Page 199 of Storm Caller

I hoist a backpack onto her shoulders and pick up the other. Then I take her hand and drag her out of the apartment.

“We’re taking the stairs,” I say. It’s dim out here, but squares cut into the ceiling offer enough light to see. “Mom, I’m going to take care of you, okay? You’ll love the Veil. It’s beautiful. They have gardens and the most breathtaking views.”

She’ll hate the Veil, but this is the best I can do right now. I think about when Rook and I first escaped the city, and I told him I’d expect fine china and a comfortable bed.

Only part of me had been joking, but I’m the easy one compared to my mom.

“Watch your step,” I say. She’s silent as I tow her to the ground floor and then out into the street.

I hear rioting and chanting in the distance as the world burns around us, thick puffs of smoke hanging in the atmosphere.

As we head north, we pass dozens of people brandishing makeshift weapons. Thankfully, they don’t bother us. When they catch a glimpse of my mom, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, they must understand that she isn’t a threat.

I wonder what will happen next. Will The Shield try again? Sol seemed to think they could get the network back up and running, but I’m hoping the water destroyed everything beyond repair.

We continue walking, heading through the factory district until the ruins of the old city come into view, along with the distant rock wall. That place that was my salvation so many times. A check to the left and right shows the flats littered with people. They’re everywhere. Why are there so many of them? And how am I going to find Rook in all of this?

We keep walking, weaving through the ruins. My mom stumbles and falls to her knees.

“Mom?” I ask, checking that she hasn’t hurt herself as I pull her back to her feet. “Are you okay?”

She only stares at me, her eyes so distant that I’m really starting to worry.

I gently tap her cheek. “Mom, can you snap out of this?”

“Grady?” she asks, her expression crumpling as tears fill her eyes.

“Mom, he’s gone.”

I can’t decide if she’s sad or scared. If she still loves him or if she’ll miss him.

“Mom,” I say, taking her by the shoulders. “I need you to focus. We’re—”

That’s when an explosion rocks the earth beneath our feet.

70

I spin around as it roars in my ears. Rocks and dirt and people go flying through the air.

Fire. Smoke. The smell of burning flesh.

The first explosion is followed by two more.

The heat blasts my skin as I’m thrown off my feet.

I land on my back, staring up at the sky clouded with ash and dust. It clogs my lungs and my eyes. Slowly, I roll over, pushing myself to my knees. My mother lies a few feet away, hacking and coughing. I assess myself for damage, but I don’t think I’m hurt.

As I look over, I understand why. The rock wall has been split in two, leaving a gaping hole like a missing tooth. It must have protected us from the worst of it.

Beyond that, I see bodies. Blown apart. Lying in heaps. Limbs everywhere. And even farther beyond, more fighting. It takes me a moment to come back to myself.

My ears won’t stop ringing.

My head feels like it’s been stuffed with cotton.

“Rook,” I whisper. “Rook!”

What if he . . .