“I’m not comfortable being shoved in the corner like some housewife taking care of the children.” She crossed her arms.

  “Can you fly?” I asked.

  “No,” she said.

  “Shoot a gun?”

  “No.”

  “Hack into high level security systems?”

  “No, but—”

  “Then just sit back and let us do our job. A time will come when we need your particular skill set, until then just be happy you don’t have to return to the Void tomorrow.” I moved to walk to my room.

  “I don’t trust you not to throw my brother away the minute you find another pilot,” she spat.

  There it was, the reason she’d said so little these past weeks. The reason she’d hidden more than a few things she knew from us—some I had yet to find out about. She didn’t trust us, after everything we’d done.

  I turned to respond but didn’t need to; Em was already storming towards Leanna. The latter did her best not to move. She sat rigid, her spine straight, and chin lifted.

  “You insult me, girl. I may be a lot of things, but someone you can’t trust is not one of them. He’ll be coming back, safe and sound, I can assure you of that. But you would be wise to keep your mouth shut on matters of whom to trust around here.” Em smirked, using one of her long, sharp nails to lift Leanna’s chin even higher to look into her eyes. “Especially when you’re the one keeping secrets.”

  I saw Leanna’s throat bob, but she didn’t look away from Em, even as she dropped her hand and strolled back to Logan, who looked unsure of which side of the fight he should be on. Wisely, he didn’t say anything.

  Leanna stood up and stalked to her room without another word.

  “Was that really necessary?” I rolled my eyes at Em.

  She shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see.”

  I shook my head. “You’d better get going,” I said by way of dismissal, as I strolled towards my room.

  Simon trailed behind me, and I stopped at the cloth door to my room and faced him. He glanced behind him to where Em and Logan were gathering the last of their supplies, tucking a bottle of wine into their pack with a smile and then winking a goodbye.

  “Will room for eighty be enough?” he asked.

  I clenched my teeth before speaking. “If we fill up one bunker, I’ll be happy.”

  “No word yet of… others?”

  I shook my head. “None.” Gustov had sent his reports directly to me, and I’d only shared the news with Simon, not wanting to burden Em with it, as I knew she would only worry about me. I needed her on the top of her game, and the news had been less of a surprise to me given what we’d seen out there. That didn’t stop the cave in my chest.

  Only a handful of survivors remained inside the Void. And most were scattered so far apart it would be nearly impossible to save them. So this rescue mission had become more for Commander Reyes and the kids Grayson had taken from the DEZ who were still in a secure location just outside the Void.

  Gustov’s men had found out they weren’t in the forest yet; the explosion must have set them back. So once that transport shuttle led us to their location, we’d rescue the kids then return to Eres. That was it.

  The chances Caspian was one of the few still alive inside the Void was slim, and even slimmer was the chance we’d get to rescue him or anyone else who may be out there. We were too late.

  I looked to the ground, biting my cheek to keep the tears at bay. The demons inside of me stirred, reminding me that this was my fate, loss, loneliness, heartache. I might never see him again, that was my reality, and something I should just accept, but I couldn’t. I swallowed hard.

  Simon put a hand on my shoulder. “Even if we can save one kid, it’ll be worth it. The choices we’ve made led us here, and it does us no good to dwell on things we can no longer control. All we can do is pray to whatever god we believe in for mercy when the time comes, and hope the stars heed our call,” he said before he walked to his room with his head low, and I wondered if his words were for me or him. I wasn’t the only one who would lose someone to the Void. And I wasn’t the only one who made decisions they now regretted.

  But that also meant I wasn’t the only one out for vengeance.

  I closed the door behind me, just barely reaching the bed before my legs gave out, and I sobbed until there was nothing left. My back ached and tears streamed down my chin, pooling on the pillow, and all I wanted was for Caspian to hold me, to comfort me, and remind me everything was going to be all right. But if I couldn’t get him back, I didn’t know if I wanted to live in a world where he didn’t exist.

  CASPIAN

  I hadn’t slept in at least a few days. Vic was equally quiet when the sound of birds waking up chirped into the hollow base we hid in.

  We didn’t know what or who to expect, and we didn’t know if we would be able to pull this off, only that we had to try. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I had caused harm to anyone I loved, but the guilt of what I was about to make Vic do again made me feel sick. I’d promised she’d never had to do that again, be the Ghost, but now…

  “When do you think they’ll arrive?” Vic asked. She slid on her jacket before tugging on her boots.

  I shrugged. “If they’re smart, they’ll arrive early, in the grey period between when the Dred Wulfs leave and the Reeks seem to slow down.”

  There was no true “good time” to go into the forest, not anymore. But after the sun set, it would be suicide to try and face the Reeks and the Dred Wulfs. We still heard them howl through the night, though I think their numbers had dwindled, as there had been fewer the last few days.

  I tugged on my jacket, trying to cover my pack under it, so when we were covered in the Reeks’ blood, any food or water we had in it wouldn’t be tainted, but I was struggling.

  “Here.” Vic stood and pulled the jacket down over my pack then stepped around the front and fastened the bottom, so I could zip it up easier. Her hands lingered on my arms, and her eyes found mine and softened. “I hope you get to see Jayla again, at least one more time.”

