What if she'd paid attention?

If she'd watched her surroundings?

If she'd just stayed in the car?

If she'd moved quicker?

She let what if's swirl in her mind like smoke, surrounding her, consuming her, choking her.

Myka's voice billowed through the smoke, piercing it, and pressing it back.

For a moment Claudia was disoriented as she was pulled from her thoughts. Somehow she lay curled on Myka and Pete's laps. It took a moment for her to remember Pete prying her away from Myka and carrying her to the sitting room. The murmur of Myka's words cut through the recollection. She focused on Myka's words

"-shouldn't dwell on the possible outcomes. It's not your fault" Claudia could hear the defiance and determination in Myka's voice, "That man" she spat with acid venom "is responsible. Not you…" she said softly as she ran her hands tenderly through Claudia's hair, "You can't think like that" she whispered searching Claudia's face, seeing into her soul, and piercing into to the chocking smog of doubt and fear. "It eats at you, little by little till there's no flesh, no life just brittle stone..."

There was a haunted note in Myka's voice that echoed to Claudia's consciousness and pricked at her.

Myka knew.

Myka understood.

Myka had seen it before, experienced it.

Claudia pressed herself desperately into Myka and buried her face into Myka's side. She turned away from the world and into the person who could understand and maybe…just maybe had the ability to keep her from disappearing into the fog and suffocating in the smog and smoke. Claudia's eye drifted shut in exhaustion.

11 Hours Earlier

She struggled against the big meaty hands that grasped her shoulders. Cold metal of a gun pressed into the back of her neck freezing her movements.

"Quit yer strugglin' or I'll blow off yer head" growled a gruff voice. The meaty brute shoved her towards Artie and his captor.

"Alright, Alright" she said raising her hands in the air and clamping her mouth shut, now was not the time for smart mouth remarks.

The two men glared as she and her captor appeared from behind the shelves.

"Craven, I found a rat sneakin' about between the shelve" called meaty man as he shook Claudia roughly.

"Ahhh, perhaps you know the little rat?" Craven said returning his attention to Artie. Artie stayed quiet.

"Hmm,well I guess since you don't know the little rat there's no reason to keep her around. I suppose I should have Edward terminate the little varmint"

The barrel of the gun pressed once again into her flesh this time coming in contact with the underside of her chin.

"I told you to stay in the car." Artie said glowering at Claudia.

"Now is really not the time to be reprimanding me, Artie" Claudia replied her voice raising an octave as the gun pressed deeper into her flesh.

"Claudia, is it? Such a pretty name" Craven said leering at her, "Bring her to me, Edward"

Edward shoved Claudia roughly towards Craven and she stumbled and fell to her knees before Craven.

Now was her chance….

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Fluggernauts!!! So review it and tell it to me straight!!!!

I know that it took me forever to get out this chappie and I apologize I hope ya'll are still reading!

I've only had access to my comp like two days out of the week and it'll be like that for a while so don't hate!