ditching him when I escaped Paradox.”
I stare at him blankly. “What?”
Jayden shifts, sitting up against the cave wall. “Charlie is an ex-soldier turned experiment. When it came down to escaping, I helped him, and he took off, leaving me behind…” He shifts his attention to Charlie. “To receive your punishment.”
My mouth pops open.
Charlie’s lip twitches down. “You do hold a long grudge, don’t you?”
“Wouldn’t you?” I answer for Jayden.
He sighs and drops his head. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t think they’d hurt their only son.”
Jayden looks away. “We should all get some sleep so we can move before sunrise.”
We all settle as comfortably as we can in the cave.
Jayden lies on his side, facing me. I can see his eyes glitter with moonlight from the opening. “Why did you come back for me? You should have run. You could have escaped all this.”
I grab his hand between us and squeeze. “I’m never going to leave you, Jayden. Never. You’re stuck with me now.”
He shifts closer and presses his forehead to mine. “Ashlee?”
“Yes,” I whisper back. My heart starts pounding. I’m sure he can hear it.
He pauses as if he’s going to say something then says, “Nothing…”
Jayden and Charlie drift off. I can’t sleep. How can I? There are a number of armed soldiers from a secret company out searching for us. And I’m supposed to just close my eyes and dream? I tilt my head and spot Charlie in the dark. The blue glow of his arms seems familiar.
“Charlie?” I whisper. Jayden shifts beside me but doesn’t wake.
Charlie mumbles a quiet yes under his breath.
“Why do your tattoos glow?”
He lifts his head and meets my gaze across the cave. “Experiment, remember?”
“Oh…”
Suddenly, it hits me. The night I thought I was losing my mind. The shadow and the blue glow—that was him. It had to be.
“What exactly do you do?”
I can see his white teeth in the dark as he grins. “Many things.”
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“What was me?”
“At Paradox. The cages were conveniently unlocked, and no one was around? I doubt they stuffed up that badly.”
He doesn’t answer.
“Is that why you did it? Because you were feeling guilty about leaving Jayden behind?”
“You should get some sleep. It’s only a few hours until dawn.” I hear him roll over, effectively silencing our conversation.
I turn back to Jayden. His eyes are open. Our gazes meet and lock in the dark.
Charlie came back for him. I’m sure of it.
***
We stay quiet as we move about the cave, packing supplies into bags and covering any evidence that we’d been here.
I shake my head as I push another can of beans into my already overstuffed pack. We can’t keep running. They’ll always come after us. We’ll never be safe. Not until they’re gone.
I stop what I’m doing and turn to the boys. “We have to go back.”
“What?” Charlie snaps, dropping a roll of rope. “You can’t be serious.”
“She’s right,” Jayden says softly. He turns to me, meeting my gaze with a nod. “We have to destroy them, or they’ll never stop.”
Charlie shakes his head. “You two are crazy. We just got out.”
“It can be done. Last time I escaped, I got lost and found myself in the basement.” Jayden starts drawing a rough map of the Paradox compound in the dirt. “There’s a set of industrial generators there in the here.” He points to a small room. “They run on gas. If we can damage them and the spark the gas, it should take out the entire institute. Theoretically.”
I frown. “Seems a bit risky. An explosion.”
“It’s suicide,” Charlie pipes up from the entrance of the cave. I frown at his back and look back down at the map.
“What if only one of us sets the explosion while the others keep watch? There will be soldiers everywhere.”
Charlie shakes his head. “If we’re going to do this, at least do it right.” He sits down beside us and draws on
I stare at him blankly. “What?”
Jayden shifts, sitting up against the cave wall. “Charlie is an ex-soldier turned experiment. When it came down to escaping, I helped him, and he took off, leaving me behind…” He shifts his attention to Charlie. “To receive your punishment.”
My mouth pops open.
Charlie’s lip twitches down. “You do hold a long grudge, don’t you?”
“Wouldn’t you?” I answer for Jayden.
He sighs and drops his head. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t think they’d hurt their only son.”
Jayden looks away. “We should all get some sleep so we can move before sunrise.”
We all settle as comfortably as we can in the cave.
Jayden lies on his side, facing me. I can see his eyes glitter with moonlight from the opening. “Why did you come back for me? You should have run. You could have escaped all this.”
I grab his hand between us and squeeze. “I’m never going to leave you, Jayden. Never. You’re stuck with me now.”
He shifts closer and presses his forehead to mine. “Ashlee?”
“Yes,” I whisper back. My heart starts pounding. I’m sure he can hear it.
He pauses as if he’s going to say something then says, “Nothing…”
Jayden and Charlie drift off. I can’t sleep. How can I? There are a number of armed soldiers from a secret company out searching for us. And I’m supposed to just close my eyes and dream? I tilt my head and spot Charlie in the dark. The blue glow of his arms seems familiar.
“Charlie?” I whisper. Jayden shifts beside me but doesn’t wake.
Charlie mumbles a quiet yes under his breath.
“Why do your tattoos glow?”
He lifts his head and meets my gaze across the cave. “Experiment, remember?”
“Oh…”
Suddenly, it hits me. The night I thought I was losing my mind. The shadow and the blue glow—that was him. It had to be.
“What exactly do you do?”
I can see his white teeth in the dark as he grins. “Many things.”
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“What was me?”
“At Paradox. The cages were conveniently unlocked, and no one was around? I doubt they stuffed up that badly.”
He doesn’t answer.
“Is that why you did it? Because you were feeling guilty about leaving Jayden behind?”
“You should get some sleep. It’s only a few hours until dawn.” I hear him roll over, effectively silencing our conversation.
I turn back to Jayden. His eyes are open. Our gazes meet and lock in the dark.
Charlie came back for him. I’m sure of it.
***
We stay quiet as we move about the cave, packing supplies into bags and covering any evidence that we’d been here.
I shake my head as I push another can of beans into my already overstuffed pack. We can’t keep running. They’ll always come after us. We’ll never be safe. Not until they’re gone.
I stop what I’m doing and turn to the boys. “We have to go back.”
“What?” Charlie snaps, dropping a roll of rope. “You can’t be serious.”
“She’s right,” Jayden says softly. He turns to me, meeting my gaze with a nod. “We have to destroy them, or they’ll never stop.”
Charlie shakes his head. “You two are crazy. We just got out.”
“It can be done. Last time I escaped, I got lost and found myself in the basement.” Jayden starts drawing a rough map of the Paradox compound in the dirt. “There’s a set of industrial generators there in the here.” He points to a small room. “They run on gas. If we can damage them and the spark the gas, it should take out the entire institute. Theoretically.”
I frown. “Seems a bit risky. An explosion.”
“It’s suicide,” Charlie pipes up from the entrance of the cave. I frown at his back and look back down at the map.
“What if only one of us sets the explosion while the others keep watch? There will be soldiers everywhere.”
Charlie shakes his head. “If we’re going to do this, at least do it right.” He sits down beside us and draws on
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