Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“Or not.”
The strange voice makes my stomach drop. I turn and see two men in snot-green New America uniforms, both with guns pointed at us.
I weigh my options, thick vines slithering around my feet. If I charge them, at least some of us can get away.
“Do it,” the man says, his gaze on me. “You won’t even get two steps—”
His head twists at an unnatural angle and he drops to the ground. Pax is there, and he snaps the other man’s neck before he even has time to react. He falls to the ground and lands on top of his friend.
It’s scary how much faster aromium makes a person.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Pax whispers, locking eyes with me.
Everyone starts to move, but then Ellison says, “I can’t.”
All of us stop, turning toward her.
“You’re not staying,” Nova whispers fiercely. “They’ll kill you.”
Ellison’s face crinkles in an anguished look. “I can’t leave my supplies behind.”
Nova reels. “Fuck your supplies. We can’t go back into camp.”
Ellison looks at me, her expression pleading. “I have to go get my supplies.”
Nova looks like her head’s about to blow off. I don’t know why Ellison is so concerned about having supplies. Gauze and medication are the least of our worries.
“We can come back for them,” I say softly.
“Tell me where to meet you.”
If Nova had hair, she’d be pulling it out. “No! Absolutely the fuck not, El!”
“I’ll go back for them.”
Pax stuns us all into silence. He shrugs.
“Nova can’t go. They’re hunting her. No one will suspect me.” He looks at Ellison. “Tell me what you need.”
“I have to come with you.”
Nova’s eyes widen. “Not happening. I’m not a controlling bitch, but—”
“I have to.” Ellison’s smile for her wife is soft. “I’ll go quickly.”
Amira gives me a pained look, saying, “We have to go. If we get caught, there’s no one left to help the others.”
Pax takes a few steps closer to Nova, addressing her. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“Look at that scar on her arm and say it again with a straight face.”
Pax exhales softly. “I know what I’ve done. But I’m here now. I’m the best one to take her and you know it.”
“We don’t have time for this.” Ellison walks over to Nova and cups her cheeks. “We believe in each other. Always. I’ll see you soon.”
Tears pool in Nova’s eyes.
“Where should we meet up with you?” Pax asks me.
I mentally race through the options. “Ammo Bunker Three. Ellison knows where it is.”
“Ammo bunkers? You cagey bastards.”
I glare at him. “Keep her safe. And I also need you to get us a surveillance pack from the training room.”
“How the hell do you expect me to know what that is? Or where the training room is?”
“I know,” Ellison says. “Let’s go.”
A sob escapes Nova’s throat and she turns away from us.
“We’ll be there,” Pax says to me. “Even if we get held up, we’ll be there.”
I nod and squeeze Ellison’s hand.
“Be safe,” I whisper.
“We will.”
Pax leads Ellison into another part of the jungle, likely planning to circle around camp and try to sneak in undetected. The rest of us race toward Ammo Bunker Three, which was cleared of ammo and supplies before the volcano. But it should make a good short-term hiding place.
Adrenaline propels me. I focus only on my surroundings, staying alert for anything that sounds like people or animals approaching.
This hellish island just can’t stop one-upping itself. The volcano and its aftermath weren’t enough suffering for us, apparently. I can’t even remember a life that wasn’t a daily fight just to survive.
My hopes of ever seeing Mae again just keep slipping further away. I wanted to believe Marcus could find a way for us to escape this place. That we could go back to the mainland and find Mae. Help the ILF blow up the Whitman regime. Maybe even make a real life for ourselves.
I dreamed of sitting on a porch swing with him. We were in a beautiful place with mountains in the distance, a blanket on our laps. His arm was around me and the swing swayed gently as we watched the sun paint the sky pink and orange before it slipped away for the night.
That hope is gone now. Ingrid Voss did a factory reset on his mind and he’s a stranger to me now. Worse than a stranger, actually. He’s a New America puppet, which makes him my enemy.
It’s fully dark now, rain still falling. Nova reaches the bunker first, unearthing the handle to the door and opening it.
We file down the stairs one at a time, greeted only by the scents of earth and mustiness.
I curl up against a reinforced wall, drained. Without Marcus, I don’t know how to do any of this. I’m tired, but not just physically.
New America has taken so much from me. My family. My life. My autonomy. And now, Marcus.