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“Go fuck yourself,” I shouted.
Just as quickly, the others joined me. Kit, Deacon, Brax, Bowen, shades I barely knew, they all gathered beside me. Even Wade came out from his spot, taking his place beside us, Moa and Aaron doing the same.
Thiswas what Hera had truly accomplished. She’d brought us together, taught us to stop hating each other and to work together, had made us see that a future worth having was out there if we just stopped being so damned afraid.
The Warden smirked. “This works for me. It is like domesticating animals. You remove the ones who are too troublesome so the whole of the species becomes more docile. Ending you will make Larkwood stronger.”
She raised her hand and the new guards all lifted their weapons. I wouldn’t give in, though. I stared them down, unwilling to let them have the pleasure of seeing me quiver.
Before she dropped her hand, before the hail of bullets came, a blast so loud that it made me fall against Deacon’s side rocked the ground.
It silenced everyone as we turned toward where it had come from—the North Tower. Debris obscured the view, made it impossible to see anything. Slowly, a figure appeared in that dust. It was nothing more than a shadow as it walked out toward us with unhurried steps.
As the dust cleared, as I got my first look at the figure, I couldn’t stop my grin.
Hera was always a sight for sore eyes.
Hera
They’re all alive.
Seeing that gave me the courage to keep going, to move forward. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going on based on the scene before me.
The Warden had guards lined up beside her, guns trained on the shades. It was the sort of ultimatum I expected from a woman like the Warden.
And yet, despite her threats, despite her willingness to carry them out, the shades stood tall. They faced the Warden with every bit of courage I had come to expect from them.Not just those I knew, either. The others, those who had come to help, they stood in defiance as well.
It humbled me, reminded me of how strong they really were.
Even when things looked hopeless, they hadn’t given in. They fought until the end no matter what that end would be.
Wade grinned my way, the first to recover from shock, and I smiled back at him. Still, no one else moved.
Which was probably for the best. The last thing we needed was for the Warden to decide to make a rash move.
“You really need to learn when to call it quits,” the Warden said, her words barely containing the anger inside them.
I looked over at Soshi, who had taken a spot pressed against Bowen’s side. The fear in her eyes was clear, and even if I wished I could tell her it would be okay, I couldn’t.
“Larkwood won’t last,” Deacon said. “It will fall. May not happen today, but itwillhappen.”
“No, it won’t. I’ve kept this place running for thirty years. It will stand long after all of us are gone.”
“You think that because you only know about violence to keep others under your thumb,” Knox called out. “The thing is, if you corner someone long enough, they’ll eventually bite.”
“I’m not afraid of that. I will do whatever it takes. I don’t care how many shades have to die for that.”
“People will care,” Wade said. “They aren’t as bloodthirsty as you are.”
“You’re right—they would care. People are soft because they don’t know what’s really out there. They don’t know what we’re up against. If they did, they’d understand how important my work is. That’s why I will ensure that none of them ever find out. They can live their happy, ignorant little lives and I will make the hard choices that need to be made.”
“I don’t know about that.” Moa’s voice made me turn to find her pointing at the gate to Level 3. It opened and a group of people pushed through. I didn’t need to recognize them because the large cameras they held screamed reporters. Along with them?
Mom and Dad?
I hardly believed my eyes as I looked at them, as I saw the mass of people making their way through the gates and gathering on the edges of the open, bloodstained dirt.
Another glance at Moa showed a smile and nod toward my parents, which explained it. Moa must have contacted them ahead of time, must have asked them for their help. They certainly had the connections and power to gather people like this.
