the rough map. “You two sneak into the basement and rig the generators. I can keep you both hidden, and then I’ll set the explosion.”
I frown. “How will you make it out in time?”
He grins. “I’ll make it out—don’t you worry about that.” He sits back. “Only thing is, I can’t keep you both hidden and set off the explosion at the same time. Once you’re both clear, you’ll have to fend for yourselves.”
Jayden nods. “Done.”
“Okay, so when do we do this? And how do we get back in?”
“As I said, I can get us in. I’ve been in and out for supplies for months,” Charlie says with another big smile.
“Tonight,” Jayden answers quietly. “The longer we wait, the more of them will be out here, looking for us, instead of inside.”
“That’s a long hike in one day.”
He shakes his head. “I know a short cut back through their land.”
“All right,” I say. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Eleven
I nod at Jayden and turn the corner. According to his map, the basement is just through this door.
I grasp at the handle and frown. It’s locked. I turn to Jayden and then jump out of the way as he kicks the door. The lock buckles, and it swings open on heavy hinges.
I raise my eyebrows at him and whisper, “Was that really necessary?”
He laughs softly and kisses my forehead as he passes me on his way through the door. I’m stunned for a moment, and then I quickly catch up.
The room is huge. Big hulking machines fill most of the space, humming away in a surprisingly quiet manner.
Jayden is already pulling at pipes and ripping joints from the gas tanks. I walk past him and fiddle with the digital controls. Something groans as it ruptures. Jayden grabs my arm and pulls me towards the door.
“Time to go.”
We sprint through corridor after corridor, all white walls and white tiled floors.
I don’t hear the boom.
I feel the shockwave, though.
Jayden stops ahead of me and looks back at me, eyes wide. Something must have happened to Charlie, and he set the explosion off early. We’re not going to make it out in time. I glance back the way we came. There’s nowhere to take cover.
The floor vibrates beneath our feet as the building shakes.
Before I can blink, the walls and ceiling collapse around us. I reach out for Jayden, our fingers touching briefly only to be ripped away as cement falls between us.
I black out as chunks of ceiling fall from above.
***
When I wake again, all I feel is hurt. My legs are trapped. I can’t move them. I twist as far as I can, trying to work out where I am.
It’s dark.
There are bits of building everywhere—stone, cement, wood, glass, metal—it cocoons me in a small cave of destruction.
Something moves beside me. I twist to look at the solid chunk of stone.
“Ashlee?” a soft voice whispers.
“Jayden?” I gasp out.
“Are you okay?” His voice sounds far away.
“I think so.”
He doesn’t answer. The other side of the stone barrier is quiet.
It’s quiet for so long that I begin to panic.
No. Not like this, not after all we’ve been through together. I haven’t even had the chance to tell him.
“Jayden,” I whisper, moving as close as I can get with my trapped legs. “Jayden. I love you.” I cough, sending dust into the air around me. A wall of rock separates us, but I can still feel him. I press my hand to the cold stone. “Please…” My vision dips, turning black for a brief moment.
I’m alone.
The air becomes hot and thick around me. My breaths are becoming shorter and shorter until finally it feels as if I can’t breathe. The thick air is choking me, suffocating me. My eyelids flutter, too heavy to stay open.
I’m going to die.
I can feel it.
My body is shutting down. My legs have gone numb under the weight of crumbled cement. My arms are too heavy to lift. I can’t even speak. When I open my mouth, no sound escapes.
I suck in a painful breath, my ears
I frown. “How will you make it out in time?”
He grins. “I’ll make it out—don’t you worry about that.” He sits back. “Only thing is, I can’t keep you both hidden and set off the explosion at the same time. Once you’re both clear, you’ll have to fend for yourselves.”
Jayden nods. “Done.”
“Okay, so when do we do this? And how do we get back in?”
“As I said, I can get us in. I’ve been in and out for supplies for months,” Charlie says with another big smile.
“Tonight,” Jayden answers quietly. “The longer we wait, the more of them will be out here, looking for us, instead of inside.”
“That’s a long hike in one day.”
He shakes his head. “I know a short cut back through their land.”
“All right,” I say. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Eleven
I nod at Jayden and turn the corner. According to his map, the basement is just through this door.
I grasp at the handle and frown. It’s locked. I turn to Jayden and then jump out of the way as he kicks the door. The lock buckles, and it swings open on heavy hinges.
I raise my eyebrows at him and whisper, “Was that really necessary?”
He laughs softly and kisses my forehead as he passes me on his way through the door. I’m stunned for a moment, and then I quickly catch up.
The room is huge. Big hulking machines fill most of the space, humming away in a surprisingly quiet manner.
Jayden is already pulling at pipes and ripping joints from the gas tanks. I walk past him and fiddle with the digital controls. Something groans as it ruptures. Jayden grabs my arm and pulls me towards the door.
“Time to go.”
We sprint through corridor after corridor, all white walls and white tiled floors.
I don’t hear the boom.
I feel the shockwave, though.
Jayden stops ahead of me and looks back at me, eyes wide. Something must have happened to Charlie, and he set the explosion off early. We’re not going to make it out in time. I glance back the way we came. There’s nowhere to take cover.
The floor vibrates beneath our feet as the building shakes.
Before I can blink, the walls and ceiling collapse around us. I reach out for Jayden, our fingers touching briefly only to be ripped away as cement falls between us.
I black out as chunks of ceiling fall from above.
***
When I wake again, all I feel is hurt. My legs are trapped. I can’t move them. I twist as far as I can, trying to work out where I am.
It’s dark.
There are bits of building everywhere—stone, cement, wood, glass, metal—it cocoons me in a small cave of destruction.
Something moves beside me. I twist to look at the solid chunk of stone.
“Ashlee?” a soft voice whispers.
“Jayden?” I gasp out.
“Are you okay?” His voice sounds far away.
“I think so.”
He doesn’t answer. The other side of the stone barrier is quiet.
It’s quiet for so long that I begin to panic.
No. Not like this, not after all we’ve been through together. I haven’t even had the chance to tell him.
“Jayden,” I whisper, moving as close as I can get with my trapped legs. “Jayden. I love you.” I cough, sending dust into the air around me. A wall of rock separates us, but I can still feel him. I press my hand to the cold stone. “Please…” My vision dips, turning black for a brief moment.
I’m alone.
The air becomes hot and thick around me. My breaths are becoming shorter and shorter until finally it feels as if I can’t breathe. The thick air is choking me, suffocating me. My eyelids flutter, too heavy to stay open.
I’m going to die.
I can feel it.
My body is shutting down. My legs have gone numb under the weight of crumbled cement. My arms are too heavy to lift. I can’t even speak. When I open my mouth, no sound escapes.
I suck in a painful breath, my ears
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