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It doesn’t bring me joy killing him because there’s nothing left for Dean. He destroyed the woman he once knew, the person who might feel an ounce of sadness about his death. I swing the blade at him again, his feet fumbling away from me, avoiding another cut.
He’s at the edge of the cliff, but I don’t think he knows. The rain washes the blood down his shirt, staining his clothes a faded pink. His eyes flutter, losing focus.
“We win again,” I say for my sister, for myself, and I kick him off the ledge.
He falls to the choppy waves below, disappearing into the water. The rain that pelts down on me softens just as I watch his body hit the earth.
He’s gone.
I look up to the sky that’s changing from black to grey and exhale, dropping the knife.
It’s over.
I look out to the entrance to the underground, but it’s still too far to know if they’re making it out. When I get to Sam, he’s lifeless on the ground, his face swollen and bloodied.
“Hey.” I shake him. “I can’t drag you, Sam. Get up.” I feel his neck and there’s a pulse, and his hand lifts while he lets out a cough, his lips staining with blood.
“G-go,” he says. “Kids.”
“We’ll get them together,” I order. I pull on his arm and he winces, but lifts, the injuries to his face more visible as the sky lightens.
“I’m… I’m right behind you,” he promises. “Please.” He juts his chin away, urging me to go after them.
“Okay,” I agree. “I’m coming back for you once—”
“Go!” he orders, and I stand, turn, and run toward the underground.
Red jumpsuits come into view, but I don’t know if it’s the men that came up with us or people from below. The rain still mists, but a few rays of the sunshine beam down in between the clouds.
My heart pounds in my chest, and with every second I run faster — harder, desperate to get to them.
Then I see the other uniforms, different colors popping out amongst the red, bringing me hope that they’ve brought survivors up.
The closer I get, I see hundreds, no, thousands of people scattered around the grounds.
“BeLew,” I scream out. The confused faces of strangers, unsure of what’s happening, and shocked after being outside for the first time in years look past me. “BeLew! Lori! Luke! Tank!”
I move in between crowds, shoving people to the side as I pass. A hand grabs my shoulder, whipping me around. It’s Luke, and we slam into a hug. He’s moving his hands over my body, checking me.
“I’m fine,” I tell him.
“You don’t look it,” he says.
“Where?” is all I get out, and he grabs my hand, turns, and we sprint toward my family.
I hit my knees when I see them, pulling BeLew into my arms. Mary stands with him, holding Morgan wrapped in a blanket. She’s crying, but her tears pour over the smile on her face.
“You got away?” I ask over BeLew’s heads.
“We all did,” Mary nods and smiles. “He’s over there,” she answers my next question without me asking.
There’s a crowd of men in soaked robes standing in a circle, and I pull BeLew closer to me, refusing to let them go. We’re out, and what they do with their Eminent is no longer my concern. He can’t hurt us anymore.
“Alex is over there,” Mary says. Her eyes let out more tears as she rocks Morgan.
Lori comes up behind me, her head resting on my back. “I thought you were dead,” she says.
“Story of our lives,” Luke jokes. She swats at him, and he lifts a leg to escape her smack. Tank sit in the grass behind him, large smiles on their faces, and they wave at me as if nothing’s happened. I hope that’s how it’s been for them, just a strange month where they were blissfully unaware of the horrors we went through.
