Lightning (31 page)

7 Hours to Egress

Varro heard Selah speak and spun in their direction, taking aim at her voice, which was in direct line with Bodhi's back.

No!
Selah's world stopped. She snatched the laser dart from Bodhi, pushed him out of the way, and fired.

A pinpoint of white left a ghostly trail of light from the weapon to where it slammed into Varro. A starburst exploded from his chest, particles of sparks shooting off in all directions. His mouth opened in a scream and froze. He fell to the floor.

Selah stared at the spot where he had stood. If she never lowered her eyes to his smoldering form, she might pretend that this never happened. That the ghostly form left on her vision was still him standing there. That she had somehow missed and everything was going to be fine.

But it wasn't going to be fine. It would never be fine again. Why had he aimed at Bodhi? She had to protect Bodhi. She
couldn't protect Cleon. The smell of burnt flesh drifted to her nostrils. Her shoulders slumped. Was that Cleon she was breathing in, or Varro?

Bile rose in her throat, burning the back of her tongue. She tried to push it back down.
You'
re breathing in Varro's flesh.
She bent over and retched. Her stomach lurched, then squeezed tightly like a fist, cramping her sides.

Bodhi put his hand on her back. “Are you going to make it?”

“I just killed the man who raised me,” she said, sobbing. “I think I need to have a few minutes!”

“I'm sorry, but we don't have a few minutes. We need to get out of here. Remember, sealed forever.”

Selah tipped her head from side to side, cracking the tension from her neck muscles, and took a few cleansing breaths. Thankfully the flesh smell had dissipated. She straightened and ran the heels of her hands across her eyes to clear them.
It
really did just happen. This wasn't a dream.

“Where are Jaenen and Varro's men?” She spun as she searched the dark corners of the room. Were they going to be attacked as they tried to leave? She looked carefully at each shadow and corner, looking for discernable movement.

“They took off as soon as Varro hit the floor. Even Jaenen ran away. He must have made contact with Varro's other cohorts.”

“Do we send someone to follow him? He's a criminal.”

“We hardly have any room to talk. To most of the Mountain, we're the criminals. He'll be locked in this prison forever,” Bodhi said.

“It doesn't seem fair that he'll have freedom. But I guess
they'll get what they deserve,” Selah said. “Cleon! I need to see my brother.” She shoved the laser dart at Bodhi and ran to Cleon.

He lay sprawled on the floor with Treva holding his head in her lap. She rocked him and cried while Mojica tried to render aid. Selah looked down just as Mojica cut away his tunic. The edges of the material were fused to the wound, making a large fist-sized crater in his stomach. The heat had cauterized the edges of the flesh to a ghastly burnt crispness. As Mojica carefully pulled away the debris, it made crackling sounds that turned Selah's stomach.

She fought the urge to retch again by swallowing hard. She moved away and closed her eyes. This wasn't happening. It was a nightmare. When she opened her eyes everything would be fine.

Mojica walked over and touched her shoulder. “Selah, I need to get back to the station and fashion a litter to carry him out of here.” Her voice drilled into Selah. She didn't want to see the woman's expression. The graveness registered in her voice.

Selah opened her eyes. Mojica's face said it all. Selah burst into tears, and Mojica grabbed her to keep her from sliding to the ground. Bodhi quickly took the woman's place, holding Selah up.

“I'm sorry. He's not going to make it. It went through his intestines and capped off a piece of his lungs. The intestines are cut and sealed. We can't fix that in the field,” Mojica said, blowing out a huff of air. “Frankly, I don't think that could be fixed even if we weren't in the field.”

Selah pulled herself up straight. “Does he know?”

Mojica nodded. “He said not to tell Treva, though. He wants us to distract her until we get in the tunnels and can't open the door to let her back in the Mountain.”

“He wants to stay here?”

“No, he wants to
die
here so that you all can make it out,” Mojica said.

Selah stared at Treva rocking on her knees next to Cleon. This was going to break her heart. “Is he still lucid enough to talk to me?”

“Yes, I've given him all the painkiller I have. There is a limit to overdosing, but I figured in his condition, that wouldn't be a worry. I just don't want him to spend his last hours in pain,” Mojica said.

Selah hesitated as she walked past Varro's body. Someone had removed his jacket and used it to cover his face and chest. Mother had always said nice words about people before they were burned on the cremation pyres. Saying niceties and such was supposed to make the living feel better about the passing of the dead, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Maybe later when she wasn't so raw. She felt her already weary body tighten.

She walked to her brother's side and knelt beside Treva, wrapping her arms around the sobbing girl. She rocked with her, feeling the heaving sobs wracking her body. Every fiber of her being trembled. Selah raised Treva's chin. “Honey, I need to talk to Cleon. Could we have a moment together as brother and sister?” she asked softly.

