Keira took a step.
Just one.
It barely made a sound, but to her, it echoed like a crack of thunder.
Her legs felt like lead, her breathing shallow. Her throat was so dry it hurt just to swallow. The millipede loomed ahead, waiting, twitching, as if it understood what she was about to do.
She took another step.
Everything in her screamed to run. Her body shook, her hands were ice-cold, and her heart pounded so violently it felt like it might shatter her ribs.
But she kept walking.
Because if she didn't… he would kill them all.
And that thought… it made her sick.
Why me?
Why am I doing this?
She remembered Rin Evans again. His voice. His silence. The day Keira pushed him too far. The guilt she'd buried beneath pride and excuses.
'I deserve this, don't I?'
'Is this… my punishment?'
A tear slipped down her cheek, but she didn't stop.
Every step forward stripped something from her. Her pride. Her fear. Her denial. Her false sense of control.
She wanted someone to stop her.
