Back in the Hallway
Lila clutched her bleeding shoulder, her breath coming in uneven gasps. Her gaze darted from Claus to her parents, then to the distant screams echoing down the corridor.
Her heart clenched.
"That's my brother!" she cried, her voice shaking after hearing Claus' command over the device to gun him down.
Claus exhaled sharply, dragging himself to a sitting position against the doorframe. He wiped a streak of blood from his mouth before looking at her, his expression grim.
"Was…"
"Would your brother attack his own parents?"
Lila flinched, her fingers tightening into fists. She wanted to scream at him, to deny it—to claim that somewhere inside that monster was still Orien.
A weak voice broke through the tension.
"…What did you do to my sweet boy…?"
Veyra's breath was shallow as she lay on the floor, her body weak and nearly unconscious. Her pain-filled eyes found Claus's battered form.
Claus leaned his head back against the wall, clearly exhausted.
