Page 62

Chapter sixty

Kaiden

I n the blink of an eye, the space around us shifts, becoming something else entirely. The musky smell of the cells and the heavy scent of iron that formed from the blood-stained walls fall away. The familiar stench of the Unfortunate sector fills my nose, something I never thought I’d find any form of comfort in.

Barely managing to stop Hunter and Valerie from falling over, Fallan grasps Forest, his mouth leaving a trail of blood across her front in a cough that no doubt signifies the severity of his wounds. She stands dazed, her blood coating both of them in large splotches. Forcing himself onto his feet, he looks to her in a plea, his eyes darting to the poorly guarded, ash-ridden opening in a ward I thought was impenetrable.

“He Winnowed us here,” Forest says in a gasp, giving a name to the hidden ability Fallan had utilized with what little energy he had left. To our advantage, many of the Officials had gone to the Lottery to claim some time off from their duties around New Haven, meaning the already poorly guarded sector is that much more free of security. A few displaced Unfortunates watch us with wide eyes. Some whisper in fear, labeling our group as marauders, pointing frantically to our warrants plastered on every digital board in sight. The word "Marked" resides beneath Forest and Fallan’s pictures—a word I would have considered vile, but now our only means of escaping any of this.

“It's getting harder to breathe,” Fallan whispers. His skin is pallid, and his expression is labored as he struggles to keep his arms around us.

The hand of death wraps around his throat.

Listening to the growing shouts of other citizens as they take notice of our presence, I frantically look around, weighing our options.

“We have no other choice, Kai,” Forest whispers, looking at the tear, her fears painted across her face.

Fallan faces my sister and grabs her face in his hands. He swallows, gathering the strength to speak.

“Are you with me?”

The question is urgent, her eyebrows furrowed with concern.

“Always,” she whispers, her eyes hazy with emotion.

Pressing his lips to hers, his expression remains a mix of admiration and fear. With a quivering lip, she breaks the kiss, leaving her forehead resting against his for a few moments longer. A fear of this being their last moment to share with one another is a thought I know consumes her right now.

Hunter grasps my hand, and Valerie does the same.

I scan Hunter’s dark eyes, pulling him closer, his body pressing close to mine as we shake in each other’s embrace. I feel his warmth flood through me, the same warmth my sister has told me she feels each time she’s near Fallan.

The feelings I have for Hunter have deep roots in my chest, and I'm not sure what that means for the dynamic between us. I’ll have to unpack this later if we survive long enough for me to think about it again. Clinging onto both of their hands, I keep my focus on Hunter.

“Let’s move!” Forest urges, slinging Fallan’s arm over her shoulders.

Filled with the need to keep them all safe, I follow my sister's command, forcing Hunter and Valerie along with me, burying my fears of what lies beyond the ash lands along with every rational thought of self-preservation.

Faintly, I hear her voice, unable to stop my attention from moving behind me, my sister's soon follows.

Standing in the distance, I see her cry out, her hands covering her mouth, screaming at us to run. She holds one of the Official's pistols, her hands shaky, bruised, and covered in wounds that indicate she’s been in a fight. We don’t pause. Forest continues moving, her eyes watery, locked dead on my mother's figure as she uses herself as a human barrier between the Officials and us. With a vengeance written in her expression, she fires round after round with precision. My mother takes down several approaching Officials, holding back what reinforcements could have stopped us had they gotten any closer.

“Don't come back!” my mother screams, both Forest and I unable to stop from flinching, my sister's feet coming to a standstill. Moving past the invisible barrier of the ward, I inhale my first breath of rebellion, the ash making the air dense, my first taste of freedom, not the sweetest. I cough uncontrollably alongside the others, reaching back for my sister's hand as she stays glued to the threshold between our old life and an unknown one. Helping me hold Fallan, Valerie and Hunter scream for Forest, my focus on my sister and my mother.

“Forest-”

“I can’t lose them both!” Forest screams. “Go without me, I'll find you-”

My mother's figure stills, her screams silenced with a sudden jolt to her body. My heart shatters as she looks at us, her clean palm now tarnished by the blood seeping from her lower stomach. Letting out a silent scream, her knees hit the ground, a wave of black-clad Officials approaching her from behind in the dozens.

Forest backs away, crossing the barrier into the ash lands, her eyes void of any emotion.

Grabbing Fallan, she holds her lower stomach, joining us in the cloud of thick ash. A stare so distant from reality masks her face.

Lowering her eyes, Forest faces ahead, determined to move forward into the desolate terrain ahead.

Like a warrior moving steadfast into the fray, she prowls forward silently, her shoulders stiff and stride steady.

There is no more time for tears. No more energy for regrets and what-ifs.

All that remains is the barren land in front of us.

And the hope that that's not all that remains.