“Deo, watch out!”
When I look up, Deo has the muzzle of the gun flush against his right temple. His hand is shaking, and his mouth simply opens and closes for a few seconds, like he can’t get any sound out. Then he croaks, “Move away. Or I’ll do it. I really will.”
The words may be coming from Deo’s mouth, but I have no doubt that they are Cregg’s. I do as he says.
“Now, slide the gun toward me.”
I don’t even consider taking the command literally and sliding the gun toward Deo. I know exactly what he means.
Cregg lies there, hands behind his head, not moving. His eyes are mostly closed, just tiny slits, so I don’t know if he can see me. If I pointed the gun and pulled the trigger, would it buy Deo enough time to move the gun from his head? Or would there be an instant chain reaction? Boom-boom. Two guns, two bullets, two bodies.
There’s a very good chance of the latter, I think. And I won’t risk it.
I bend down to slide the gun across the floor, but a rumble of protest is building inside me. This time it’s not only the Furies. Will’s voice is in the mix as well.
SHOOT THE SON OF A BITCH. YOU’LL SAVE WAY MORE THAN ONE LIFE.
Will is moving forward now, trying to take control. I shove the gun toward Cregg so hard that it bounces into his shoulder. For a moment, I’m terrified that I’ve startled him, that the gun Deo has pressed against his head will go off.
STUPID MOVE. HE’LL MAKE THE KID PULL THE TRIGGER ANYWAY. YOU WATCH.
The sick feeling in my stomach says that Will is probably right. Cregg told Lucas not to harm me because I could be of value. I think that probably still holds true. I’ve passed his tests after all. But Deo? It’s a pretty safe bet that Cregg considers him completely and totally expendable.
Will isn’t the only one who’s angry. I don’t recognize many of the words the Furies are using, although idiot seems to be the same in several languages. And even though I’m still at the front, my eyes are now locked on Cregg the same way they were locked on Lucas a few minutes ago.
Not on his head. On his chest.
The popping sound of the explosion is almost drowned out by Cregg’s scream, a high-pitched shriek. His suit jacket catches fire almost instantly. As he rolls onto his back to escape the flame, a gun goes off.
My head whips around to Deo, who’s still standing, his face pale. He’s holding the gun, but it’s pointed toward the glass wall now. Definitely not regular glass, because it didn’t shatter at all, despite the brand-new hole about five feet from the floor.
Deo’s shock breaks suddenly. He lets out an anguished noise, then points his gun at Cregg, who’s on his back, still screaming. Deo fires, then turns and fires at Lucas, who is still right where we left him.
I don’t know if Deo hits either target. Cregg is writhing on the floor, his shirt in flames. He makes a whimpering, almost mewling sound as he claws at the black cell phone case adhered to his chest. His pants are on fire too, but I guess the roll part of stop, drop, and roll is hard to implement when you’ve got a flaming cell phone stuck to your chest.
“Let’s go!” I yell, over the protest of most of my hitchers. I’m pretty sure Jaden will back me, but the rest of them want me to snatch the gun from Deo and finish both Cregg and Lucas. But that wouldn’t be self-defense, and it wouldn’t be defending someone else. It would be murder. Probably justifiable murder, but regardless, I don’t want that on my conscience. I don’t want it on Deo’s conscience, either.
We need to run. Most importantly, I need to run. If I’m moving, it will be easier to stay in control, to keep my head to myself.
I take off through the open lab door. Deo seems torn, but he follows, slamming the door behind him. I wave Cregg’s ID at the access panel in the corridor, and the door opens to reveal the empty monitoring station across the hall.
Dacia Badea stands a few steps in front of us, a shocked expression on her face. When Deo raises the gun, she doesn’t even seem to notice. Her focus is on the window, through which she can see Lucas, collapsed on the floor. She shoves me aside with her elbow and swipes her arm at the entrance to the lab.
SHOOT HER!
The Furies are screaming too, and it’s all I can do to maintain control. I reach out and grab the back of her shirt as she opens the door.
“Give me your ID or Deo will shoot.”
From the expression in Dacia’s eyes, I think this is the first time that Deo’s gun even registers. She calls me something I can’t translate, strips the security bracelet from her wrist, and hurls it toward my face as she yanks out of my grasp. Cregg calls out to her, but she doesn’t spare him a glance in her rush to get to Lucas.