“Damn it, I don’t know.”
Pulling my hair away and gritting my teeth, I’m about to scream when Cole rounds the corner with a lethargic-looking Zeus in his arms.
Cole’s knees look like they’re about to buckle from the way he’s staggering. His eyes lift to mine, desperation crossing his face.
“Come on,” I say. He stumbles, almost dropping Zeus. “Cole, push yourself. You’ve got to get on.”
I glance ahead of the train, as the barbed-wire fencing comes into view, knowing we’ll soon be out of the rail yard. Focusing back on Cole, I notice guards following him, guns drawn. They fire at him, but somehow he finds the strength to run.
I reach out my hand, but he’s just beyond my fingertips. Sweat pours off his forehead; Zeus lies limp in his arms.
“Hand him over,” Bruno says. He moves behind me, reaching out his corded arms.
Cole’s boots stomp to keep up, his face turning red and veins popping out of his neck as he struggles to keep up with the train.
“Come on man, a little closer,” Bruno says. By now, Grace stands at his side, her hand on his shoulder for support.
Cole lifts Zeus up, his limbs dangling and kicking at the air awkwardly. One paw hits Cole in the face, but he just clenches his jaw and scrunches his forehead with determination.
“Grab him,” he says breathlessly.
“I got him,” Bruno says. He pulls Zeus into the train car just as the train picks up speed.
Cole just barely touches the ledge where I stand, his legs struggling to keep up. I lean out, my fingertips catching his. They brush each other, then air separates us.
“Cole!” I scream. “Get on the train!”
Bullets skim off the metal of the car, forcing me back for a minute. The black fencing surrounding the rail yard enters my peripheral vision. Then the door starts sliding closed.
“Cole!” I put my body in front of the door to block it. “Someone help!”
Grace pushes her way beside me and braces herself. “Grab him,” she shouts. “I’ll hold it.”
I grit my teeth and jump for his hands.
They catch mine, and with Grace bracing the door, I pull Cole onto the steps. He lands on his stomach, heaving for air as he sprawls across the threshold.
The door slams closed with a hollow bang.
We all smash ourselves against the cold, metal flooring. My nose crinkles from the smell of sweat, bodily fluids, and old blood. This is definitely a transport car for Sinners. I can still hear the alarms ringing and guards’ voices. My chest heaves as I roll toward Zeus to inspect him. He doesn’t look good. He’s losing a lot of blood.
“Hurry, I need something, anything, to stop the bleeding,” I say. Bruno rummages through his bag and tosses a t-shirt at me. I tear it into strips. My hands shake, but I wrap Zeus’s wounds as he whimpers.
“It’s okay, Zeus,” Cole says in a raspy voice. “It’s okay. I’m here.” He crawls over to us, still trying to catch his breath as he examines Zeus. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”
Tears sting my eyes. I know how much this dog means to Cole. He tries not to let on, but I know his heart is breaking.
“He has four gashes,” I say. “They’re not that deep, and the muscle’s not torn, but he may need stitches if the bleeding doesn’t stop.” Suddenly, my thoughts turn to Sutton’s medical bag. If he were here, he could help. He could save him.
“He’ll pull through. He always does. He’s had injuries worse than this.” Cole gently touches my shoulders, and I lean back into him. My back rests against his chest, and he curls his arms around me. His reassuring tone calms me. So I fight my resistance and allow myself to be here for him.
Grace lies in Bruno’s arms with her eyes squeezed shut. Her hands grip the side of her head, as if she’s trying to block out the sirens. He encircles her in his giant biceps and squeezes. I can’t help thinking she looks so small in his lap.
I twist around to look at Cole.
“I should’ve listened to you,” Cole says. “I should’ve trusted your instinct. The fence was a trap … and you knew it.”
“No.” I shake my head, taking his fingers into mine. “There was no other way. There’ll never be an easy way for us.”
The sirens stop, and I freeze in the gray light. I don’t hear any more voices. The sounds of shouting, guns firing, and loose gravel under boots subsided as the train left the rail yard, passing the large, black fence surrounding it. Now, it’s deathly silent except for the whirring of the wheels as the train kicks into high gear. I hold my breath, waiting for something to go wrong.
But nothing happens.
My lids grow heavy with exhaustion. There’s nothing more tiring than the feeling you get after the adrenaline leaves your veins. Even though I ache from my head to my toes, I manage to keep applying pressure to Zeus’s bleeding wounds and praying for a miracle.
There’s no turning back. We’re on our way to the Hole.