I drop down next to Zeus and immediately apply pressure to the wound that’s bleeding the most. He lets out a cry.
“Will you stop trying to be such a tough guy? You have to heal, you dork,” I say to Zeus. His big, brown eyes look at me, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he was sad. My head snaps up. I know Bruno’s all right, but where’s Grace?
“Grace!” I call out, looking around the car. “Where’s Grace?”
“Right here,” she says. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see her arms around Bruno. Her face looks bloodless.
“Phew. We’re all here; we’re all okay.”
As people around us pick up the pieces, collect themselves, and assess the scene, Grace, who’s been quiet the entire time, decides to speak.
“Why do you suppose they let us go?” Grace asks. “They could’ve stopped the train.”
“Because they know where we’re headed.” Cole’s face grows serious. “They’ll be ready for us.”
An injured woman lies flat on her back, arms at her sides and legs still. Fiery red hair is matted to her face and neck. Her light blue eyes stare blankly. I kneel beside her. She moans, and a man quickly grabs her hand. Her face has already turned ashen, and her breathing is labored. Beside her is a pool of blood. The man presses a hand against her stomach wound as blood seeps through his fingers. He leans forward and kisses her forehead. I watch him as he stares at her, skin bunching around his eyes. His eyes harden the instant he notices me watching.
“This is your fault. They were after you,” he says, pointing to the brand around my neck. “She’s going to die because of you.”
He’s right. And suddenly I’m sinking in my own skin; this is my fault, because they were after me. My hands shake as I pull my hair over my shoulders in an effort to hide my brand.
“She’ll be at peace soon.” I say the only thing I can think of. “Talk to her … tell her it’s okay to let go.” A sick feeling hits the pit of my stomach.
He stares at me like I just said the craziest thing.
“I know this won’t account for much, but where she’s going … at least she’ll be safe,” I say to the man. “Trust me.” He nods.
The woman moans again, and blood dribbles over her lips. I can’t watch her die knowing I’m the cause of the bullet that’s killing her. How many others are going to die because of me?
I stand too quickly and then stumble backward when the image of Keegan’s death flashes in my mind. My vision blurs.
“Whoa, I got you,” Cole says, catching me just before I fall. “Come on, you need to sit down.”
The man looks up at me, and I swear I see pity in his eyes.
“I’m okay. I just … I just got lightheaded, that’s all.” How can I be thinking about myself at a time like this?
“Come sit with me,” Cole says. “That old man is grieving, but he’s wrong. This isn’t your fault, Lexi. None of this is on you.”
Yes it is.
The light wanes, and everything is quiet except for the occasional shallow cough and the purring of the train on the tracks. I press my head against the frigid, cold metal of the train car. Bruno and Cole join others, moving dead bodies to the other side of the car and piling them up. It’s a gruesome task, and I have to look away. At my feet, Zeus woofs in his sleep. Probably chasing cats or something. His wounds have stopped bleeding, but his fur’s still smeared with blood. The dim lights of the car flicker, giving off an eerie glow. It’s like we’re being transported to space or something. Space would be better.
Cole slides down the wall and covers his face with his bloody, dirty hands.
“How many dead?” I ask.
“Six.” He drops his hands and looks at me. “You’ve been pretty quiet. What’s on your mind?”
I shake my head because I don’t want to hear myself say these words.
“Hey, talk to me.” He waits patiently for my response.
“I don’t want to die, I don’t want anyone else to die.”
“If we stick to our plan, no one else will have to die. And if they do, that’s on Wilson. We have to stay focused. We didn’t start this, Lexi. But we sure as hell are going to find Sutton and finish it.”
I say nothing. He smiles his crooked smile and kisses me.
Bruno and Grace settle next to us in the cramped car.
“All right, lovebirds,” Bruno says to Cole. “What are we gonna do when that door opens again?”
“Unfortunately, since these people recognize us,” Cole says, “they’re a huge liability.”
“We can’t kill them,” I say.
“Lexi!” Grace scolds, a look of horror on her sweet face.
“We need them on our side. We need them to help us blend in,” Cole says.
“We could move to another car, hide there until this one clears,” Grace says.
“Yeah, then once they realize we’re gone, maybe that’ll be it,” Bruno adds, a proud smile across his face.