Three hours later.
I wait in the shadows with Cole, Zeus, and some Sinners. I’ve given them the extra gun I confiscated from the dead guard during the night. We’ve spread out the remaining grenades along with Roméo’s gun, since he won’t be shooting much from the car. It’s a risk we take in order to give these people a fighting chance.
I taste sweat as it rolls over my lip and into my mouth. Flies zip around my face, even landing on my nose, but I can’t whisk them away with my gun in my hand and my body poised for attack.
I think of Bruno, who chose to stay behind. He refused to respond when we begged him to come. It didn’t seem right to force him if he wasn’t ready to leave Grace. And he wasn’t ready at all. Bruno is in no condition for this mission and, in his state of mind, would probably end up getting himself killed. I don’t know if he even cares about anything anymore, including his own life.
I don’t want to do this without him and his expertise, but I know it’s more important for him to be where he can focus on his grief. Grace. Christopher. Sometimes, mourning what you never had is just as heart-wrenching as mourning what you did.
Cole taps my shoulder and points ahead. Four guards stand at the ready while the gate opens with the sound of metal grinding metal. A black SUV prepares to roll inside. The guards salute the driver. The vehicle lumbers in as the doors bang closed behind it.
Across from us is the new lab where people were marched for their injections and the building where I first saw the projection about the history of the Hole. I blink, straining against the glare of the sun. A few minutes ago, ten people were herded inside. It was painful to watch. But knowing we’re about to fight back makes it slightly more bearable.
Behind me, Sinners are getting antsy. Feet move, dust spirals upward in small tornadoes, and equipment bangs together. They’re not the most battle-disciplined group, but they’re willing to give their lives to help us.
In five minutes, we’ll unload everything we’ve got at the lab to distract the guards from the entrance.
One minute passes. Two minutes.
A fly lands on my forehead. I scrunch it up, but the fly stays, skittering around on tiny feet. I shake my head, but it won’t budge.
Three minutes. Four minutes.
“Mom, let me in!” I say, banging on the door to the study.
I hear something crash, and feet moving furniture around. Chairs or tables scrape against the hardwood flooring.
“Coming,” she says in a breathless voice.
The thick door separates the study from the foyer. Inside, my mom keeps books and a computer. Sometimes she works on projects in there, and when she does, the door is kept closed for hours. After we moved into our High Society condo, she remarried. Then Keegan left, and Mom’s distanced herself from me. Yet I keep trying to bring her back into my world.
Feet thump in my direction. “What’s wrong?” she says as she opens the door. Her eyes look tired and glassy.
“I need help with my homework,” I say.
“Right now?”
“Yes.” I try to shove my way in, but she holds the door with an iron grip. “What are you doing in there?”
“Nothing that concerns you,” she says. She looks around nervously.
I sigh with impatience. “Mom, you’re always in there.”
“Some things are better kept behind closed doors, just don’t tell your father about this,” she says. Her forehead crinkles up.
“How would I do that? Dad’s dead,” I say.
She cringes and looks around. “No, your stepdad.”
“He’s not my stepdad. He’s a monster.”
Five minutes.
A barrage of staccato gunfire opens up, shattering the windows of the lab. The guards at the entrance scramble into a defensive position. Bullets spit at the dust.
“Fire!” Cole says, jerking me back into focus.
We spill out of the alleyway, firing off rounds at the guards as more appear on the top of the wall. The guards begin picking off our people. Bodies fall around me. I strip them of their guns and keep moving. Sinners burst through the doors of the lab and spill into the street. They trample over the cattle chutes, flipping some of them onto their sides. It’s chaos.
It’s exactly what we want.
Levi and his people spread out on rooftops and in the streets, and we move toward the lab, drawing more heavy fire. Down here, they can’t tell me apart from anyone else. I feel a shot burn past my cheek. Too close. Still, I move and react because it’s what I’ve been conditioned to do.
The four guards at the entrance barricade themselves behind a large SUV while the ones on the wall light us up. The popping of guns, screaming of voices, and the curses of those closest to me all fade into the background as I focus on our mission.
Cole runs in front of me, attempting to give me protection. Zeus stays right by my side, following every move I make.