40. Willa / Greer
CHAPTER 40
WILLA / GREER
I nfirmary. He slips in and rolls out two wheelchairs. “We’ll get my sister first. She’s more mobile, and her powers can help us, if needed.”
He wheels the chair down the stark white hallway filled with fluorescent lights quickly and with purpose. A guard walks by but doesn’t stop. He’s wearing the same dark shirt and armband as us.
River stops and swivels the wheelchair around to face a door. He presses the key card against the electronic lock, and when it clicks, enters first.
“Hey, Brat, I’ve missed you,” he says in a low voice full of emotion.
A beautiful, but skeletal, face topped with long white-blond hair turns toward River and smiles, bright blue eyes sparking with disbelief and happiness. Using the table, she pushes herself up and slowly walks over to her brother. “You shouldn’t have come, but I’m happy I get to see you one last time.” Her frail arms wrap around River.
Tears roll down his face. His eyes, heavy with guilt, turn toward me, and he shakes his head. “I’ll always come for you, Lily.”
I swipe the wetness from my cheeks. This is wrong. In what world do they have the right to destroy someone so beautiful? I look around the small room. A cot, a small table with two chairs, and a nightstand with a lamp. I peek in an open door and see a closet with one shirt and two pairs of matching cotton pants. That’s it. No bathroom.
“We actually have it better than a lot of the others,” she says softly. “Hi, I’m Lily.” She holds out a fragile hand, pale as snow. I realize it’s been a long time since she’s been outside.
I reach out and enfold her in a gentle hug. “I’m Greer, River’s friend. I’m so, so sorry. You’re too beautiful and sweet for this horrendous place. Once we get you out of here, we’ll find you a comfy couch in the sun where you can lie like a cat all day.”
“I haven’t seen the sun in years. I’d like that,” she says wistfully, then looks at the clock. “Shift change is in forty minutes. They’ve quadrupled the number of guards this week, so we need to be gone before sunrise. Mom’s at the end of the hallway.” Shuffling over to the wheelchair, she eases into it.
I look at River. How are we going to get them across the park? There’s no way I can pull a wheelchair across the dirt and grass.
He looks at me. “Stop worrying.” His fingers slide along Lily’s neck. “No collar?”
Her laugh is full of bitterness. “No need for a collar when you have very little strength or when they can threaten your family. Mom doesn’t have one either.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry.” He clucks her under the chin. “Hang on.” Spinning the wheelchair around, he zooms to the door, making her laugh. It’s hoarse and thready, but full of affection. He ducks his head out, then motions for me to follow.
This time, we don’t pass anyone, but the hall is full of doors with windows on them. Like Lily’s. I move closer to the wall and peek in when we pass by, seeing a person in each one. A captive. My feet slow.
River looks back and hisses, “Hurry up.”
I point to the doors. “What about them? We can’t leave them.”
“We’ll tell Oliver when we get back. See if he can send men to get the rest,” he promises me. “Please, please hurry. This is my only chance to get them out.”
“River,” Lily says with a shake of her head. “She’s right. Every one of these people has been here with us since the beginning. We can’t leave them.”
River glares at us both but doesn’t reply. He simply speeds up. A minute later, he stops at a door. I look back. It’s a long way to the exit.
He wheels his sister into the room, and I follow. “Mom.”
The body on the bed slowly turns over and stares at him for a solid minute before recognition slips into the depths of her light blue eyes. “River. I knew you’d come. Come give me a hug. I’ve missed you.”
He bends down and wraps his arms around her small body. “I’m here to save you,” he says, tears muffling the words. “I should have done it a long time ago, but I was too scared to go against him. I’m sorry. So sorry.” He breaks down, clutching her to him.
“Hush,” she tells him, wiping the hair back from his face. “My beautiful boy. You’re here now. That’s all that counts.” Like Lily, she has a head of white-blond hair. Supposedly River does, too, although I’ve only seen him with the brown.
“We need to go,” Lily interjects in a worried tone. She turns toward me. “Please.”
Taking a deep breath, I push the wheelchair over to the two on the bed and touch River. “We have to get them out of here.” He flinches, but I gently tap his mom on the shoulder. “Let me help you into the chair.”
His mom looks up at me and tentatively smiles. “Introduce me to your friend, River.” It’s clear she isn’t sure whether to trust me or not.
Lily leans forward and whispers, “This is his girlfriend, Greer.”
Not technically, but with a shrug of acceptance, I look at his mom. “Nice to meet you. Unfortunately, we need to leave right now.” I lean over and help lift her fragile body into the chair. “There. Let’s go.”
“I’m Susan,” she replies, then catches River’s hand in hers. “You’ll never make it with me tagging along. Save Lily. Please. Do it for me. Knowing my children are safe is all I’ve ever wanted.”
I pull his hand out of her tiny one. “We’re all leaving together.” I know I’m being abrupt, but honestly, I’m not sure I can leave her behind either. With a twirl, I turn the chair around and head straight to the door.
“I like her,” Lily says with a snicker. “River. Now.” She knows it’s urgent we leave immediately.
