AT FIRST I couldn’t hear anything but shuffling feet and heavy breathing. As soon as the door closed all sounds of battle from the outside had died. Sitting in the musty tunnel, it was almost as if it had never happened.
But it did, I reminded myself.
Willets was dead, his blood still spattered on my face. And Arden didn’t stand much of a chance either. None of them did for that matter. A torch’s green light hummed to life somewhere further down the tunnel, casting its eerie glow.
“You left them to die.” I said through gritted teeth. The adrenaline was wearing off. My bullet wound was beginning to throb.
Maddox was doubled over, leaning against the door he had just closed. His hands pressed against his knees as he raised his gaze to meet mine.
“What I did was save your life.” His tone was bitter cold. “You’re welcome.”
He pushed off the door and walked past me further down the tunnel. Glaring at his back, I rose to my feet intent on punching him in the back of the head, but staggered. I sucked in a gasp of air as I moved too fast. Grabbing at my useless arm, I fell back against the tunnel wall.
“Phoenix?”
The light was coming closer, followed by Triven’s voice. Mouse was carrying the lantern, but she stopped a few feet away staring at my arm. Triven however pushed around her, worry etching his face as he grew nearer. “You’re bleeding.”
I pushed myself upright and tried to move around him. “I’m fine really. It’s just a scrape.”
“She got shot.” Maddox’s voice carried out of the shadows ahead of us.
I opened my mouth to say something rather unpleasant in return but Triven distracted me. His hands were pulling not too gently at my arm and shirt, looking for the source of the blood.
“But you were wearing body armor, there’s no way—” His words cut off as he yanked back the collar of my shirt revealing the scrap of fabric that hung uselessly around my neck. He then ripped my shirt, exposing my bleeding arm. His cheeks flushed red.
With a huge sigh, he pressed his forehead to mine. I stared up at him but he kept his eyes closed. When he spoke his voice was low and full of pain.
“Are you freaking kidding me? Do you have any idea how selfish, how stupid that was. I could have lost you.”
I wished he had yelled at me. It would have been easier to deal with if he had been angry, but instead I realized just how badly I had hurt him. In my attempt to keep him safe I had caused him pain. Emotions always complicated things.
“I’m sorry.”
It was the only thing I could think to say. I wasn’t sorry that I had tricked him to keep him safe. I would do it again given the chance. But I was sorry I had hurt him.
He kissed me for the first time in over a week. It was rough and brief. And it made me long for more while feeling ashamed at the same time. Another green light came bobbing into view. It was the ponytailed blonde guard whose name I could never get right. Brant or Grant or something like that. He must have been the one who had rushed passed me outside. Coward.
“Where are the others?” He asked, glancing at the four of us. Maddox shook his head. “Oh. Well, the tunnel goes on for about another quarter mile. We should get moving.”
“Are you okay to move?” Triven eyed my bleeding shoulder.
“I’m fine.” I nodded.
Triven ripped off a strip of my tattered overshirt and pressed the fabric to my wound.
“Keep pressure on it.” He murmured as he pressed his palm against the small of my back and began guiding me down the tunnel. Mouse fell into step at his side, casting me worried glances. Willets’ blood was splattered on her cheek. My stomach dropped as I looked at her. She wasn’t supposed to be here to see all of this. I had failed in keeping her safe.
By the time we reached the end of the tunnel I was leaning heavily on Triven for support. Sweat was beading on my forehead. Despite my anger for inadvertently bringing Mouse along, it was a good thing we had her. Just like at the entrance, there was also a keypad hidden here. As Mouse’s fingers reached for the keys, the pressure in the tunnel suddenly shifted, my ears popping with the change.
“Extinguish the lights,” I hissed. Triven switched his off immediately. After only a moment of hesitation, Brant or Grant or whatever his name was followed suit. No sooner had his torch gone out than the voices reached our ears.
The Ravagers were in the tunnel.