  I swallowed. “Me too,” I said, then I pulled her in tight against my chest, and she wrapped her small arms around me. “I hope we both do.”

  A bang sounded and then a flash of bright light as the hatch opened wide then shut again. The figure, male, was on his hands and knees on the ground of the base, gasping to catch his breath, his back arching as he sucked in air. His dirty blond hair was half out of its tie and hanging over his shoulder. If I had to guess, I’d say he was a little shorter than me, and much leaner.

  “Shit, I hate those things,” he mumbled.

  After another gulp of breath, he pushed on to his side and glanced to where Vic and I stood watching him. Amusement danced in his dark brown eyes, and I instinctively pulled Vic behind me as I assessed the man.

  “You two are my escorts?” The man scanned us up and down.

  I nodded.

  “Well then, let me fill up my water canister, and we’ll be going, mate.” He moved to the back where the water tap hung out of the wall.

  “We’re not ready yet,” I said, following him with my eyes.

  The man shrugged, not bothering to even glance over his shoulder, as he said, “The longer we wait, the worse it gets out there.”

  Vic shivered behind me.

  “Let us deal with that,” I said firmly before pulling Vic a few paces away and whispering so only she could hear. “You don’t have to come. You could stay. I promise I will come back for you.”

  Vic shook her head. Her voice was tight and small, but her eyes were hard and determined. “I’m coming.”

  I nodded. It was her choice; she could come or she could stay, and I would not judge her if she did the latter. I would find a way to get her out of here, and I knew she believed me, but maybe she didn’t want to be alone again. Maybe being out there with me was better than here with her demons.

  I took the shirt in my hands and ripped the bottom half off, handing the piece to Vic. Then I took the rest of my mangled shirt and ripped it in two, tossing one half to the man sitting on the ground gulping down water.

  “I’ve got a shirt thanks. It’s much nicer than this one, too.” He smirked.

  “It’s for your face.” I glared at him, biting back my temper. I was already unhappy about being forced to help this guy, last thing I needed was his sarcasm.

  “My face? What, you can’t handle the smell of a few Reeks?” he teased.

  I gave him a flash of teeth. “You’ll be thanking me for it soon enough.”

  I tied the shirt around my own face, covering my nose and mouth. Then I moved to help Vic secure hers. “Ready?” I asked her. She nodded. “Let’s go.”

  I opened the hatch with care, peering out into the forest. It felt darker than usual, even with the clear blue sky and sun blaring down on us. The Reeks had stormed through the forest, crashing down trees and bushes. Where there once was something beautiful, there was now decay and broken limbs. In less than a week, this forest had been destroyed beyond imagination.

  The man caught my stare. “Shocking, isn’t it?”

  I nodded.

  Vic pointed to the ground a few paces away where the remaining pieces of a Reek’s corpse lay.

  “We have to hurry,” I told the man. “They’ll pick up our scent quickly, if they haven’t already.”

  Vic and I moved to the Reek, but the man just paused and watched us. I dug my knife into the Reek’s body, opening up its chest cavity wider. Nothing but black, tar-like blood was inside.

  “What they hell are you guys doing?” he asked.

  “Stop talking. Breathe through your nose, not your mouth, and start putting this on you.” I motioned to the black blood Vic and I had begun to cover ourselves with. It smelled awful, like burnt fish and vomit. It made my stomach lurch, and it was even worse as I breathed through my nose. The smallest scent of us could bring the Reeks, Vic had said.

  The man gaped at us, still frozen in his spot by the hatch, before what I assume was a smile spread across his covered mouth, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. “You two are either batshit crazy or bloody brilliant,” he said.

  I shushed him, and he finally moved to where we crouched down. He began covering himself with the Reek’s blood, following what Vic and I did.

  When we had as much covered on our fronts as we could, we moved to allow the other to cover our backs. Only the narrow spot by our eyes wasn’t covered, even our hair was slicked with the black mess.

  “So do my two escorts have names? Or what should I call you?” the man asked.

  “I’m Caspian, this is Vic.”

  He flinched, almost imperceivably but enough that I noticed. He glanced at Vic but she didn’t so much as look up at him, just stared blankly at her hands. We had to get out of here quick, so we could be far away from this nightmare.

  I began heading in the direction Dr. Merinda had told us to go—east, towards the wall and the nearest location of one of The Six. She would be there she’d assured us, though I wasn’t sure it was a blessing or a curse.

  I took up the lead, Vic steady behind me, and the male at the back.

  “It’s nice to make your acquaintance,” he said. “I’m Gunner.”

  SIENNA

  I couldn’t look at them, any of them. Theo was furious, and I knew it wasn’t at me, but I couldn’t help but feel responsible. I had trusted Gunner, I had told the others he could be trusted, and I’d been wrong.

  Gunner had taken off the minute they’d landed between the two pillars, the ground beneath it hollow, a tunnel leading somewhere. They followed him, called for him more than once, but he didn’t turn back. The Reeks were down there, too, and the Guardians with Theo and Tynan hadn’t been enough, none of the others had survived, only Theo, Tynan, and Petra remained. They were all gone, the entire Guardian race, and I was to blame.

