Lord-Campione
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Chapter 024: Run and Hide
🕑 Added 2025-01-28 17:19:49 +0000 UTCAdrian sprinted through the dark streets of Blüdhaven, his breath coming in short bursts. The chaos of the wrecked Cadillac and the sight of Guardian flung into the street played through his mind, but he pushed it aside. He needed a way out. Fast.
His eyes landed on a beat-up red sedan parked along the curb, engine idling as its owner leaned over to scrape something off the windshield. Perfect.
Adrian slipped behind the man, his footsteps silent. He grabbed the back of the guy’s collar and slammed him against the hood with enough force to knock him out cold. “Sorry, buddy,” Adrian muttered, dragging the unconscious man to the side of the road. “I’ll bring it back. Probably… Maybe… Nah.”
He slid into the driver’s seat, revving the engine before slamming the car into gear. The sedan peeled out with a screech, the tires leaving a mark on the pavement.
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As the car sped through the empty streets, Adrian caught a movement in the rearview mirror. His stomach tightened as he saw them—G-Elves. A swarm of them, their four-legged bodies bounding through the darkness, glowing red eyes fixed on him like predators locked on prey.
“Persistent little bastards, huh?” Adrian muttered, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
Suddenly, a heavy thunk slammed into the back of the car, causing it to swerve violently. Adrian fought to steady the wheel, cursing under his breath as the vehicle skidded toward the bridge ahead.
Another thunk sent the car spinning slightly, and Adrian made a snap decision. He turned into the chaos, letting the momentum carry the car straight off the bridge.
The sedan broke through the guardrail with a groaning screech, hurtling into the cold night air.
The crash into the lake was deafening. The force threw Adrian forward against the steering wheel before the icy water began to pour into the car. For a moment, he was disoriented, the world a swirling mess of bubbles and shifting light.
The car creaked and groaned as it sank deeper, water rushing in through the cracks. Adrian coughed, his chest tightening as the frigid water reached his waist. He didn’t panic—not yet. Instead, he raised his hand, focusing as he felt a strange pull deep in his bones.
A sharp pain shot through his knuckles as jagged bone claws emerged, glinting faintly in the dim light. “Alright,” he muttered to himself, bracing against the seat. “Let’s see if this works underwater.”
He swung his clawed hand at the driver’s side window. The glass cracked with a dull thud, spider webbing outward. Another swing, and it shattered completely, allowing the dark, freezing water to rush in and envelop him.
Adrian forced himself through the opening, his muscles burning as he swam upward through the inky blackness. He emerged gasping under the shadow of the bridge, the cold night air biting his skin. He clung to one of the bridge’s concrete pillars, taking deep breaths as he scanned his surroundings.
The G-Elves were nowhere to be seen—for now.
“Okay,” Adrian said to himself. “Gotta keep moving. Don’t let them box you in.”
He adjusted his grip on the slick pillar and slipped back into the water, swimming silently along its base. The docks weren’t far—just under a mile—but the open water made him nervous. Too much room for Guardian or those G-Elves to track him.
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The swim was brutal. The icy water sapped the strength from Adrian’s limbs, and every stroke felt heavier than the last. His breath came in shallow gasps, his body screaming for rest, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t.
The darkness of the lake was suffocating. Every ripple, every shadow in the water made his mind race with images of what could be lurking beneath. But he pushed the fear aside, focusing on his goal: the docks.
As he approached the shoreline, the dim glow of industrial lights came into view. The docks were quiet at this hour, the only sounds were the occasional creak of metal and the lapping of water against the boats. Adrian dragged himself onto the rocky shore, his body shaking from the cold.
He crouched low, using the shadows to his advantage as he moved between shipping containers and stacks of wooden crates. The air smelled of salt and oil, and the faint hum of machinery echoed in the distance.
Adrian paused behind a container, pressing his back against the cold steel as he caught his breath. His clothes clung to him, soaked and heavy, but he forced himself to stay sharp. His mind churned with possibilities.
The chaos he’d left behind on the bridge might give him a small window of time. Enough to disappear—at least for now.
The plan was simple: hide out in one of the containers until it was loaded onto a ship headed out of the country. Adrian didn’t care where—just anywhere far from Blüdhaven and Cadmus. But first, he needed to figure out which container was headed where, and that meant finding the shipping manifest.
For that, Adrian had to make his way to the dockmaster’s office.
The docks were quiet, eerily so. The occasional groan of cranes and the distant hum of ships punctuated the stillness as Adrian moved through the shadows. He kept his head low, darting between stacks of shipping containers and forklifts, the cold night air biting at his damp clothes.
The dockmaster’s office was a small, squat building at the edge of the lot, its single window glowing faintly with fluorescent light. A lone dockworker sat inside, hunched over a computer. Adrian peered through the cracked blinds, sizing the man up. Mid-fifties, balding, a little overweight. Easy enough.
Adrian opened the door with an exaggerated casualness, stepping inside as the man glanced up from his monitor.
“Hey, uh, sorry to bother you,” Adrian said, his voice taking on a sheepish, almost nervous tone. “I’m new here. Supposed to, uh, double-check the manifests for the next shipment out. Boss’s orders.”
The man frowned, adjusting his glasses. “Double-check? At this hour?”
“Yeah, I know,” Adrian said, rolling his eyes like he was just as annoyed. “Believe me, I’d rather be at home watching the game. But you know how it is. Boss says jump, we say how high, right?”
The man grunted in agreement, his suspicion easing slightly. “Who’s your supervisor?”
Adrian hesitated for a split second, then chuckled. “Oh, you know how it is—new guy, too many names flying around. Honestly, I just wanna get this done so I can get the hell outta here.”
The dockworker barely had time to react before Adrian swung his fist. It connected with the man’s temple, knocking him out cold. The guy slumped over, and Adrian caught him before he could hit the floor, dragging him into the corner of the room.
“Sorry, pal,” Adrian muttered, patting the man’s shoulder. “You’ll wake up with a headache, but you’ll live.”
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Adrian sat at the desk, scrolling through the shipping manifests. The screen displayed rows of destinations and cargo, each container marked with its corresponding ship. He scanned the entries quickly, muttering to himself.
“Okay, let’s see… shipments staying in the States…” He frowned, skimming the list: Detroit, New Orleans, Miami, Houston. “Nope. Not staying local.”
He switched tabs, pulling up the international manifests. His eyes flicked over the destinations:
Canada – Vancouver.
Mexico – Veracruz.
Japan – Tokyo.
China – Shanghai.
United Kingdom – Liverpool.
Adrian leaned back, weighing his options. Canada and Mexico were the closest, but too obvious. If Cadmus was tracking him, they’d probably have checkpoints at every border. Japan and China were farther, but he didn’t speak the languages—blending in would be tough. The U.K. might work, but getting there would take time, and he wasn’t sure if he had that luxury.
He rubbed his temples, his thoughts racing. “Alright, Adrian,” he muttered to himself. “Pick a country and—”
A knock echoed through the room, sharp and deliberate.
Adrian froze. His blood ran cold as he looked up toward the window.
Standing there, illuminated by the faint glow of the office light, was Guardian.
“God damn it,” Adrian muttered under his breath.
Comments
Lord Blood-Campione
I'll write 2k works for each chapter from now on then, thanks for the feedback.
Seto Kyba
You really need to condense these chapters. They are far to short to be worth people's time.
