“Bruno!” Cole yells. His face lights up.
I turn around, and Bruno sprints toward us, gun poised, eyes focused. He lifts his head to acknowledge Cole but then focuses on where he’s going. He fires off rounds at the wall, quickly stepping in with us alongside the lab.
“You came!” I shout, keeping my eyes on Bill’s oncoming vehicle.
“Grace wanted me to fight with my family,” he yells back. Cole smacks Bruno’s shoulder and then trains his sights back on the car. “Let’s do this.”
A guard crawls out from behind the SUV and points his gun at the car. I can barely get the words out. My throat’s on fire.
“Twelve o’clock!” I shout.
Cole’s face scrunches up, his eyes becoming slits. “Shit!”
But Bruno fires, and his aim is true. The figure doubles over, and his gun rolls from his limp fingers.
“Nice shot,” I say.
Just then, the faded blue car with rusty edges enters the opening of the gate. I raise a fist as Bill’s eyes meet mine. The guns on the wall pour fire down like rain, puncturing the metal of the car with bullets.
Oh my God.
Roméo’s head slumps over.
Oh my God, no.
Bill’s no longer looking at me. He grips the steering wheel with tight knuckles and screams profanities as he passes through the opening. Roméo’s chin bobs on his chest, his hands sliding off the sides of the car and out of sight. I feel sick to my stomach.
They’re through.
But I can’t celebrate. They’re not in the clear yet. The men on the wall turn their attention outward. The glint of blond hair I saw earlier has disappeared from sight, and the gates begin closing. With most of the guards’ attention diverted toward the car, I sprint out into the open. Zeus pants beside me. Cole and Bruno follow close behind, firing off rounds to cover me.
As we stand in the open, our guns pointed in various directions, I watch the blue car rumble over the railroad tracks and past the guard checkpoint.
Almost there.
My hopes arc upward. My breath comes faster, and my heart’s going to explode with hope. If Bill can just get a bit farther out …
Please, please make it. For the dying people in here. For Sutton. For all of us.
“Oh, shit!” Cole yells. He aims his gun toward a figure on the wall. One of the guards stands with something mounted on his shoulder.
“RPG!” Bruno shouts. They both begin firing, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect.
The guard quickly loads the rocket into the front and points it in the direction of Bill.
I look back through the gate. There’s a few feet of sight left between both doors. Blue sky stretches before them. I can almost taste the rolling green hills that mean freedom beyond the Hole. The dust from the car picks up behind it as it thunders over a bump in the road.
Go, Bill, go! I realize I’m screaming at the top of my lungs. But then I hear an exhale of air from above, trailed by wispy, gray smoke.
I follow it toward the car.
And then my heart stops.
A huge explosion of grinding metal and fiery sparks is emitted into the sky. The car spins right, settling in the dust, smoke billowing upward. I don’t see any movement in the windows.
The guards on the wall cheer loudly with their hands in the air. The gate finally slams shut, sealing Bill and Roméo and our chances away, forever.
“Noooooooo!” I scream as Cole grabs me. He yanks me away even as I cuss. I fight him, tears spilling from my face as the guards notice us for the first time.
“It’s her!” they shout. “Get her!”
Bruno begins shooting as Cole pulls me away, sprinting for cover. Zeus trails behind us, staying with Bruno.
I want to fight Cole. I want to fight the guards, but my hopes crash to the floor. I’ve got nothing left.
“Don’t you dare quit on me,” Cole says in a strained voice.
I bite my lip and let him lead me away from the wall and the lab. The shooting continues behind us. I can’t breathe. A weird sound comes from my throat when I try, like someone’s sitting on my chest. My legs weigh a thousand pounds as I take each labored step.
Everything’s a blur. I keep seeing the car explode in front of me. I was so sure they’d make it, so hopeful something would go right. Now all of this has been for nothing. Grace’s death. Amber’s death. Bill’s death. Roméo’s death. Death. Death. Death. For nothing. A moan escapes me. This isn’t how Sutton wanted it. This isn’t what I envisioned. This can’t be why my father and brother died.
How could we have failed?
Next thing, Levi’s standing in front of us. His hair is flying all over, and his face is covered in grit. He holds a bloody comrade. His eyes have lost all their hope, but I imagine mine look the same.