Escape to Eden (18 page)

“We’re in the lab,” he says. “Let’s go.”

I can barely see as I follow him through a series of long, narrow lab tables. When I pass a refrigerator with a glass door, I stop.

“What are you doing?” Colt asks, his voice tense.

I set Max on top of a nearby counter and click the light on my wristpad. After opening the refrigerator, I remove a case of six vials. Their labels read oDNA 748. I tuck them under one arm and pick up Max again.

“Let’s go,” I say.

I’m not sure why I’m taking the vials other than I know they are important to the Institute, which makes them important to me. Another lesson of my father’s.

Colt opens a door at the opposite end of the lab, and together we sprint down the hall leading to the storage room. Colt looks up at the ceiling as if he’s hearing something. “They’re almost here.”

I hurry into the room and set Max down so I can put the vials into the backpack I left behind. Colt closes the door behind us and pushes one of the shelves in front of it. Because there’s no time to change, I tear the bottom half of the dress, giving my legs more movement.

“How much meat do we have left?” I ask.

Colt picks up his backpack and looks inside. “A few slabs. And we still have the daggers and a stun gun.”

I kneel next to Max and look into his eyes, but I can tell by
their glazed look that he’s not really paying attention. This must be so scary for him. “I’m going to take you into a tunnel, but I don’t want you to worry. We will be out soon, just keep your eyes closed, okay?”

He blinks but it could be an involuntary movement. I pick him up and hold him tightly to my chest.

“We’re coming, Anthony,” Colt says, just as footsteps hurry down the hall after us.

I open the square door leading into the tunnels and jump down. Max almost slips from my grip, but I hike him back up. Colt drops next to me and makes a gagging noise. “This smell is going to kill me.”

“Not if the Junks get you first.” Light from my watch spreads out before me. “Do you sense anything?”

“Nothing close. You want me to carry Max?”

“I’ve got him. Let’s go.” I begin to run. Max’s fingers dig into my shoulder blades, and his body shakes. The sooner we get out of here the better.

Colt stays close behind me as we hurry through the tunnels. When we come to a cross tunnel I think I see movement, but I keep moving, holding tightly to Max.

“Go faster,” Colt says.

I’m already sprinting, but I push harder, my legs burning from hip to ankle. Seconds later, I hear Junks, their strange gurgling sounds made worse by running. Colt tosses a slice of meat over his shoulder. Some of the sounds die off, but not enough.

“At least they’re behind us,” I say, panting. Two more turns and we’ll be back at the hatch leading to the forest.

I glance back at Colt. The light from my wristpad catches his expression. His eyebrows are scrunched together and his lips are pressed tight, like when I was dancing with Tank, or when he took out the Speeder. He’s either angry or worried.

“Anthony,” Colt says, “we’re in trouble.”

I wonder what he’s talking about, then we round the final corner. I skid to a stop. Directly under the hatch are Junks, at least ten of them. Behind Colt are three more running toward us. He pushes me to the side and withdraws a dagger. I look around. Just
ahead is another turn that looks like the beginning of a partially constructed tunnel. I tug at Colt.

“This way,” I say and run toward it.

“It’s a dead end,” Colt says.

“I know, but at least we can defend our backs better.”

I rush to the end of it, which is only twenty feet or so off the main tunnel, and set down Max. Colt rounds the corner after me, but with each step he slows as if he’s walking through thick mud. The light from my watch shows the muscles in his face have gone lax. He looks like he’s about to fall asleep.

“Colt?”

He doesn’t answer. His eyes glaze over and they shine. Then they roll up and show white.

“Colt!” I rush to him, but not fast enough to catch him before he falls to the ground, his body shaking uncontrollably.

The Junk’s watery choking sounds change to what sounds like asthmatic hyenas. They are laughing.

I
tug on Colt’s shoulders and dig my heels into the dirt to drag him to the back of the tunnel. Behind me, Max whimpers.

“It’s okay, Max. I’m here. Just keep your eyes closed.” I want to comfort him, but I need every ounce of strength I have to drag Colt.

I’m almost up against the tunnel wall when Junks appear. I roll Colt over and grab the last of the meat from his bag. I throw it hard, hoping to get it over their heads and far away from us, but it lands in the middle of the small swarm. They turn on it like a pack of rabid dogs, slicing and cutting at anything and everything.

With the Junks distracted, I turn to Colt. He’s still shaking, his hands curled tight; one of them still clenches the dagger in a death grip. I hold his head to the side and look over my shoulder at Max. His eyes are closed tight and his hands are covering his ears. Any moment he may start screaming. I need to get us out of here and fast.

“Anthony,” I say. “Colt’s had another seizure. I need help. I’m trapped near the hatch.”

“I’m almost there,” he says into my com. He’s out of breath.

A wet, tearing sound makes me look back at the wild pack. One of the Junks has ripped another with his claws. There is more blood than skin on his face. The bloodied Junk lunges at the aggressor, and the two roll away from the feeding frenzy. Razor-sharp teeth tear off an ear, and I look away.

Colt makes a sound. He’s stopped shaking, but his eyes still swim in a murky sea of unconsciousness.

“Colt?” I whisper.

The two fighting Junks tumble closer to us. Max presses against my back and buries his head into my neck. I reach my left hand behind me and squeeze his leg, and pull Colt closer to me with my right. His legs lie only a few feet from the Junks. As long as they keep fighting, and the others keep eating, we may go unnoticed until Anthony can get to us.

