I can’t bring myself to respond. My head lies against his chest and my hands cling to him like a life preserver. All strength has been sapped from my body. I’m leaving without Keegan. But at least I didn’t let my stepfather get the best of me. At least I wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger.
“Crap, they’re coming.” Cole runs with me in his arms like he has so many times before. His jaw clenches and unclenches, but his grip on me never fails. We move farther down with each staircase and hallway that we take. Cole slams us through the last doorway into the blinding sun.
The evidence of war is all over—chunks of walls missing, bodies and parts strewn across our path, damaged valuables, and the mass exodus of people the closer we get to the gate. Their hurried strides and panicked voices bring me back to myself. I look around. Everyone runs in one direction.
Out.
The heavy gate of the Hole appears to the right. To my astonishment, it’s blown open. Crowds run, shove, and trip their way into freedom. But no one rejoices. Families with children and branded sinners shove their way through into the blast of sunlight and hot air. The constant exchange of gunfire in the distance reminds me that some teams are still fighting. Thick black smoke forms a mushroom cloud that hovers somewhere near the hospital.
Cole fights against the tide of traffic, his head on a swivel like he’s looking for something. He steps over the high-speed railroad tracks. No one is going to work today.
A black SUV halts with a screech in front of us and startles me. The door swings open and Bruno sits in the driver’s seat, screaming at us.
“Quick! Get in! Get in!”
Cole opens the back door, shoves me inside, and then jumps in the front. Zeus meets me in the back seat, licking my face with delight and whipping me with his tail. I hug him close and begin to cry.
“Zeus! Oh my goodness, Zeus! You’re alive!”
Our reunion isn’t sweet for long though as people try to jump onto the vehicle. Their fists pound on the windows, their faces laced with fear and anger. They beg for a ride, but Bruno doesn’t stop.
“Sutton—what about Sutton?” I ask.
“He’s in another vehicle,” Bruno says.
“What the hell happened out there?” Cole says.
“I don’t know, man. I’ve never seen so much blood. A lot of people died today. Only a few of us got out,”
“I know,” Cole says.
“Wilson was slaughtering left and right, and when we got within shooting range, all of a sudden—he vanished. Just completely disappeared!”
“How could he just disappear?”
“We think he’s at the lab, but we don’t have the time or the manpower to go after him,” Bruno says as he makes another turn. His hands grip the wheel and his knuckles bleed from combat.
Cole slams his head back against the headrest. “Damn it, you’re right.”
“I was hoping we’d at least get the safe groups out,” Bruno says.
“What safe groups?” I ask.
“The safe groups were pre-selected sinners that Sutton rounded up. Could you imagine if the entire Hole got out?”
“No,” Cole says. “Let’s just get the hell out of here.”
Bruno continues. “If we manage to stay alive long enough, our next mission is trying to figure out a way to free—”
“Bruno!” Cole says. “Let’s just get the hell out of here!”
“Roger that!”
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Somewhere safe,” Bruno says.
“Like there is such a thing,” Cole says.
I lean my head against the window and exhale. We’re almost safe. We’re out of the hellhole and Cole’s with me. I feel relieved, but it is bittersweet. My stepfather’s dead, along with my brother. I have now lost everyone in my family. I only have who is in this vehicle with me, and Sutton. I look at Cole. I see his face, covered with dirt, smeared with sweat and blood, and am thankful he can share this with me. This burden. These memories. The rest of the world might be upside down and inside out, but Cole’s mine forever.
Cole’s eyes don’t leave my face and I know he’s worried about me, but I’m glad he won’t ask me to talk about it. He knows in time—I will.
I regret that I can’t go back and grab Alyssa’s book from my bunk. I can’t rewind time and tell Keegan that I love him even though I disagreed with some of his decisions. I can’t change the outcome of the operation. I can’t save my father’s last letter to me, but at least I have his words written on my heart. At least, I know I made the right decision to fight. Because I still believe in justice for all.
The scenery passes outside the window, ticking away like time. My eyelids feel heavy with the absence of the adrenaline rush. Cole climbs into the back seat, and I drift off to sleep with him stroking my hair, comforting me in the aftershock of the war.
*
When I wake, the smell on the breeze perks me up. The ocean spray and the piercing call of seagulls make me smile and I know exactly where we are.
Lexington Bay.