“Yes, just don't let him go anywhere. He can't go anywhere without me,” Treva sobbed. Her hands trembled. Tears
poured from her eyes and dripped to her shirt, leaving wet trails.

Selah motioned to her mother, who stood beside Mari and Dane nearby. “Take Treva so I can talk to Cleon.” Mother nodded, tears streaming from her eyes too. Selah could tell by the pallor of her face—she knew Cleon wasn't going to make it.

Selah knelt beside Cleon. “Hey, brother dear. We'll be getting out of here as soon as Mojica gets back with a litter and transportation. Then we can go home.” Her voice hitched.

Cleon gave her a pained half smile and tried to shift his position. He cried out in pain as the wound pulled with the movement of his body. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he fell back to the floor. “Don't try to kid a kidder.” His breathing labored. He grabbed at her hand. “Please don't let Treva stay with me. Promise me.”

“Cleon, you know what she's going to be like.” Selah wanted to promise, but Treva could be a grizzly bear when she chose to be. Could she fulfill the promise? Or was she going to lose Treva here too?

Cleon clutched Selah's hand with both of his. “Promise me!” He said it so forcefully that it caused a coughing spasm. Selah could hear the gurgling fluid filling his lungs. She sat beside him and held up his back and head to help him breathe.

“I promise.” Selah's lips trembled. She rested her chin on top of his head. Her tears flowed freely into his hair as the realization of the death of her family, and her role in it, sank in.

6 Hours to Egress

Selah walked beside the stretcher as Bodhi and Mojica carried Cleon back to the store Mojica had been using for her clandestine operations in Green Court. Bodhi had been lucky. The shot that grazed his arm when Selah tackled Jaenen had only been a glancing blow, and the bio properties of the TF uniform had absorbed most of the heat. All he had was a fused slicing across his arm that hadn't healed itself, which he said he found very curious.

She wanted to be happy he was safe, but at the same time she mourned her brother . . . and she mourned Varro, and what she had become. Now was probably not the time to celebrate having a new sister. None of that made sense at the moment anyway. None of this had turned out even close to the way she had hoped.

Selah hurried ahead of the group and opened the door to the storefront. Everyone piled inside. Selah knew it wouldn't matter in a few hours, but she wondered who would take over security when they were gone. It was a stupid thought. Who cared? She was just trying to keep her mind off the reality of the situation.

Coming back to the storefront was much different than when they'd first gone out after following Varro's man. Selah touched Mojica's arm. “Am I right that we have no one chasing us anymore?”

“Correct. Unless we run into Green Court security. Once we're in a TF transport, we'll be safe. All we need to do is get to the tunnels and—” Mojica tapped her appliance and
held up her hand. She turned away and turned back with a very different expression.

“Transportation is ferrying the last of our people out. To get a unit large enough for all of us displaces a Mountain family. I'm sorry, but we have to wait.” Mojica's expression said it all. She was staying here with the group, no matter if she wound up trapped.

“We'd better tell the others,” Selah said. “But I think we'll leave out the part that vehicle size is a factor. It might make them feel like they're holding each other back.”

She walked to where Treva kept vigil over Cleon. Every few minutes Selah noticed her checking to see if he was still breathing. The pain in her eyes was unbearable. Mother sat with her, holding her hand.

Selah felt bad for thinking it, but if Cleon died here, they wouldn't have such great difficulty getting Treva to leave. But when she found out he wanted to be left behind, there'd be a steep price to pay.

Moving next to the litter, Selah closed her eyes.
Cleon, I'm sorry for
wishing you away.

5 Hours to Egress

Selah pulled Mojica aside to talk. She and Bodhi had been discussing the travel back, and there were timing milestones they had to meet. Bodhi said it had taken him an hour to get through the tunnel. Selah didn't think everyone was up to his level of stamina and fitness. Time was their enemy. They
needed to enter the tunnel by nine thirty in the morning. She was beginning to worry.

“Before you say anything, I've asked for an ETA on our ride.” Mojica shook her head. “There're still several families to go, and some unforeseen consequences of trying to keep a move like this secret. I can get smaller vehicles but they'll only hold three, or a squeezed fourth, and the driver. We couldn't all go at the same time.”

“Once we get transportation, how long will it take us to get to the tunnel?” Selah asked.

“A half hour at the most,” Mojica said.

“So we have to leave this building by nine in the morning at the latest,” Selah said, setting the times in her mind.

Bodhi and Mojica agreed.

“I think we'd better give everyone the opportunity for smaller vehicles, if they want it,” Bodhi said. “Some of them, like Mari, Pasha, and Dane, could probably go out a regular gate and get out now.”

Selah wanted to push them from the Mountain and keep them safe, but with her mind so jumbled at the moment, she didn't trust her own thinking. She was starting to second-guess herself by imagining vivid scenarios of what could happen with each of her choices. She tried to banish the thoughts, but the
what
-ifs
kept haunting her.