I could hear Mouse’s finger tapping feverishly on the keypad. There was another mechanical beep followed by a series of clicks and the door popped open letting in another rush of air. If we had felt their entrance, they would surely feel our escape. The footfalls coming from the end of the tunnel were moving faster now, the voices growing louder.
“Run,” I said through gritted teeth. Fighting off the pain and the fatigue I pushed forward. Fumbling in the darkness I found Mouse’s frail shoulders as other hands pushed us forward into the unknown.
I half expected to find a firing squad waiting for us on the other side, but as we stumbled into the open cavernous room, it was clear we were alone. Mouse struggled free from my grip. Grabbing my good hand she began to pull me through the foreign space. The room was filled with pipes, ranging in size from an inch to nearly ten feet in diameter. There was a constant buzzing that made my skin crawl. I realized vaguely that it was electricity. We were inside the powerhouse to The Wall.
We had made it barely twenty feet before a deafening automated screeching filled the air. They knew we were here. I wanted to stop and cover my ears but Mouse kept moving. I glanced back to see Triven, Maddox and what’s his name running behind us. Each had his gun drawn, but their faces were screwed up against the painful noise.
Triven shouted something at me but I couldn’t hear him over the noise.
Mouse stopped outside of a huge vat and pointed animatedly to the round valve on the hatch. Maddox reached us first, pushing me aside to turn the valve. It finally gave way as Triven joined him. The huge metal door swung open and without hesitation Mouse dashed inside. I moved quickly after her, sharing a look of concern with Triven as I passed him.
Where was she taking us?
The vat door slammed closed, its heavy thud drowned out by the blaring alarms. At first I thought we were trapped, but then I caught sight of movement above us. Mouse was hanging on a ladder dangling just above my head. She motioned for me to follow. I couldn’t see the top and there was no way of knowing just how high we would have to climb. I grimaced as my shoulder throbbed. Any other time and I could have scaled the ladder no problem. But my hands were slick with blood and I could feel more of it still seeping out of the gunshot wound on my arm. The blonde guard pushed passed me and began to climb. Maddox threw me a resentful look, before following his friend.
“Can you make it?” Triven whispered in my ear.
I gritted my teeth. “Is there any other choice?”
Before he could offer to carry me— which surely meant we would both fall— I wiped my hands on my thighs and began to climb. My shoulder seared with every movement. I was less than ten feet up when my vision began to swim with tears of pain. Despite my anger and determination they continued to fall. I could feel Triven’s hands near my feet, moving each time I moved.
I should have made him go first. I was slowing him down and now if I fell I would likely knock him off.
As we rose, the screaming sirens fell away, leaving only the ringing in my ears. My hands had begun to fail, the numbness in my right hand making it impossible to hold onto the rails. I began wrapping my arm through the bars, using the crook of my elbow to hold me steady. I could see a light now. It was not so much a light, I supposed, but more of less dense blackness. In my haste to reach it my foot slipped. A startled cry escaped as my arm lost its hold. Stars burst into my vision as my chin struck one of the rails, smacking my teeth violently together. By of some miracle my left hand kept its grasp as I dangled in the air. Hands shoved my feet back on a rail and suddenly a warm
chest was pressed tightly against the back of my legs holding them in place.
“Thank you.” I said breathlessly.
“We’re almost there.” He whispered, equally winded. “You have to keep moving.”
He didn’t call me weak or offer to carry me. Instead he knew what I needed— words that would push me.
With the little strength I had left, I made my arm link around the metal rail again and pulled. The progression was slow and painful, but somehow I managed to move upwards. Whenever my foot slipped Triven’s hand caught it, pushing me upwards again. We were almost there. I could see it, an opening in the metal ceiling.
My vision was beginning to blur, blackness creeping its way into the edges. Suddenly, the opening that had seemed so close was slipping further away. I could hear Triven’s voice behind me but his words didn’t register. Overly large, thick hands appeared in the opening. I tried to recoil as they reached for me, but as I moved the world around me began to slip away. The rails disappeared beneath my hands and I was falling.