35. Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Five
Breathe in, bleed out
Keir
S tepping over a tree root, I look at Eden a couple steps in front of me. “Honey, do you know where you’re going?” So far, we’ve traveled a tunnel, opening any door or hatch we came across; walked through the parking ramp; tried to get into the lab building, but the door felt barred; the guard shacks; an abandoned house; and looked in windows of the housing block. “The police and FBI were here three days ago and didn’t find anything.”
She ignores me as she keeps a steady pace, stopping to look around every few steps. “It was this way I think. Wait, he said look for the roof…” Her mumbling doesn’t make any sense to me.
“Who?” My cellphone rings, tearing my attention away. “Harrison, what’s going on?”
Even though Bristow and Harrison were dismissed from the official investigation, they’ve been checking in. “Where are you? Is Eden with you?”
“We’re at the wellness center. Steve, everything okay?” I don’t remember ever hearing him out of breath or worked up before. Dread blooms in my stomach. “Steve?”
Eden hears my side of the conversation, a hand flying to her mouth. “No.” A soft, plaintive plea.
“I’m with Matt…W-we’ve got Weston.”
Not “ he’s safe ”. Not “ hey, good news ”. My heart sinks so quickly, my head spins as I balance myself against the oak next to me. “Steve?”
“Listen, I’m heading to you. I’m close. Where are you exactly?”
Stop. Back up. Weston…How is our son? All words I want to say but can’t get out.
“Keir?” Eden is tugging at the arm of my shirt, her face reddening and eyes filling with tears. “Nooo…noooo, not my baby.”
I don’t know how far from the main building we’ve ventured into the woods. I grab Eden’s hand, pulling her as I run back the way we’ve come. “We’re going to Eden’s office…okay? Steve, do you hear me?”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll be there soon.”
I look over at Eden, whose cheeks are wet with silent tears. I swallow down a bellow that quakes inside my chest. Why was Matt with Weston? Did officers find them? What is going on?
All the times I pushed away the questions…about Halcyon, about Matt’s role in Camp Carroll, about the code sixty-seven.
Now I wonder if this is on me.
If my judgement was clouded by my love.
All my training feels ineffective right now; the stakes are too immeasurable.
Our lives are about to go up in flames