Chapter Nineteen
The footsteps echo down the corridor, each one making my heart thump harder.
It has to be Summer. She’s the only one who has ever come into this cramped electrical room.
I smooth my hands over my overalls, wiping away the sweat. Gotta stay calm. I can’t let her see how much I’ve missed her.
Or how much I ache to pull her into my arms and never let go.
Joy surges through me. We’ll make the most of whatever time we have. I’ll tell her my plan, how I’ve learned the routines of the guards, and mapped the tunnels. It won’t be long and everyone can be free.
Her face fills my thoughts. Those emerald eyes that see right through me. Her cascade of fiery curls. The dusting of freckles over her nose that I long to kiss.
We’ll start a new life together. Just the two of us.
No more cages. No more tests.
I’ll keep her safe.
The footsteps grow closer and I straighten up, unable to keep a grin off my face. My heart’s racing for an entirely different reason now. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.
Hell. I never knew I could feel this free and excited for the future.
She did this. Summer. My fierce, beautiful…
Keys jangle outside and the door swings inward.
My body freezes. It’s not her.
A man in a military uniform stares at me, eyes wide. Fear twists his mouth as his hands move in slow motion to his belt.
Before I can untangle from the wires, he seizes a weapon, struggling to pull it from his belt. “Zone three. We have an—” A strangled yelp escapes his throat as the door slams shut behind him, and he releases his belt to catch himself as he stumbles back against the slab.
“No!” I hiss, climbing to my feet. He can’t let anyone else know I’m here.
He trembles against the door, blinking rapidly. I can see myself reflected in his glasses. A hulking monster with glowing purple skin. No wonder he’s terrified.
“Please,” he gasps, raising his empty hands slowly. “Don’t hurt me.”
Taking two steps toward him, he cringes back, but not enough to let me out. And I have to get out. But not with violence. Not if I can help it.
Clamping my hand over the radio, I squeeze, ignoring the shards of plastic that splinter and dig into my skin.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I growl. “But I can’t let you tell anyone I’m here.”
His lips form soundless words. I can almost hear his racing thoughts. Debating whether to trust me. A monster under the base.
Or maybe he knows... a lab experiment.
I step back, raising my hands. “It’s fine. I know you’re scared. But it’s going to be oka—”
A piercing alarm splits the air.
The man’s hand slams down on his belt, fumbling for his weapon as a red light flashes over the door and the alarm wails.
There’s no time to explain now.
I lunge forward, grabbing his hands to keep him from shooting at me. But a jolt of energy surges through me into him. His body spasms as his eyes widen. He shakes in my grasp before going limp and sliding down the wall to the floor.
Fuck! What did I do?
Should I check—?
I’m already reaching for him before I pause, noticing the glowing purple of my skin hasn’t faded. Instead of my dark coloring, I appear almost white with a lilac tint that should be gone. What’s going on?
I’m not touching the electrical wires any longer. Why hasn’t the current faded from my body?
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
I had to stop him, but I didn’t mean to shock him so hard. Is he even still breathing?
I can’t check now. I’m afraid of hurting him more.
Voices and footsteps pound from the hall behind the closed door, coming closer.
I yank open the door, slipping out just as a group of guards rounds the corner. Shouts ring out. “There he is!”
Blinding flashlight beams slice through the darkness.
I have no choice but to run.
My feet thump against the hard floor, and I fight my breathing, rasping in my throat as I try to keep quiet. Zigzagging through the narrow passageways, I kick myself for not exploring more. I can’t let them box me in, but I’m still glowing, flickering with each frantic heartbeat.
Making my way deeper into the oldest part of the underground tunnels, the walls narrow. But I’m sure I was down here a little over a day ago. There was an old elevator. It’s smaller than the others, and there’s no ladder. Closed for ages, I’m sure, but I know where it leads.
Underground. Closer to the doctors, I’m sure. But I can’t be picky.
I pour on more speed. The guards’ commands echo behind me.
Yes!
The elevator’s wooden cover creaks open and I dive inside, pinning my body with my arms and legs outstretched. Darkness swallows me except for the faint glow of my skin, and I tentatively reach forward, pulling the old door closed before I let my body slide down a few feet.
Safe for the moment.
As I catch my breath, I listen to the footsteps continue past the shaft, ignoring the old elevator for the moment.
Good. But I don’t have much time. Once they realize I’m not up ahead, they’ll retrace their steps and start searching more thoroughly.
The last thing I need is to still be glowing in the darkness when they peer inside.
Holding my breath, I work my arms and legs one at a time, letting gravity help me down. It seems to take forever, and I’ve lost sight of where I came in by the time I reach the bottom.
Dropping the last few feet, I collapse in the grit and dirt, glancing around for the opening. There’s no light at all, and the damp musty smell of mold and dirt overwhelms my senses.
