The bright daylight and vulnerability of being out in the open makes my heart skip beats. If the tank rolls up, we’re really screwed. But already, Bill and Roméo have made it into the winding alley across from me, and Bruno carries Grace after them.
My breath catches in my throat when I meet eyes with Cole, who waits for me. He says nothing, but his eyes hold relief and fear.
“I’m okay,” I say firmly.
He nods then checks both ways, while I scan rooftops. In the distance, the sound of rumbling metal grabs my attention. Cole’s eyes flick to mine as I point toward the source of the commotion.
Here comes that tank again.
His jaw twitches, and he yanks me forward. Zeus joins us out of nowhere, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, his ears flopping around.
“Oh. Now you come,” Cole says under his breath.
I look left and get a visual on the tank as it heads toward us. The slow pace at which it lumbers along makes me think they have no idea what we’ve just done at the hospital or they’d be firing at us by now.
My leg burns, and my feet ache, but with twenty-five yards left to cross, we can’t stop. My force of will is the only thing holding me together.
To my left, the clanking sound moves closer, and behind us voices shout. I glance over my shoulder and see guards filtering into the street from the training center.
“She’s over there,” they shout.
Just then, a huge explosion rocks us, tumbling us forward. Smoke and debris cloud my vision as I crawl on all fours, coughing and gasping for air. My head pounds. Zeus’s tail is the only thing I see, and I follow it, running into Cole, who pulls me into the alleyway between the buildings.
“They’re right behind us,” he yells, but it sounds like a whisper.
He doesn’t need to repeat himself before Bill leads us away from the hospital and into the jungle gym of concrete with guards on our heels.
The siren sounds, screaming into my brain. The loudspeaker switches on, and the feedback crackles loudly. But even as I hear his breaths in the microphone, we keep running for our lives. Up, down, and around trash. Over piles of old tires, past decaying bodies. We’ve got to get the hell out of here with those records.
“Peekaboo, Lexi, I see you,” Wilson says over the loudspeaker, his voicing arching into a screech. “If you think you’re getting out, you’re wrong. If you think you’re getting away this time, think again.”
If he thinks he can make me bow to him, he’s wrong.
“Sutton’s going to receive a lash for every guard you killed today. And from here on out.”
Breathe, Lexi. He’s just threatening you because he has no power to stop what’s happening.
“Turn yourself in, and he won’t suffer any longer.”
But there’s no guarantee you’d let him go. It’s like Wilson’s repeatedly punching me in the stomach and trying to rip out my heart piece by piece.
“I’ll be seeing you soon,” he says. The microphone slams down. The siren picks up where it left off, and I’m left to fight an inner battle.
“Over my dead body,” I say under my breath.
Bill’s eyes narrow into slits, determination written on his face. He waves us onward, through shacks, past wide-eyed Sinners, and farther away from the hospital, all while holding his backpack of precious records.
My old building rises into view from the depths of carnage. The sun glints off what’s left of the windows, turning it into a brilliant orange, contrasting to the gray of the Hole. Bill leads us through the remnants of the checkpoint, past burned-out cars, and behind the building. Bodies are piled higher than the last time we were here. Mounds of them, reaching upward, arms and legs limply dangling over each other. It’s enough to make me want to hurl.
The stench hits me, and I turn my face away. Tears prick at the corner of my eyes, but I never falter in my movements.
A hand touches my back, and I turn to face Cole. He’s covered in dirt. He purses his lips and holds his M4 with confidence.
“Don’t let him break you,” he says.
I grab him and pull him close, inhaling his sweat, the ashen dirt, and blood-soaked clothing he wears, because I’ve got nothing to say back.
Cole should already know I’m not the same girl who came into the Hole months ago. I was innocent then, but I’ve since shed blood. I’ve watched people die, people that I love. I’ve learned more about the world in one year than most ever learn in their lives.
It’ll take more than Wilson talking to break me.
When I push Cole back, he swallows hard, gripping my shoulders and clenching his jaw. Then he lets go, and we run and run until we’re lost in the middle of the shantytown. Its perimeter spills out beyond where my eyes can see.
Our appearance garners suspicious stares, but we don’t have time to hide.
Bruno collapses first. He falls to his knees, bending his head over Grace, his back wracking with sobs. When Cole tries to console him, Bruno puts out his arm, pushing Cole away.