Page 143 of Lucky 14

The confusing thoughts tangle in my head, but one stands out for sure. I won’t let Wyatt die alone. I’ll go home after I make sure he’s…they aren’t dead.

Kyan grabs for me, and I plant my feet. “No.”

He gives me an exasperated look and grabs my upper arm.

I shake him off. “No. You don’t get to play superhero alone. We’re going to help you, and then you’re going to get us a boat off this goddamn island.”

Kyan looks at me, and something in his gaze shifts. It’s like something in his posture shrinks, and his gaze darts away, like he’s shy. And I recognize that this alter has come out before.

He looks around at the trees, and his eyes dart to the guns on our hips, and the gun on his own.

“Cool,” he says, a note of wonder in his tone.

“Hey,” I say, softly. “Can you get Ky again? It’s very important that you get Ky. Or Wyatt.”

He gives a small smile. It’s a faraway smile. He chews his lip and looks at the guns again, his behavior a lot like…a child.

A child.

More gunshots sound, this time closer.

Oh fuck.

CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

Day 13

We run into the trees, the girl called Holli pulling me by the hand.

Those sounded like gunshots. I wonder where the cannons are? Do we have a wall set up for the monsters?

This girl knows that monsters are real.

I see it in her eyes. She’s not stupid. Of course they’re real.

The other guy runs beside us, too. It’s dark outside, and I look around. Where are the crickets?

No cricket sounds. The monsters must be close.

I can’t believe I have a gun. I’ve always wanted a gun in real life. Not like the one Dad uses, but a small one. Perfect for me.

Where are the chickens? Are they safe? I glance down. There’s no chicken poop on my clothes. They’re weird clothes. I don’t remember them.

The other boy is running under an area with tall trees. It’s dark under the trees, and I want to yell at him that monsters hide in the shadows, but I don’t. Maybe they won’t shoot him. Maybe he’s fast like me.

The air smells like…smoke.

I freeze, and the girl holding my hand jerks to a stop.

I sniff again. Cigarettes?

No. This smells like…campfire. And gunpowder.

A gunshot sounds, and I don’t think, I run. The girl and boy stay with me, shooting their guns backwards. I also shoot mine into the dark, cackling in glee when it’s loud.

It’s real. It’s real!

We run until we get to a spot that isn’t so shadowed. It’s a beach.