“No.”
Her voice cracks.
“No more.”
Wu’s eyes sharpen.
“Hannah.”
“No more.”
The tunnel lights flicker again overhead.
Avery suddenly gasps sharply.
Hannah spins back instantly.
“Avery?”
Wrong.
Very wrong.
I see it immediately.
Her breathing changed.
Shallow now.
Erratic.
Hannah sees it too.
Panic flashes across her face.
“No no no no—stay with me.”
Avery looks up at her weakly.
And suddenly she doesn’t look like a hardened survivor anymore.
She just looks tired.
So unbelievably tired.
“Hannah…”
“Don’t.”
Avery smiles softly.
“You came back.”
The words destroy Hannah.
“I’m here,” she whispers frantically. “I’m here now.”
Avery’s trembling fingers reach toward Hannah’s face.
