Free Catalyst (Book 1): Decay Chains by Kate Wars

Stan’s eyes out. Her mind went completely blank when Matt leapt to a standing position. His fists balled. He hunched over like a stalking predator. Stormy didn’t react in time, but Vicky did and dragged her backward.
    Stormy didn’t resist, but her eyes never left Matt. A gurgling, followed by a low growl, flowed out of his gut. He thrashed about and tossed the rail of chairs in her direction. When they crashed to the ground, their clanging drowned everything else out. A piece of metal cut into her shin and warm blood flowed down her leg. Vicky yanked her farther away. Stormy’s feet started to cooperate and peddle her backward. He’s changing. Oh my God. This is it.
    Matt’s eyes ran wild. He darted at Stormy and then backed up again. His legs carried him at an unnatural pace back and forth across the hall. Matt’s gone. There’s nothing left of us. Oh God, no.
    Stan kept firing off shots. None of the bullets hit their mark. Stormy caught Matt’s glare one last time. It was a look she knew, but had never seen from him. Angry, dead eyes met hers.
    Matt darted out of the way of one last bullet before he launched himself through a window. His impromptu renovation welcomed fresh hell into the hallway. An emergency siren wavered in and out amidst gunfire. Waves of falling glass sliced through the other sounds in the room. Vicky released her to run out of the way of the plummeting shards. Stormy collapsed and was in the fetal position on the floor when she heard Vicky scream.
    “There’s another one right there,” Vicky said. “Stan, on your left.”
    Doors slammed. Erratic footsteps owned the hallway. Stormy lay in a field of broken glass and listened to the others fight off supers. She wanted her thoughts to consume her, but the supers could finish her off. Either way worked. 
    Though she knew Matt wouldn’t return, she patiently studied his point of exit. Like it could bring him back or reset the clock. She blinked. The glass remained in place on the floor. She blinked again. Wind swept through the broken window. Maybe she wasn’t blinking hard enough.
    A lump of heavy, breathless flesh, flung amidst shards of glass and contorted metal, she bled and cried on the cold tile. But she wouldn’t die here. She wouldn’t let them break her and never know the consequences.
    Anger, super-like in its ferocity, took hold. She had misplaced her hatred when she blamed Stan. He hurt her, but not like Cold World had. They had taken everything and left her to live a life worse than death.
    Something inside snapped. She wasn’t even aware of the feeling of falling until it stopped. The tile felt harder beneath her. The shards of glass cut deeper as they scraped against her legs. The pitch of the noises deepened. The taste of blood, which had been faint in her mouth, swirled. It tasted more bitter and coppery than ever before.
    No longer afraid, she wanted to share her pain with its creators. If she was going to lose everything, those who took it from her were going to know the depth of her loss. She would deliver it to them—in person.  
    Bits of glass caught up in her skin as she rose. Her fingers absorbed the sharp pains deftly as she slid across the floor. The fragments on her cheeks and in her hair caught the light that burst through the shattered window.
    When Stormy reached the group, she was more collected, but they definitely weren’t. Panic emanated from Vicky as the super’s hold strangled her and his teeth neared her shoulder. Dr. Louboutin hovered behind Stan as he aimed.
    “I don’t have many left,” Stan said. “Stay still.”
    Tears flew down Vicky’s face. The super squeezed tighter. She closed her eyes and sped through a prayer. The super’s mouth opened in anticipation as it neared her glistening cheeks.
    “Close your mouth,” Dr. Louboutin yelled.
    One shot later, the super’s blood splattered across Vicky’s face. The rest of him crumpled next to her. For a few seconds, his arms and legs