It’s a trap.
I shuffle backward, and then slowly attempt to phase out of the crowd. The guards push their way through as the people around me begin shoving and screaming. Their bodies block me from finding my way out. All my blood rushes to my ears. I pull my gun out from my waistband and grip it as I dive into the sea of arms and legs. I can’t see Sutton anymore. Or Cole. Or Zeus.
Gunfire rakes the crowd, and I slam to the ground. Now, everyone’s clamoring, and people claw at the dirt to get away. I’m like an animal, covered in dust, on all fours, as bloody flesh scatters in bits around me. I feel the splatter of blood on my face, but I keep going.
Wilson’s yelling over the banging of the gunfire. As I get to the edge, a guard turns toward me, pointing the muzzle of his gun at my chest. My hair hangs over my neck, but his eyes widen when they meet mine.
I’m screwed.
He reaches up to signal to his men, but before he can, blood pumps from his chest. He’s been shot. I launch myself forward onto my feet and sprint away from the cacophony surrounding me.
Next thing, Cole’s behind me, firing off shots. His M4 bangs away in bursts of three. With his support, I focus on what’s in front of us, my nostrils flaring as we bolt down the street, through alleys, and push our way through shacks that topple onto each other like dominoes. Guns burst behind us, chewing up the dirt, but they don’t follow for long.
Soon, all I hear is the faint sound of guns and screams. Everything within me wants to go back, to rescue Sutton and kill Wilson, but that’s not what Sutton asked of me. I can’t stop picturing the way he pleaded with me to go, the way his green eyes stood out against his swollen, broken skin. I stumble to the side and heave. When I begin running again, Cole’s waiting for me, his face bloodied and tight.
I wonder where Zeus is, when he hops in front of me. His haunches appear out of nowhere, yet a bone dangles from his mouth. I slow to a jog and examine him. His fur’s matted with blood, but he’s not wounded. I squeeze my eyes closed and then stop. He sits and looks up at me, the bone hanging from his teeth.
I want to barf. Again.
Even Cole stops. He leans into a crevice in the walls, and I hear him getting sick.
The bone’s not a ham bone at all. It’s not even an animal bone. The bottom half has flesh hanging off of it. While I gag on my own spit, I reach out to him. He whines and dances in a circle. Bits fly off, landing in the dirt.
“Zeus, drop it,” I say. My voice breaks.
He drops the bone on the ground, and my hands fly to my mouth. The bloodied flesh lands with a splat as the bone rolls inches away from my dirt-laden boots. I kick it away, afraid of losing my entire stomach if I look at it again.
“No!” I say. “Leave it!” Zeus hangs his head, and his tail droops. I watch as he backs into a wall and lies down with his head in his paws.
Cole’s head pops up, and he looks slightly green. He glances toward Zeus and then back at me, but he says nothing. Judging from the creases on his forehead, he’s worried. He fingers his trigger and looks eagerly at the street.
I’m too afraid to talk. Every muscle, tendon, and ligament in my body is wound so tight, I can barely flex. Yet I can’t stand still. I bounce on my feet. I’m ready to get the hell out of here.
A movement catches my eye, and my insides twist. My hand automatically goes to my gun as the hairs on the back of my neck feel electric. A few feet away, a female in the street stops and stands up straight. I think she’s looking at us, but I can’t tell. Then she starts walking toward us.
Cole puts his hand on my wrist and shoves me behind him. Zeus bares his teeth, and I hear a slow, deep rumble from within his belly.
“Cole?” the voice asks.
No freaking way is this happening.
Her voice sounds familiar. It’s coy, and as she comes closer, I see the auburn tint of her hair in the sunlight.
No way. Not now.
“Amber?”
“I knew it. I knew I saw you.” She smiles, and some of her teeth are gone. Her stringy hair wafts in the breeze, and her bony hands stretch out to hug him. He shakes her hand awkwardly instead. I can tell by her eyes she’s hiding something, and I don’t like it. Zeus woofs at her, and she steps back, the smile fading from her hollowed cheeks.
“Looks like I’ve got my ticket out of here,” she says.
The siren blares. Amber won’t stop staring at us with her gaunt eyes, a mischievous smile playing at her lips. If I wasn’t in such a rush to get out of here, I’d smack it off her face.
Cole stands in place, not showing any emotion, and I wonder what he’s thinking.
She’s got us, and she knows it.
“It won’t be long now; they’re on their way,” she says.