I keep my head down and watch the two Junks out of the corner of my eye as they tear at each other with their long fingernails. All of a sudden, for no apparent reason, the Junks stop eating and the two near us stop fighting. They stand erect as if they’re listening to something beyond my hearing capabilities. Several of them run back the way they came, but the two who had been fighting before turn toward us, sniffing the air.

I slowly untangle myself from Colt and Max, who’s rocking back and forth, and remove the dagger from Colt’s relaxed hand.

The Junk with the missing ear growls and steps forward. The other one hangs back, its eyes glancing anxiously between us. I remember the female Junk I helped kill earlier. How human she appeared at the end. I don’t want to kill anything else, not if there is a chance it could be saved. The dagger shakes in my hand.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I say, but Earless doesn’t give any indication that he understands what I’m saying and keeps coming toward me, his hands extended. Blood gurgles in his throat; some of it sprays outside his mouth.

Just then there’s a loud popping sound. A whole bunch of them. And voices shouting.

He looks back.

“Go on,” I say. “Shoo!”

The Junk behind it runs away, but Earless hesitates for a moment longer until another series of pops echoes through the tunnels. It snarls once then disappears through the opening.

I exhale and drop the knife. “It’s okay, Max. They’re gone.”

I want to go to Max, but I need to see what scared away the Junks. I peek around the corner. The area beneath the hatch is clear, but further down the Institute’s guards are yelling and fighting with Junks.

I rush back to Colt and Max. We have one shot at this. It’s now or never.

“Come on, Colt,” I say. “Wake up!”

I sit him up by pushing against his back. He moans a little and his head sways, but at least he doesn’t fall over.

I rotate in front of him and pat his face with my hands hard. “Look at me, Colt. Wake up!”

His eyes come into focus and stare back at me.

“I’m going to stand you up, but I need your help. We’re in trouble, do you understand?”

His head lobs forward. I take that as a yes and slip my arms under his and press up. He struggles, but at least he’s helping. In just a few seconds he’s standing.

With my free hand I take hold of Max’s arm and pull him forward with us. Stuck in his alternate world, he tries to resist, but I don’t let go. I am practically carrying Colt and dragging Max.

The voices in the tunnel grow closer. There’s no more shooting but a lot of yelling.

“Sage!” It’s Anthony’s voice.

“Anthony! Over here.”

Anthony hurries in and comes to Colt. I let him take Colt, and I pick up Max.

“Is anyone hurt?” Anthony asks, looking us over.

“We’re fine, but guards are coming.”

“Let’s go then.” Anthony lifts Colt’s arm and wraps it around his shoulders. “You’ve got to help me, Colt. Can you do that?”

Colt mumbles something unintelligible.

I carry Max ahead of them and jog back to the hatch. It’s wide open, and I look up. The light from my wristpad shines through the darkness and onto Jenna’s face.

“You completely ruined your hair,” Jenna says from above. “And what did you do to the dress?”

“Improved it,” I say and climb up the ladder.

As soon as I’m at the top, I set Max down and go back inside to help Anthony. Light flashes at the end of the hallway.

“Hurry!” I say.

Colt reaches for the ladder but misses. I hold his hand to
the ladder and do the same with the other. In his ear, I whisper, “Please. We’re so close.”

This seems to wake him up. He places his foot on the bottom rung and pushes up. I climb up with him, keeping a steady hand on his back.

“Stop!” a man shouts. He runs toward us. Two more appear behind him.

Jenna reaches a hand down. “Grab it!”

Colt takes hold and she easily lifts him out. They are all so strong.

“Go up, Sage,” Anthony says. “I’ve got these guys.”

He’s holding the same dagger I had in my hand earlier.

“I’m not leaving you alone,” I say.

“Three guys is nothing. I’ll be fine. Go.”

I look up toward where my brother sits waiting for me and then back at Anthony.

“Stop right there and we’ll let you live,” a guard says. He has a single spike sticking out of his otherwise bald head.

“Don’t listen to him, Sage,” Anthony says. “You’re too valuable. Just go before they capture Max again.”

This makes me move. I scramble up the ladder. When I’m at the top, I shout down, “Come on! You can make it.”

He stares up at me through the narrow opening and smiles. “Change the world,” he says just as an invisible blast knocks him to the ground.

I
’m staring at Anthony’s unmoving body when Jenna shoves me aside and closes the hatch. She jams a long rod into the handle of the door and twists it around, preventing it from opening on the inside.

Max presses against me.

“He’s not dead, right?” I ask, placing a protective arm around my brother. The night is cold and seeps through the thin material of my dress.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jenna says. “We have to get out of here.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?”

She helps Colt to his feet, completely ignoring me.

“Answer me! Is he dead?”

She whirls on me, her golden eyes cold and cruel. “If I’m lucky that rod will hold for maybe five minutes, and then a whole lot of people, who none of us are equipped to fight, are going to come pouring out like locusts. Do you want all of us captured?”

I glance at Colt, but he’s staring at the ground as if he’s trying to remember what happened. “Fine,” I say, and tighten my grip on Max.

“Can you run?” Jenna asks Colt.

“I think so,” he stutters.

“Good. The car’s this way.”

She cuts into the forest, followed by Colt, who’s half-running, half-limping. I stay as close behind them as I can but I’m not as fast. Max feels like he weighs a hundred pounds. But I don’t stop. The burning in my muscles is nothing I haven’t felt before. I’ll go until my body gives out.