“Take care of the girl,” I order, looking up at Michael. “Ruby should be here, she’ Il take care of her and then you come back and help finish this shit off.” Michael nods while I start towards the area I last saw the black figure disappear. If they really were a part of the Society, then I want them for information. Screams erupt from the entrance I came in through, followed by more gunshots. One of my men must've let my team in. Absolute carnage is consuming that cave, but I don't worry about that, trusting that no one that participated in this ceremony will make it out alive. That was a very clear order I made. This world will be better off without them. I only make it about ten feet before an explosion blasts through the cave, sending me flying. Time slows as my body hurtles through air, sound becoming inconceivable. And then it speeds again, and my body is colliding into the stone altar. The oxygen is knocked from my lungs as my back hits the corner of the altar before I collapse to the ground. Loud ringing reverberates throughout my head, but it’s no louder than a whisper when the pain is deafening. For seconds, minutes, hours—all I can manage is to lay there as confusion and pain swirl around me. Groaning, I crack open my eyes, squinting through the dust clouding the area. I can’t hear a goddamn thing, but as the dust settles, the body parts strewn across the place tells me how loud it is. Bodies are running around chaotically. There’s a man dragging himself towards the steps, one leg completely missing while part of the railing protrudes from his side. He must’ve been on the top floor and gotten blasted through it. Along with several other people, some of them missing limbs, others just covered in blood and seriously injured. Cradling some part of their body as they process the utter shock of the explosion. The ringing recedes, and an onslaught of screams filter in. I groan again, forcing my body into an upright position as I try to figure out what the fuck just happened. My head is fuzzy and my vision swims, the pain flaring brighter with every movement. Jesus fucking Christ. What the hell happened? A person is charging towards me, their tall, lanky body emerging from dust clouds and bloody limbs. Their mouth is open in a shout, and it’s not until they’re nearly a foot in front of me that my eyes process what I’m seeing. It’s Jay. Why the fuck is Jay here?