Read Online Catalyst (Book 1): Decay Chains by Kate Wars - Free Book Online Page A

occasionally and keep the gun aimed in front of her, but off Stan’s back.
    Her mind raced. The stairs should be coming up on the left and Matt hadn’t followed the group. Dr. Louboutin would keep advancing even if they couldn’t keep up with him.
    A smaller but nagging thought lurked behind all those. The image of Matt viciously attacking that super haunted Stormy. She was so young. Matt was so aggressive. Even though the girl was trying to kill them, she didn’t look like a killer. At that moment, Matt did. She knew he was a victim of circumstance. But could some of his aggression have been there all along and then been amplified by his current state?
    That was ridiculous. She knew Matt better than anyone. Since high school he had been a champion of lost causes and stray animals. But still, his fiery attack, precise hits, and superhero speed led on more than he intended. Matt was only trying to protect her. But if Stan and Dr. Louboutin were right, and she was beginning to believe they were, at some point he would snap and redirect those powerful blows on those closest to him. She would no doubt be the one standing beside him when the time came.
    Dr. Louboutin reached the stairs first. He tucked the fire extinguisher under his arm and yanked the door open. Vicky must’ve been disoriented, because she walked right past him. Stan caught hold of the back of her scrub shirt and pushed her into the stairwell. She flinched at his touch and her arms shot skyward. When recognition hit, her fingers steepled and her head bowed in prayer.
    Smoke drifted in the open door, but the air inside the stairwell was breathable. Vicky was obviously scared in the hall, but now that Stormy could see clearly, she was seriously worried about her. The poor woman hands drifted out of prayer and one clutched her chest like she was about to have a full-blown heart attack.
    The door closed behind Stan. Sweat dripped down his face as he gulped hasty breaths and lodged his head in-between his knees. Dr. Louboutin searched the stairwell for new threats.
    Stormy listened for anything and everything. She heard some sounds she recognized immediately. Debris crashed onto the hallway floor. Rumbling emanated as the hungry fire fed itself. But there was something else. A popping off in the distance. Stan raised his gaze from his shins to the exterior wall of the stairwell.
    “They’re attacking,” he said to Dr. Louboutin, who nodded.
    “The soldiers you mean?” Vicky asked.
    “Yeah, that’s gunfire,” Stan said.
    Stormy moved from the railing back to the door. The gunfire didn’t concern her, but Matt’s absence did. She reached for the door handle, mindful to use her already burned hand.
    An explosion rocked the building. Urgency filled everyone on the landing before full comprehension was possible.
    “Let’s go.” Stan pulled Vicky up from the steps and headed down with her in tow.
    Stormy listened to the group leave. Her hand fell lower, a dirty mass inches above the shiny silver handle.
    “Don’t even think about it, Stormy,” Stan shouted up to her.             
    Insolence rose up in her throat. Since when did she take orders from him? She looked over her shoulder to find the group out of sight. Thudding erupted from the flight above her. She had heard the unnatural shuffle before. Something crashed into the railing and then grated down it. A clanging echoed throughout the stairwell.
    She backed up from the door, turned on her heel, and bolted down the stairs after the group. My love isn’t strong enough. I never deserved Matt. How could I when I sacrificed him so easily?
    A metal door flew open and thick footsteps thumped down the stairs. Startled, she tripped and fell face first onto the fourth floor landing. She bit through her lip. Blood flew out in front of her, but not as far forward as her gun did. She scrambled to her feet before the gun finished spinning. When she reached for it, the barrel was pointed at her, a