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“What about Postman?” he asks, wide eyes begging for an answer I can’t give him.
Time to throw life’s realities at him. Time to show him there’s a reason his brother and his friends call me a ruthless bitch.
“We’ll get Postman when NSC decides to give him back.”
My phone vibrates, and I look down at Elliot’s text.
Elliot: No one is watching that door.
“Alive?” the kid asks. I look up at him, feeling my brow furrow. Who asks such a stupid fucking question? “Alive?” he repeats.
I put a hand on his shoulder and point at a door on the NSC side of the cage. “See that door over there? It leads to back rooms and old offices. Start gathering some people and follow the main hallway. It’ll lead you to a back door. You know Elliot Pearson? He’s waiting for you there. Just go there with as many people as you can, stay quiet, and as soon as you’re outside, run through the woods.”
He nods numbly, so I slap his cheek without strength. Just to bring him back. “Listen to me. When you’re in the woods, you run. No hero shit, no looking for your brother, no avenging him. You run for your fucking life. Clear?”
With a stern nod, he turns around and starts gathering people.
Wasting no more time, I take Nyx’s hand and drag her with me in the opposite direction, pushing through the crowd. The moment people see me, they let me through.
“What the fuck are we meant to do?” someone calls out.
“Don’t worry,” I throw back.
I stop by the window of the dilapidated warehouse. If NSC are at the south and north entrances, they shouldn’t be watching this side. If they are, Ethan will let me know. I pull out my gun and use it to break whatever is left of the window that used to be here. I can already hear Ethan working at the board that’s stopping us from exiting.
There’s a loud crack, the sound of wood splitting, and I finally see a familiar face.
“There’s no way you can walk back to our parking lot from here,” my friend says calmly. “They’re encircling Kings’ cars, waiting for us to get there. I’m parked under the highway bridge. Everyone is going to have to abandon their cars and walk that way.”
“Can’t we reach the woods from here?” Nyx asks. Her hand is getting colder in mine, her body clearly in fight-or-flight mode.
I shake my head. “Not if they’re guarding the main gates. They’ll see us trying to access the woods.”
“I don’t know the way back home from the highway,” she says, frantic. “Should I go through the other door?” Turning her head to me, she grips my hand harder.
“I won’t let you go home alone, don’t worry.”
I spend twenty minutes making sure no one is getting caught as they escape through the window.
Keeping Nyx near me, I check with Elliot that others are going through the back door. I don’t have much time before NSC notices not many of us are trying to go through the main gates anymore, but I can’t escape while I still have people here.
“Kay,” Ethan calls out from outside. “You need to fucking go. They’re going to come after you and you know it.”
I ignore him and help Nyx climb over the ledge. “Listen. You take her to her trailer, okay? Her dad must be worried sick. Then you go home with Elliot and lock your fucking doors.”
He grabs Nyx, setting her on the ground outside. “You’re being an idiot. Come with us.”
“I’m not leaving Kings behind.”
“Then Elliot and I are staying too.”
A gunshot resonates in the warehouse, making us all duck down. NSC is coming in.
“Kay!” Nyx screams past the ringing in my ears. “Oh my god, I thought they shot you.”
“Fuckin’ hell. I’m fine.” I cock an eyebrow at her. “I’m not made of fucking glass, am I?”
It seems she is, though. She’s trembling like a leaf, her face paler than I’ve ever seen.