We walk quickly down the hall but not too fast. A couple of guards pass by, but none stop. Each time I hold my breath, and I hear his mom do the same. I squeeze her shoulder. Skin and bones are all I feel beneath her thin gown.
Anger builds every time I look at Lily and Susan. Innocent. Tortured almost to death. Why? For revenge? Or something more sinister? Hightower’s an evil, evil man. So was Trent. Warped by the same mindset as his father.
River slows at the janitor’s closet, and I reach in and grab my bag. I tuck it in the chair with his mom, then follow him to the break room. When we get near, several soldiers walk out. One looks at us, and his eyes narrow. In response, River continues walking down the hall to throw him off.
“There’s another exit up ahead, but it will put us too far from the park,” River murmurs to the three of us once we’re past the soldiers. “We need to go back.” He slows, looking behind him, then turns the chair around when he doesn’t see anyone.
I do the same. Please, please let us get out of here. But when I turn, the guard is coming back around the corner, several armed guards with him.
Lily curses and raises her hands. Locks click up and down the hallway, releasing the prisoners held inside. Weak and wearing collars, they shuffle outside, but the second they see the soldiers, they launch themselves at them like rabid dogs, tearing into them with their hands and teeth. The collars restrict their powers, but do little to restrain them, giving us precious minutes to escape.
We roll through the break room and out the door. Thankfully, there’s nobody waiting for us, but the tree line looks so far away. Even if we make it, how are we supposed to run with the guards right behind us?
I look at River. This is hopeless. “How?”
His eyes grow brighter. “With nature’s help.” Vines slither out of the park and hoist the two wheelchairs in the air. “I’ll get…” A shot rings out, and River’s body jerks. He drops to one knee, and the wheelchairs crash to the ground.
I run to help Susan into a chair, then Lily.
Soldiers hurry out of the building and push both wheelchairs away from us. One grabs my arm, while two others grab River. With little effort, they haul us toward the front of the building. I search the grim faces around me. Nobody looks at me, but they’re watching River very closely.
Once in the front, they shove us to the ground. Clapping echoes in the dawn air. Confused, I look up and see Senator Hightower himself, standing there with a broad smile on his face. Dark wavy hair, perfectly combed, tall, with an athletic physique; he’s an older version of Trent. Fury rises in me.
Next to him is a dark-haired man with the darkest of brown eyes, almost black in color, around five feet nine inches tall. Dressed entirely in black, he gives off a menacing air, but when his gaze moves to me, there’s a look of… anticipation in his eyes. They almost sparkle with excitement. My head pounds every time he looks in my direction. Why does he look so familiar? What does he want? His face smooths of all expression when Hightower turns toward him.
“Right again, Hernandez,” he says, then turns away, clearly dismissing him. The man steps back but doesn’t leave. “River, I have a conundrum. On one hand, I’m very disappointed in you, and you know how much I loathe disappointment. It’s clear you were trying to defect, and I told you a long time ago that wasn’t going to happen.”
He walks over and helps me stand. “On the other hand, you’ve also made me very happy. Bringing me the young woman I’ve been hoping to meet for so long.” Once I’m standing, he grips my chin and pulls my head up until my eyes meet his. Unlike Trent’s chocolate brown eyes, Senator Hightower’s eyes are lighter in color. Cold and calculating, he stares down at me. “Willa, is it?”
The sound of my real name coming from his lips pisses me off, and I jerk my chin from his fingers. “Actually, it’s Greer.” He doesn’t deserve to say my name.
“Take them back,” he orders the soldiers, motioning to the two wheelchairs.
Lily and Susan look at each other.
Susan forces herself to stand. “I’m not going back.” Her chin lifts in defiance.
River drags himself up and lunges for her. “Don’t, Mom.” He tears his gaze from her and looks at Hightower. “Please. I’ll do anything you want. Don’t hurt her.”
Hightower laughs. “For years, you and your sister have been defying me, and I’ve graciously overlooked these small, hardly noticeable rebellions, but not anymore. Maybe you both need a valuable lesson.”
He looks from River to Lily. “Lily. Lily. Lily. I leave your collar off, and this is how you repay me?” A split second later, he dips his chin, and the soldier behind Susan steps up and places a gun to her head.
Lily’s hands begun to glow blue, but she quickly stifles them. “Please. I’ll wear the collar.” Tears fall rapidly as she begs Hightower. “She won’t last much longer. Let us spend her last days together. Please.”
River strains against the two guards holding him, blood dripping into the dirt. “I’ll do anything. Anything at all. I know a jumper.” He spits out, desperate to save his mother. “He’s remarkable. The perfect addition to your collection.”
My attention shifts to River in horror, and I realize this is what he’s always done. With very little leverage, he plays the cards in his hands. Except for me. For some reason, I was the line he wouldn’t cross.
Susan calmly looks at both of her children. “From the moment you were born, I’ve loved you more than anything in this world. We had the best of times together. On the road. In the parks. Quiet spaces meant for us. I can’t hang on any longer. It’s my time.” She looks down at herself. “My strength is gone, but my love for you will never end. I love you.”
Hightower nods and the gun goes off. Susan slumps down in the chair, a surprisingly neat hole in her head, the ground to her right splattered with blood and gore.