Chapter 98

Ava flickered weakly in the recesses of my mind, her energy still recovering from our ordeal. I could feel the weight of despair pressing down on me as I gazed at Claude, crumpled on the floor, blood pooling around him. His fate was uncertain, and I feared I might join him soon. Alpha Rambo loomed before us, a twisted smile spreading across his face as he injected himself with yet another vial of that cursed potion. Each time the needle pierced his skin, I could see the power coursing through him, swelling like a dark storm. My heart raced as I felt the grip of hopelessness tightening around my throat, making it harder to breathe. I was no match for him in this state; my strength was ebbing, and fear threatened to swallow me whole. He grabbed me by my throat and lifted me up in the air. I was trembling. Anger, pain, fear. Hopelessness. Just as I was about to surrender to the darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision, something flickered at the far end of the hall. My breath caught