Read Hunted (A Sinners Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Abi Ketner,Missy Kalicicki
Tags: #dystopian, #teen science fiction and fantasy, #romance, #dystopian romance, #teen and young adult
I sigh with impatience. “Mom, you’re always in there.”
“Some things are better kept behind closed doors, just don’t tell your father about this,” she says. Her forehead crinkles up.
“How would I do that? Dad’s dead,” I say.
She cringes and looks around. “No, your stepdad.”
“He’s not my stepdad. He’s a monster.”
Five minutes.
A barrage of staccato gunfire opens up, shattering the windows of the lab. The guards at the entrance scramble into a defensive position. Bullets spit at the dust.
“Fire!” Cole says, jerking me back into focus.
We spill out of the alleyway, firing off rounds at the guards as more appear on the top of the wall. The guards begin picking off our people. Bodies fall around me. I strip them of their guns and keep moving. Sinners burst through the doors of the lab and spill into the street. They trample over the cattle chutes, flipping some of them onto their sides. It’s chaos.
It’s exactly what we want.
Levi and his people spread out on rooftops and in the streets, and we move toward the lab, drawing more heavy fire. Down here, they can’t tell me apart from anyone else. I feel a shot burn past my cheek.
Too close.
Still, I move and react because it’s what I’ve been conditioned to do.
The four guards at the entrance barricade themselves behind a large SUV while the ones on the wall light us up. The popping of guns, screaming of voices, and the curses of those closest to me all fade into the background as I focus on our mission.
Cole runs in front of me, attempting to give me protection. Zeus stays right by my side, following every move I make.
This is it. I’m going to get Bill and Roméo out, even if it costs me everything.
My boots are covered in dust. My mouth is dry. My body follows every command my mind gives. I’m terrified, and yet, I feel no fear.
Cole jumps the barricades and pushes himself up against the doors of the lab, making himself a scarce target. I follow, and the rest of the group that’s managed not to get shot slams into place behind us. My lungs burst in and out as I check my ammo.
Two guards come out from inside the lab, but we pick them off with easy double taps. After them, Sinners in white lab coats come out with their hands raised.
“Don’t shoot!” they scream at us.
I recognize one of them. He puts his hands above his head, and his eyes almost pop out when he sees me.
It’s Hank, the guy who helped Cole in the collapsed building.
“Sutton knows it’s you out here,” he shouts over the noise.
I want to ask him if Sutton’s okay, if he knows where he’s being held, but I don’t have the time. Instead, I nod at him, lowering my gun, and decide to pay it forward since he helped me.
“Go! Get out of here!” I shout at him.
“Hell no,” he says. He picks up the nearest weapon, pushes himself against the wall, and joins us with a wicked grin.
I acknowledge him and turn back toward Cole, who’s focused on the main entrance. The guards on the wall can’t see us, but the guys hiding behind the SUV have us pinned down. Their fire ricochets off the walls around us. Behind me, someone grunts.
A fierce burning hits me like a hammer. I glance down. My arm’s bleeding. Cole hears me gasp and examines me quickly, his jaw setting in place. He uses one hand, already covered in grime, to pluck a piece of shrapnel from my arm. I grit my teeth.
If we survive, it’ll be a miracle.
Anger flashes through his eyes, and a vein in the middle of his forehead bulges. He reaches into his vest, pulls a grenade, and with an
umph
lobs it over the SUV.
The glass shatters with the explosion, and the automobile bounces. Limbs and equipment mark the area around it. The guns on the wall turn their fury in our direction, but I can’t seem to get a good shot.
Cole darts forward.
This wasn’t part of the plan.
I scream, but he doesn’t hear me. Once he reaches the corner, he’s in full view of a fifty-caliber gun on the wall. Yet, somehow, he makes it to the vehicle. He butts up against the SUV, checking around it.
The big gun cough out bullets.
What the hell’s he doing?
He turns back, diving for cover. Dust flicks up behind him where bullets trace his steps, and Cole hits the earth, taking me with him.
