Page 49 of The Hollowed

His words hung heavy in the air. He looked worried, like the admission itself might deter Luci from loving him any more than she already did.

“Once we’re there,” Alex continued, “I just want us to be ready if things go wrong. Like if they don’t respect you, or keep their promises.”

Luci knew he was talking about Noah without him having to say her brother’s name. She’d gambled on the hope that he was still out there, still alive. But faith was a brittle thing when stretched too far, and without it, what was she really fighting for?

Alex continued, “I don’t want you to feel like you’re trapped. Like you don’t have a way out.”

Luci held his gaze for a long moment. As sweet as his words were, and as much as she cherished how far he would go to make sure she was safe, she knew the truth. There was only one way to escape Prometheus.

Death.

She had accepted that long ago when she’d taken on the debt to become a doctor and continue her research. Prometheus’s methods might not always have aligned with her morals, but they were her only gateway to making a difference. To her, compromise was worth it if it meant her work could reach thosewho needed it most.

“It won’t come to that,” Luci said softly, offering him a smile meant to chase away his worry. “If we’ve survived this long under Prometheus’s will, then we can survive a little longer. AZ-7 is just another facility. I don’t know if our stay there will be temporary or forever, but either way, we’ll figure it out together, Okay?”

Alex said nothing, but his eyes were filled with tenderness. Relief flushed through her as he finally nodded. He tightened his hold against her cheek. “Together.”

She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her slowly.

But before their moment could continue, Luna barked, her tail thumping against the side of the RV as if to remind them they weren’t alone. Luci pulled back with a laugh, and Alex shook his head with a crooked smile.

“Guess that’s our cue,” he said.

They climbed back into the RV and let the headlights carve a path through the dark as they pulled onto the road again, searching for a safe place to park for the night. As the miles carried them deeper into the unknown, it suddenly felt like they weren’t running from the world but toward something bigger, more important and just for them.

Chapter 21

Myra

“Hey kiddo, can we have that back now?” Myra asked, glancing into the rearview mirror at Jace who had been clinging to Cipher’s computer for hours.

It wasn’t lost on her why. She’d just taken him from the only home he had ever known, and in some way the device offered comfort. Still, Doc’s orders were clear. It was almost time for Jace’s meds and Cipher needed the computer to track Luci’s location.

Jace groaned, rolling his eyes before finally handing it back and folding his arms across his chest. “There’s nothing to do in the car.”

Myra caught Cipher’s raised brows in the corner of her vision as he reclaimed his computer without a word.

“I’m sorry, bud. We’ll stop to stretch our legs soon, I promise,” she said, softening her tone as she offered Jace a smile.

He didn’t return it. Instead, he angled his face toward the window and let his hands fidget restlessly in his lap.

The sight tugged at something deep in her. Jace’s frustration was understandable. She knew he was holding grief he didn’t have words for, and now she was the only one left to help him through it. She hadn’t asked for that responsibility and certainly hadn’t prepared for it, but the truth was simple. She was all hehad left. Even if he pushed her away, she wasn’t going anywhere.

“There were six of you, right?” Cipher’s voice cut through her thoughts and pulled her gaze to him. “Sable, Paxton, Grayson, Luci, Alex…and you?”

“Yeah.” Myra nodded. “Well — and Luna. So I guess seven if you count her.”

Cipher’s expression shifted and twisted in confusion as he looked out to the road ahead. There wasn’t much to see. All that was left was broken concrete and crashed cars — the remnants of what had once been. “Did you see them make it out?”

Myra’s chest clenched as she shook her head, “I just….I assumed they did. We always make it out, no matter how bad it gets.” She waited a moment before she dared to ask, “Did they not?”

Cipher tilted his head and continued typing as if doing so might yield a different answer. “It looks like Sable, Paxton, and Grayson are back in New-Chicago – their bodies at least. But Luci and Alex are a few hours ahead of us. So…I don’t know.”

The words hit harder than she expected. Myra had lost friends and family before, but her heart still dropped as though it hadn’t been trained for this.

Grayson had been one of the first friends she’d made at the academy, and he’d kept her sane in those early days when everything had felt so uncertain. She’d graduated alongside Sable and Paxton, celebrated victories and endured failures with them…and now, just like that, they were gone.

The reminder of how fragile their lives truly were felt cruel.