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I stayed down, afraid to move an inch. It was gone. It was definitely gone, and yet my muscles refused to unclench. I had to move. I needed to get to my feet and move, dammit.
I’d take five deep breaths and then move. Breathe in and out. I could do this.
I opened my eyes, and the picture around me stole all the air I’d forced into my lungs. The cinder-block walls were intact, but that was all. The floor was almost completely gone, other than the small spot that I’d huddled on, with the desk. I leaned forward, and beneath me, there were limbs and bloodied bodies mixed in with piles of debris. The worst part was that there wasn’t a moan, a cry, a twitch. This place had been filled with people, and it didn’t sound like a single one was still alive, other than me.
I didn’t know how to get out if I wanted, perched on a pedestal of some sort. I could hear the sounds of sirens in the distance. They’d get me down, but how would I explain this? Who would I say I was?
“Billie,” Kaden yelled from somewhere in the building. “Billie!”
“Kaden,” I called, unsure whether he’d hear me.
He appeared two floors below, climbing over mounds of rubble. He looked up, and a flash of relief crossed his face.
“You’re going to have to trust me,” he said, walking until he was right underneath me. “I know trust isn’t a big thing with us, but you need to take a literal leap of faith.”
He was already lifting his arms, as if to wave me down. That lunatic wanted me to jump?
I plastered my back against the side of the desk. “Oh no. I’m not doing it. No, no, no.”
“Billie, look at me,” he said calmly.
I didn’t look.
“Billie, we don’t have time for this. There are going to be people swarming in here any second.”
He was right. I leaned forward, just a hair, peeking over the edge, hoping he had a better idea than jumping.
He stared at me, looking much calmer than I felt.
“I don’t know what is keeping that landing you’re on upright, but it should’ve crumbled with the rest of this place,” he said. “I can’t come to you. You need to come to me.”
“You want me to jump two floors down. No way. Go get a ladder.” I pointed in a vague direction.
“We don’t have time. Now you need to jump.” He had his hands out as if he were capable of catching me.
“You’re trying to kill me. That’s what this is.” I sounded hysterical. There was no way other to describe my voice.
“You’re not going to die. Now you need to jump,” he yelled.
“I’mnotjumping.”
“I promise I will be standing here to catch you. The worst that will happen is you’ll use me to break your fall.”
That actually didn’t sound too horrific. I leaned over, wondering if hewouldbe enough to break my fall.
“Give me your word you won’t move,” I said.
“I give you my word that my feet won’t leave this spot. Now I need you to jump.”
I could hear the sirens growing louder, and I really didn’t want to explain how I ended up on this little piece of floor, the sole survivor.
I got into a squatting position, back just far enough to clear my little landing. I closed my eyes and took a leap of faith.
He caught me in his arms as if I was no heavier than a ball and immediately started to move. He leapt over the rubble and had me out a back door and several buildings away before he set me on my feet.
He swung his jacket over my shoulders and began pulling me after him toward a car parked at the curb.
Kaden drove as crazy as Cookie, almost as if he thought Chaos itself were following us.
