Chapter 174: Carlos was overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. Instinctively, he stumbled back, fear gripping him as everything unraveled. Orders were forgotten; survival was paramount. In blind panic, the men scattered, shouting, "Run! She's reckless enough to take us all down with her!" Even Chris, driven by sheer instinct, bolted without direction, his steps frantic and aimless.
No one could have predicted Allison's actions. Her calm exterior shattered, revealing a boldness bordering on madness, especially with the explosives—powerful enough to kill them all—now in play. In the split second the explosives were hurled, Kellan seized a narrow window to escape. No longer held at gunpoint, he thrust an elbow backward and, amid the chaos, staggered forward. Allison's hand latched onto his. "Hold on!" she commanded, and as the explosion erupted, they both dove into the icy water.
It all happened in a blur. The pier trembled as the explosion's shockwaves tore through the air. Allison and Kellan disappeared beneath the surface, the freezing depths shielding them from the blast's full force. The icy water cut through their skin like knives, yet Kellan felt the warmth of Allison's hand gripping his. That touch somehow dispelled the bone-deep cold. Underwater, Kellan caught a glimpse of Allison's dark, flowing hair and her sharp, dangerous eyes—serene, yet brimming with unspoken intensity. His heart pounded, each beat echoing the violent explosions above, as if it might burst from his chest. The water's surface reflected the flames in eerie contrast—glowing inferno against icy blue. It was strangely beautiful.
Under the moonlight, Allison emerged from the water like a siren, her wet hair clinging to her face, her presence both deadly and captivating. When Kellan met her gaze, something inside him shifted. She hauled him onto the pier. "Are you alright?" she asked, extending a hand. His injuries stung in the salty seawater, but he managed to rasp, "Just a scratch. I'll live." He grasped her hand, and as their fingers entwined, she pulled him ashore.
Breathing heavily, Kellan asked, "Allison… aren't you afraid of dying?" He'd never addressed her by her first name before. Something about this moment, about her, made formalities feel wrong. Though Kellan often maintained a composed and reserved demeanor, he harbored a secret thirst for danger. But tonight, he realized Allison made his heart race like nothing else ever had. There was something in her—a madness beneath the surface—that gave him unease.
The events of the night haunted him. If he hadn't taken those crucial steps forward, or if they had jumped a second later, they would have perished with the others.
"Why should I be afraid?" Allison asked, tucking a wet strand of hair behind her ear, her tone as calm as ever. "We won, didn't we?" She wasn't easily hunted. Avoiding death had become second nature. Life in Ontdale, despite its annoyances, was peaceful compared to this. But while she liked that ordinary life, she wasn't bound by it. There was a vast difference between liking something and being bound by it. Deep down, she was a killer—a woman who had spilled blood without hesitation. She never bowed to fear or coercion. She didn't belong in Ontdale, not really.
"Besides," she added, her voice steady and unyielding, "only those who take risks and succeed can afford to talk like this. Fear, hesitation—that's what gets you killed. If you hesitate, you'll end up like the others. Blown to bits." A faint smile curled her lips, cold and detached. "No one born yet has been able to make me afraid."
Kellan's throat tightened. "Ms. Clarke, you won."
"Mr. Lloyd, we won," she corrected, her eyes gleaming with a strange mixture of satisfaction and challenge.
In that moment, Kellan's heart thundered. He saw the inferno still raging at the pier reflected in her dark, piercing eyes. The scene burned itself into his memory, one that would haunt him for a lifetime.
In the past, he had always seen Allison as distant and inscrutable, as though she stood apart from the world, observing everything from a cool, detached perspective. It fascinated him, made him want to unravel her mysteries. But tonight, something had changed. This life-and-death ordeal had shown him a different side of Allison—in the heat of danger, she became someone else entirely: calm, powerful, untouchable. There was a wildness in her that terrified him. Her blood seemed to hum with chaos, and it stirred something primal inside him. He realized, with a mixture of awe and trepidation, that he had only glimpsed a fraction of who she truly was. And yet, in this brief glimpse, Allison had somehow touched something deep within him, awakening feelings he wasn't ready to confront.