Next thing I know, his body covers mine like a shield. He’s coughing. I’m coughing. My chest burns, and my body aches in the places where he smashed me into the ground. His sweat drips onto me, and his arms feel solid around me.
When he realizes the gun can’t reach him, Cole rocks back, pulling me up with him. In his eyes, fear remains. In my heart, I know he’d die a thousand deaths if it meant saving me. And I trust him with my life, with everything.
Courage, like an explosion, rocks me. He believes in me, Sutton trusts me, and my father knew I could lead. The Sinners I just met believe in me. I reach into my vest while Cole watches. I pull out the orange and black flare gun. He nods. I point it up to the sky and squeeze the trigger, which makes a whooshing sound.
The red glare of the signal slashes across the sky. In my mind, everything’s paused around me, except for that flare. I stare upward as it fizzles out.
Bill and Roméo have to see that.
In the background, the gate begins to open, and the guards up top scramble around. Some of them appear to be fighting one another. Their figures look black against the blue sky and piercing light of day. Then a flash of blond hair in a dark uniform catches my eye.
That must be Levi’s connection. God help her.
I train my gun on the entrance as it opens, each inch bringing us closer to our goal. The car carrying Bill and Roméo is in sight now. Dust kicks up behind it, and the sun reflects off the glass. Bill drives like a wild man, speeding and swerving to avoid getting hit.
Please let the doors stay open long enough for him to blaze through.
A body falls over the walls. The figure hits the ground with a thump
.
Gunfire persists, riddling everything in its wake. Bodies lie dead or dying in the street. Bill rolls over one of them, and it sounds like his car is bottoming out. I hold my breath, but it keeps going.
Through the windshield, Bill’s smiling. Inside, he looks as if he’s yelling bloody murder and a few choice expletives.
He’s freaking crazy, but I love him.
Roméo looks terrified, his hands gripping the side of the car as it flies.
Just a little bit farther, guys.
I step on shell casings everywhere I turn. My ammo’s almost gone. The pain in my arm is dull compared to the fear coursing through me.
“Bruno!” Cole yells. His face lights up.
I turn around, and Bruno sprints toward us, gun poised, eyes focused. He lifts his head to acknowledge Cole but then focuses on where he’s going. He fires off rounds at the wall, quickly stepping in with us alongside the lab.
“You came!” I shout, keeping my eyes on Bill’s oncoming vehicle.
“Grace wanted me to fight with my family,” he yells back. Cole smacks Bruno’s shoulder and then trains his sights back on the car. “Let’s do this.”
A guard crawls out from behind the SUV and points his gun at the car. I can barely get the words out. My throat’s on fire.
“Twelve o’clock!” I shout.
Cole’s face scrunches up, his eyes becoming slits. “Shit!”
But Bruno fires, and his aim is true. The figure doubles over, and his gun rolls from his limp fingers.
“Nice shot,” I say.
Just then, the faded blue car with rusty edges enters the opening of the gate. I raise a fist as Bill’s eyes meet mine. The guns on the wall pour fire down like rain, puncturing the metal of the car with bullets.
Oh my God.
Roméo’s head slumps over.
Oh my God, no.
Bill’s no longer looking at me. He grips the steering wheel with tight knuckles and screams profanities as he passes through the opening. Roméo’s chin bobs on his chest, his hands sliding off the sides of the car and out of sight. I feel sick to my stomach.
They’re through.
But I can’t celebrate. They’re not in the clear yet. The men on the wall turn their attention outward. The glint of blond hair I saw earlier has disappeared from sight, and the gates begin closing. With most of the guards’ attention diverted toward the car, I sprint out into the open. Zeus pants beside me. Cole and Bruno follow close behind, firing off rounds to cover me.
As we stand in the open, our guns pointed in various directions, I watch the blue car rumble over the railroad tracks and past the guard checkpoint.
Almost there.
My hopes arc upward. My breath comes faster, and my heart’s going to explode with hope. If Bill can just get a bit farther out …
Please, please make it. For the dying people in here. For Sutton. For all of us.
