“But—”
“Mako, please. There are scared people waiting up there. Get them and Poppy to safety. I’ll take care of Fiona.”
After a beat, he nods and hurries away. I turn back to Fiona, trying to stanch the blood pouring out of her abdomen. But even if I can get the bleeding of the gut shot under control, there’s nothing I can do about her lung.
She’s going to drown in her own blood.
“Wren,” she croaks. Weak, ragged. “Need to say…”
“Stop talking. Just hold on. Let me try to stop this bleeding.”
“…to say I’m…sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I tell her. “Please, stop talking. You’re making it worse.”
Fiona’s lips part and her hand rises, shaking wildly, as she tries to reach for my blood-soaked fingers. “Didn’t want you…around Poppy…” Her breathing is getting weaker. “Too close to her.”
I apply more pressure on her side, but the blood continues to pour out like water from a faucet.
“You need to stop talking,” I say, unable to process what she’s telling me. “Please.”
“Trying to protect her,” Fiona croaks.
I hear another burst of gunfire in the distance. It sounds far away,like it’s coming from the main hatch, but that doesn’t mean we have the luxury of time.
Sure enough, Mako’s voice fills my earpiece a moment later. “Darlington, you need to get out.”
I ignore him and focus on Fiona, who’s still struggling to speak.
“Do…anything…to protect her.” Her eyes, completely glazed now, attempt to focus on mine, but I can tell she’s fading. “Protect her…for me?”
A lump forms in my throat.
“Darlington,” Mako says again. “I’ve got a truck full of civilians we need to get to safety.”
I touch my earpiece. “Go without me.”
“Wrenny—”
“Just go. I’ll find my own way.”
“There are two bikes stashed in the carport,” he says. “I’ll see you back on the base.”
“Be careful,” I tell him.
I cut the feed to find Fiona still struggling to speak. “Promise me,” she pleads. “Promise you’ll…protect Poppy. Don’t let…them…take her.”
“I won’t,” I assure her. “I promise I’ll take care of her.”
I hear gunshots in the distance, and I scan the corridor for any signs of movement.
“Need…to go,” Fiona tells me. Her eyelids flutter as if she’s desperately trying to keep her eyes open.
When they finally close, I know she’s gone.
For a second, I sit there, still clutching her blood-soaked abdomen. Then I slowly release the pressure, letting my hands drop. I push myself up on unsteady legs.
I scramble up the ladder, emerging from the hatch a moment later, sucking in gulps of fresh air. It’s nice to be out of the smoke, but I’m nowhere close to being out of danger. I glimpse the Command vehicles in the distance. When I check in with Mako, he says they don’t have a tail yet. Teriq had ordered the trucks to head toward the airfield in Ward E, but I have no idea what the plan is beyond that. I just pray they make it out of this ward before anyone spots them on the road.
