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“It doesn’t matter,” Wes said.

“We better move it,” Matias chimed in.

But his words were wasted on me because I was already climbing through the window, hearing the crunch of the glass beneath my booted foot as I stepped onto the pristine white floor. And I didn’t wait for anyone. I was across the room, coming to my brother’s left side, and looking at his gaunt face, my hand cupping his cheek. His eyes were closed, and I held my breath as I called to him.

“Jacob,” I whispered. “Jacob, wake up. You’ve got to get up.” I placed my hand on his chest and began to shake him. “Jacob, please!”

“He’s in stasis,” Wes said.

I turned to find him standing at the foot of the table, holding up a tablet he found. “What? What do you mean—”

“He’s in some sort of coma,” he clarified. Matias came up to stand next to him, looking at the tablet. I noticed a slight shift in Wes’s posture, tensing of his muscles.

“It says that he’s been like this since the procedure earlier today.”

I turned back to look at Jacob and took a moment to really see him. His head was wrapped in white gauze, his blond hair visible from the top, discolored with dry blood. His face looked ashen, like he had been left without his nourishment pills for days. I noticed old, yellowed bruising on his cheek, and noticed how much thinner he appeared under the fabric of the gray scrubs he was wearing.

“Uh, not to alarm anyone,” Harper interjected, “but we’ve got to get the hell out of here ASAP. And that man isn’t going anywhere. There’s no way we can carry him, and there’s sure as hell no way we’re going to get him back down the cliff.”

I turned on Jim. “We’re not leaving him! Look at him! Look at what they’re doing to him!”

“Iamlooking at him, Mara,” he shouted back at me. “He’s in a coma. There’s no way we’re getting him out of here! Not like this.”

“Move aside, folks,” Blondie said as she shoved past me, a nasty-looking syringe in her hand.

“Whoa! What is that? Where did you even find that thing?” Jim shot out.

“Turns out, surgical rooms like this have cabinets with all the best drugs in them,” she answered slyly with a toss of her head. I followed her gaze to the corner of the room and noticed the tall, white cabinet, doors wide open, filled with bottles and vials. I turned back to face her only to see her hand high in the air above her head.

“Wait! What are you doing?” My question came out fast, but not as fast as Calista’s hand. I watched with mortal dread as the syringe in her clenched fist came slamming down…right into Jacob’s heart.

That’s when I screamed.

61: Only One

No sooner was the needle buried in Jacob’s chest when Calista pushed down on the plunger. I grabbed onto her, yanking her back. But as soon as I did, Jacob’s body jerked violently on the table, causing me to jump backwards. His eyes flew open as he inhaled forcefully, his back arching, fighting against the straps that were holding him down.

“Jacob!” I threw myself at him, putting my hands on his cheeks, looking into his shocked oceanic eyes. “Oh my god, Jacob!”

His chest rose and fell with jagged breaths as his eyes tried to focus on me. “Ma-Mara?” He stuttered, breathless.

“Yes! Yes, it’s me. It’s me. Jacob, I’ve been so worried about you!” I kissed his cheek and then looked back into his eyes. “What did they do to you?”

His eyes looked around the room, and I could tell then that he was dazed, struggling to understand what was happening.“Mara?” he asked again, his breaths still coming in fast. “Wha—But how?”

“It’s okay,” I whispered to him as I stroked his hair, careful to avoid the bandaged area. “It’s fine. Everything’s going to be fine.” Matias went to Jacob’s opposite side and started undoing his straps as Blondie did the same thing.

Once finished, Matias placed a gentle hand on mine, nudging me. “We’ve got to go, Mara. Like, rightnow.” I nodded and then looked back at my brother.

“Who—who is that?” he asked.

“Shh, I’ll explain it all later, but we’ve gotta go,” I told him as I helped him sit up. “Can you walk?”

He closed his eyes and shook his head as though he were trying to shake something off. “I-I don’t know. I’m having a hard time remembering everything.”

“Matias, Jim,” Wes called, “help him up.”

Both men stepped in as I stepped back to give them room. Jacob slowly slid his bare feet off the bed and then tried to stand. His legs wobbled, and just as it looked like he was about to collapse, Jim grabbed him.