“Are you actually going to let us out?” Remy asks.
The Decider replies, “The time will come. It’s up to you to know when it’s right.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Micah asks. “Are we digging out?”
“No, you will be freed when it’s time.”
This is the first time since playing Mercy that I’ve been uneasy about a challenge. I make the mistake of looking at my brother whose gape is on me. He knows this is a difficult one for me. But as I turn to Ivy, I’m relieved she’ll be with me. Isn’t that the value of having an ally? If we’re going through our own personal hell, at least we have someone there to pull us out.
35
IVY
Ugh. I’d rather roam around the godforsaken hospital again instead of doing this. Because being entombed with him in a small space for an undetermined amount of time… I had a hard enough time stomaching his presence on the way over here in the damn car.
We step to the gravesides that have what looks like an oversized wooden crate. “This is bullshit.”
“What about like oxygen and stuff?” Brooke asks as she studies the openings.
“It’s limited. That’s another obstacle to overcome. You mustn’t panic and use up all your vital resources.”
Micah yawns as he lies down, almost appearing happy that he gets to just lie in the ground as he tells Brooke, “We’re fucked, because you’re going to suck up all the oxygen blabbing the entire time.”
“Yeah. I’m the one who won’t shut their freaking mouth,” she yells at him as he waves his arm around.
“Yes, yes. Get it all out now because you’re not going to scream at me the entire time. I’m going to take a nap. So, wake me up when it’s over.”
“Glad you’re so cozy in the fucking dirt,” Brooke complains but climbs into the grave.
Micah sits up, looking at Luca. “You should’ve had a few more of those drinks, brother. Nighty, night.”
I feel Luca tense beside me and notice for the first time a disquiet on him. “Are you good?”
“Yeah.” He holds out his hand, and I take it as he guides me down into the grave. I’m lying down when he moves beside me, his body rigid.
“Now,” the Deceiver announces as a wooden cover closes over us and everything goes dark. I hear each shovel of dirt as it’s thrown on us. They’re literally burying us alive. I feel a little anxious that we don’t know when it’ll be over, but it’s Luca who really seems to be struggling. His breathing has picked up and it’s definitely faster than it should be.
“If you don’t slow down, we’ll run out of oxygen.”
He doesn’t say anything.
Reaching for my phone, I notice the battery is almost dead but decide to turn on the flashlight and place it beside us. I don’t like the guy, but right now, his life and actions are dependent on mine. And not that I have much control right now, but suffocating in a grave with the guy isn’t the way I’d like to go out. “Luca, look at me.”
His head slowly turns, his eyes on mine, and I see fear for the first time ever. He’s scared of tight spaces. “I think I found your weakness,” I tease, hoping to ease his concern, but he looks like he’s about five seconds from letting full-blown panic take over.
“We’re fine. It’s a mind game. Close your eyes and pretend to be somewhere else.” It’s what I’ve done a million times as a kid who wanted to be anywhere other than where I was. So, I’d blare music and get lost in my head. “I can put on some music if it’d help.”
“No.” He is curt and uneasy.
“What will help?” I ask, clinging to the only person I have in this moment.
He lets out a long exhale and opens his eyes to look at me. “You.”
“Well, that’s good because you’re stuck with me for a while,” I whisper.
Luca shifts, moving his arm under me, then he pulls me tight against him. His arms wrap securely around me as his forehead rests against mine. And I don’t back away. It feels strange. Like we’re not us and our next breath depends on the other. Because it does. His breathing slows but not completely like it should as we lie still.
“Is it the tight space?”