“Oh, shit!” Cole yells. He aims his gun toward a figure on the wall. One of the guards stands with something mounted on his shoulder.
“RPG!” Bruno shouts. They both begin firing, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect.
The guard quickly loads the rocket into the front and points it in the direction of Bill.
I look back through the gate. There’s a few feet of sight left between both doors. Blue sky stretches before them. I can almost taste the rolling green hills that mean freedom beyond the Hole. The dust from the car picks up behind it as it thunders over a bump in the road.
Go, Bill, go!
I realize I’m screaming at the top of my lungs. But then I hear an exhale of air from above, trailed by wispy, gray smoke.
I follow it toward the car.
And then my heart stops.
A huge explosion of grinding metal and fiery sparks is emitted into the sky. The car spins right, settling in the dust, smoke billowing upward. I don’t see any movement in the windows.
The guards on the wall cheer loudly with their hands in the air. The gate finally slams shut, sealing Bill and Roméo and our chances away, forever.
“Noooooooo!” I scream as Cole grabs me. He yanks me away even as I cuss. I fight him, tears spilling from my face as the guards notice us for the first time.
“It’s her!” they shout. “Get her!”
Bruno begins shooting as Cole pulls me away, sprinting for cover. Zeus trails behind us, staying with Bruno.
I want to fight Cole. I want to fight the guards, but my hopes crash to the floor. I’ve got nothing left.
“Don’t you dare quit on me,” Cole says in a strained voice.
I bite my lip and let him lead me away from the wall and the lab. The shooting continues behind us. I can’t breathe. A weird sound comes from my throat when I try, like someone’s sitting on my chest. My legs weigh a thousand pounds as I take each labored step.
Everything’s a blur. I keep seeing the car explode in front of me. I was so sure they’d make it, so hopeful something would go right. Now all of this has been for nothing. Grace’s death. Amber’s death. Bill’s death. Roméo’s death. Death. Death. Death. For nothing. A moan escapes me. This isn’t how Sutton wanted it. This isn’t what I envisioned. This can’t be why my father and brother died.
How could we have failed?
Next thing, Levi’s standing in front of us. His hair is flying all over, and his face is covered in grit. He holds a bloody comrade. His eyes have lost all their hope, but I imagine mine look the same.
“Hurry, follow me,” he says with urgency. He half-carries his comrade with him as he navigates the maze of the Hole, back to the shantytown. Gaunt faces greet us. As soon as they meet our eyes, they wander away, knowing we failed.
Levi places his friend on the ground and lets him rest on his back. Levi’s chest moves up and down as he tries to catch his breath. He checks his friend’s pulse and, feeling nothing, lets the man’s hand drop from his own. When he turns to face us, his eyes are red and constricted.
“I’m so sorry,” Cole says.
“We need to regroup and make another plan,” Levi says, but his voice trails off at the end.
We have no other plans.
“Look, I just need … time, okay?” Levi says. “We lost a lot of people, in just a few minutes.” He puts his hands on his head as his lips tremble. “I didn’t … I thought … ”
Cole puts his hand on Levi’s shoulder. “We’ll hide over there.”
We head into the nearest shack and try to catch our breath. Bruno joins us, not saying a word. Zeus follows on his heels, his tongue dripping saliva onto the ground. I watch as his ribcage moves up and down rhythmically. But nothing can take my mind off the memory of Roméo slumped over and Bill’s eyes the last time they met mine.
I don’t feel anything, not pain from my arm, not hope, just nothingness. It’s all gone, all our chances.
We’ll never get Sutton out now.
Cole settles beside me, pushing his back against a crude wall, and puts his arms around me. He doesn’t cry, but I feel his desperation in the way he grips me tightly. Zeus settles at our feet, whimpering with his head in his paws.
I close my eyes and take it all in. We’ve got nothing left to hope for. The records are gone and everything else with them. I try to think of any other way of getting out, but we’ve spent all our resources in the last thirty-six hours. I let my head fall back against Cole in defeat.
“It’s over,” I say.