I step out cautiously into a narrow tunnel. Pausing, I rub my hands together in front of me, marveling at the glow still radiating from them. Does this mean I don’t need to find an electrical room again?
I’ve looked over as many maps of this place as I could find—but they’re not all memorized. Instead, I spread my arms, relaxing to pull what electrical I feel floating around my body.
Instantly, my skin lightens, and the familiar haze of information flows into my mind. Yes!
I check the schematics in my head, marveling at how effortless it is. And this tunnel leads deeper, meeting with some strange markings I’m not familiar with. But it does eventually lead up and out. A route to freedom.
I glance back once at the elevator, wondering when Summer plans to visit me next. Probably tomorrow at lunch, and my heart cracks, knowing I’m leaving her behind. But it’s for the best.
For her.
I turn and move quickly into the dark. One foot in front of the other, keeping my eyes sharp for threats.
I’m on my own now. And I won’t stop until everyone is free. Until no one suffers like I have, ever again.
This is my purpose. I can’t fail.
I make my way through the winding tunnels, focused and alert. The darkness and silence surround me, but I don’t let my guard down. Now that I’ve let my eyes adjust, I realize it isn’t dark, and up ahead there’s a glow, pulsing behind a door.
Electrical.
I move swiftly through the shadows, hyperaware of any sounds. My senses are on high alert, muscles coiled and ready to fight. I won’t get caught off guard again.
Stopping to catch my breath, I lean against the grimy wall to debate my options. There’s no easy answer, but I have to let Summer know what happened. The last thing she needs is to be associated with me.
The door to the electrical room is locked, but the knob turns easily in my hand before detaching from the slab. Oh well.
I’m more careful as I reach for the glowing strands of electrical wire, coiled and running up to a channel at the top of the concrete wall in the room. My fingers tremble, fumbling through the wires before I connect to the number of the device Summer carries.
As I suspected, I don’t need the electrical boost. Something’s changed. I’m not sure what, but…
I let my hand drop as her voice comes on the line.
“Hello?”
“Summer, it’s me. I got out, but they’re after me. I’m okay. Heading underground. Don’t try to find me. It’s too dangerous. I’ll let you know when I’m safe.”
She’s my light in this nightmare. And I’ll do anything to protect her. Even if it means never seeing her again.
My heart aches, knowing I may never touch her again. She’s the only good thing in this twisted world. The only one who makes me feel...human.
Her smile, her laugh, the way her nose crinkles when she’s thinking...I’ll miss it all.
But it’s better this way. As much as I want to see her, being with me puts her in danger. If they found her, hurt her, because of me...I’d never forgive myself. She has to stay far away from this mess.
This is my fight, not hers.
I know I shouldn’t have contacted her, but I needed to hear her voice one last time.
“Are you okay?” Her voice is strained, worried.
My chest aches. “Hey. I’m alright. Made it out of the tunnels on that level safely.”
“Thank God,” she breathes. “Where are you now?”
I squeeze my eyes shut. It’s so hard to say the words. “I can’t tell you. It’s not safe. For either of us.”
There’s a heavy silence, and when she speaks, her voice wavers. “What are you saying?”
“We can’t see each other anymore.” The words feel like razor blades in my throat. ”It’s too dangerous.”
“No. No, I can help you--“
“I can’t risk you getting hurt because of me. You have to stay away.” I never dreamed she’d argue with me.
She’s quiet, and I can tell she’s crying. Every fiber of me wants to take it back, to see her again. But I force myself to stay strong.
“Just know I care about you too much to risk your life.“ My voice fails. I can’t say it, can’t make this harder. “Please be safe,” I whisper.
Before she can respond, I end the communication. I sink to the floor, letting my trembling knees buckle. I know I’ve done the right thing, giving her a chance at a normal life. But it hurts.
I pick myself up, yank open the door, and stagger onward through the shadowy tunnel. Alone.
It’s done. I’ve ended things with Summer, for her protection. But my heart feels like it’s being shredded inside my chest. But I can’t afford to fall apart, not when they’re still hunting me.
Closing my eyes, I take deep breaths, focusing on the reason I had to make this impossible choice—to keep Summer safe. I’d never forgive myself if she got hurt because of me. And they’d use her against me in a heartbeat if they discovered how much she means to me.
A fierce protectiveness wells up inside. I won’t let them lay a finger on her. I’ll outwit them, escape their clutches for good. And maybe, just maybe, once this is all over...
No. I can’t let my thoughts go there. It’s too dangerous to dream of a future together. I need to stay laser-focused on surviving the present.
Pushing aside visions of her face, I force myself to keep walking. Time to go deeper underground, farther away. Distance is the only solution.
Steeling my heart, I walk into the unknown alone.
I have to be strong enough for both of us now. Summer’s counting on me, even if she doesn’t realize it.
I won’t fail her. Or anyone else.
Not this time.