  They had thought Gunner knew another way out or something, but when he returned down the tunnel, he’d snaked through and sprinted right past them, using the rope he’d brought along to get out before they could catch up. How Gunner knew where to go, nobody knew, but he’d clearly been prepared to go beneath the city to find whatever it was he got there.

  I told the others what he had said, and no matter how many times I replayed it in my mind, it stung just as bad as the first time. I had trusted him; I had been naïve and thought he was our friend. And in trusting Gunner, I had ignored Theo’s doubt and the thousands of times he told me not to trust him. I’d ignored the small voice in the back of my mind warning me. I’d been wrong. I was too set on finding a way out that I didn’t trust the one person who’d never lied to me. Now, we would all pay for my mistake.

  The four of us huddled around the fire. Nowhere to go and nothing left. The empty seats around the fire were hard to look at. A crushing guilt pushed down on my chest every time I realized they were all gone—every one of them.

  Petra wouldn’t speak to me. And Tynan had a hard time looking at me from across the fire, though his words weren’t as vicious as hers. “How could you have been so stupid?” she had yelled. “How could you have told us to trust this fool? We trusted you!”

  I wanted to yell back it wasn’t just me who was fooled. I had trusted him, yes, but so had they. They’d known him far longer than we had, and I’d only offered my support because we were desperate. Hadn’t we all gone along with his plan? Only Theo was blameless in this, he was the one we should have all listened to, but now it was too late. Even Theo felt no pride to say I told you so.

  But the shame and responsibility for the lives we’d lost felt heavy on my shoulders. Tynan and Petra had gone back and gathered their Guardians, those they could find anyways, and buried them somewhere within the mountain, not returning until the late hours of night. I felt numb to everything.

  “We should have known, yes, but he would have found a way to do it regardless. Someone like Gunner will stab you in the back and smile while he does it. There was no way to see it coming, but we won’t be tricked like that ever again,” Theo said.

  I nodded, staring into the fire.

  “If there is a next time,” Petra murmured.

  “What will we do now?” I ignored her comment as best I could, feeling the sharp pang of guilt move through me.

  “These tunnels are no longer secure. We will take shifts to keep watch and stay by the fire. Bring whatever you need here and be dressed to leave at a moment’s notice,” Tynan said, still the leader, despite having lost his entire clan.

  My stomach roiled at the thought. He’d lost everyone, his friends, and family, everyone but Petra because of me. Because of Gunner. I should have listened when Gunner had told me over and over not to trust him. I didn’t know how or when, but I would repay him for what he’d done to us.

  I winced as I tried to move to gather my things, but Theo just pushed me down and stalked over to our tent to gather our packs. Across the fire, Petra glared—she made no attempt to hide her anger. I looked down to my hands.

  She stepped around the fire, and I prepared myself for the verbal lashing I deserved, but instead she placed two things in my hands.

  “Take this, it will help the bone heal faster. And put this on the skin around it; it will dull the pain.” I glanced down to the tea with herbs smelling of jasmine and citrus then to the small jar with a white balm in it.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “A herb, from the forest. We don’t have much of it left, which is why I didn’t give it to you sooner. But now your handicap could get us killed if we need to flee quickly and my brother decides he can’t leave you behind as I would.” There was no kindness in the gift. No reason outside of her own survival, which was fair. I didn’t deserve kindness.

  The tea tasted bitter going down my throat, despite the pleasant smell. The tingling effects of the herbs were oddly familiar. It brought me back to a time when I was simply a girl trying make a life for herself outside of the DEZ… back when I was foolish enough to think such things were possible.

  It didn’t surprise me these herbs reminded me of Ava, but the tears filling my eyes did. I gazed down into the empty cup, my breath caught on a sob in my throat, and the tears spilled over the edge and down my cheeks.

  For so long I’d tried to be tough, tried to face each challenge as if they were nothing more than another hurdle to climb over, but I was no longer strong, and I didn’t know what to do.

  Theo came up behind me, wrapping a blanket around my shoulders before he saw my tear-stained cheeks.

  “Sienna?” he asked, reaching for my leg, which was now delightfully numb and almost foreign to my own body.

  I shook my head. “I can’t do this.”

  “Do what?” he asked.

  “Survive.”

  He was silent for a few moments before he took the edges of the blanket, pulling them in closer around my body and then resting his forehead against mine. “We don’t always make the right decisions, and sometimes even when we do, they don’t work out the way we planned. But the worst choice we can ever make is to give up, to think it’s over.” He opened his eyes and they met mine. His breath was warm against my skin, and one callused hand cupped my chin. “It’s just you and me, together, and we will make it out, I promise you.”

  He pressed a kiss to my brow and wiped away the tears from my face.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  And despite the pain and the ache in the pit of my stomach, my heart leapt. For him, it jumped and ached and cried.

  “I love you, too,” I said.

  By the following day, I could stand on my injured leg without the brace. The tea, Petra said, would only help heal the bone. The balm would ease the pain in the meantime. I wouldn’t be running for a while, but to be able to stand and walk without feeling like I was about to fall over or faint from pain was a welcome relief.