battle cry tore through the darkness. He blinked as he came out of it, and focused immediately on the broken window, through which he could Keiba’s head as she sat up.

He sprinted toward the window, his hands already reaching out toward the ones he could see grasping the frame. His skin touched hers and her eyes met his. opened slightly. Somehow he knew that her lips would shape themselves to pronounce his name, but there wasn’t any time for that.

Min noticed movement and looked over her head. Meaghan had stood up; bloody knife gripped in her hand, and determined tears streaking down her own face. There was darkness in her eyes. She looked exactly like a she-demon who’d risen from the pits of hell to abscond with Keiba’s soul.

“No!” He growled at her, the muscles in his arms twitching with the desire to lift Keiba and carry her away.

Meaghan looked at him and hissed. She actually did.

Min was prepared to pull Keiba out of there, but York had cocked his gun. Min looked over his shoulder and saw the officer, slightly dirty due to the fall he’d taken when he was trying to go after Min, point the gun at Meaghan.

“Put the knife down, Meaghan.” York ordered. “Let’s focus on getting you and Keiba out of there, alright?”

Meaghan laughed at him. She lifted her hand to show him that it had Keiba’s blood on it. She it slowly, winking at him. “Go yourself, officer.” She taunted, and then she went after Keiba for the last time.

“Min, duck!” York shouted.

Min ducked, and Keiba lowered her head. York took aim and fired. Seconds later Meaghan’s limp body hit the ground. When Keiba looked at her, she saw that her eyes were still open even as blood started to pool beneath her body.

She turned her head away with a shudder. At that point, she was so drained of energy, that she just couldn’t do much of anything. So when the table collapsed to the side and she started rolling off of it, there wasn’t much she could do but allow herself to fall. Min looked down at Keiba through the window and saw her trying to pick herself up off the ground. There was blood soaked into her dress, and she was moving very slowly. His heart ached and burned in equal amounts of sorrow and rage.

The window was too high for her to get through, so he ran around the side to try to get in through the door. But what was left of it was ablaze. The heat drove him back; it was too much for him to try to get through. He looked through the flames at Keiba, who was sitting on the ground, coughing and crying. She looked at him helplessly. They were so close. So close, and yet he couldn’t even touch her to comfort her. 

“The firemen are here.” York said grasping Min’s shoulder and pulling him back. “We have to get out of the way so they can go in and get her.”

Min said nothing. He allowed York to pull him, but he wouldn’t move too far away. He watched as two of the firemen entered the shed. He waited anxiously for them to bring Keiba out. And when they did, paramedics were there with a gurney and some oxygen for her. They gently set her on it, mindful of the wound in her side. He followed them out of the forest as the firemen put out the flames. One stopped him from entering the ambulance with them.

“Kid, you can’t come in here—”

“It’s okay.” York assured them. “Let him go.”

The paramedic seemed to hesitate, but Keiba lifted a hand. She said his name weakly, her fingers searching for his.

The paramedic sighed. “Alright, get in. But be quick about it.”

Min nodded at him, then at York, and then he got inside. His fingers grasped Keiba’s as the doors were shut. He rubbed his thumb over them gently.

He didn’t think about calling Keiba’s dad until he’d reached the hospital. He kept hold of Keiba’s hand until the doctors wouldn’t let him anymore. He stood there, staring after her until he realized he had to let Gerald know. He reached into his pocket for his phone and all but collapsed into one of the chairs standing against the wall.

“Min!” Ben answered. “What happened? Did you find her? Where is she?”

“Yeah, I found her, but she’s hurt pretty badly. We’re at the hospital now.”

“The hospital? What—? Wait, does this have something to do with the smoke?”

“Yeah.” Min leaned forward, rubbing his hand over his face. “Ben, look, are you still next to Keiba’s dad?”

“Yeah, I left to answer the phone, but I know where he is.”

“Good. Can you give him the phone then?”

“Yeah. Hold on.”

Min buried his fingers in his hair and closed his eyes. He only had to wait a minute before Gerald’s gruff voice boomed into the phone.

“What is it Min-Kyung?”

“It’s about Keiba. She got hurt pretty badly and we’re at the hospital—”

“She got hurt? How? Why? What happened?”

“I can explain everything when you get down here. I’d rather speak to you in person.”

Gerald sighed. “Fair enough. Which hospital?”

“Healing Hands.”

“What room?”

“207.”

“I’ll be there soon.”

Gerald hung up before Min could respond. He sighed and sank into his chair. His head rested against the wall as he stared up at the ceiling. It would be a while before he knew anything about Keiba’s condition. And he knew it would be the longest he’d ever have to wait in his life.