His face has paled. “Hatter.”
“He’s not a fan of clocks?” We pick our way through the sea of ticking.
Buck hesitates. “The ticking… it triggers something in him.”
I stop at that, at the undertone in his words. “Something dangerous?”
Lyss.
“Sometimes,” Buck admits quietly. “He loses himself. He can’t stop it.”
I turn and charge toward the twins. Clock faces crunch beneath my feet.
“They might be booby-trapped,” Buck mutters.
I kick at one, sending it flying until it crashes into another. “Nothing went boom. I think we’re good.”
As we get closer, the twins turn to look at us. Aiden holds up his hand in a greeting. “He’s not doing so well.”
“Shit.” Buck pushes past me, and I pause at the sight of Lyss kneeling beside a vacant-looking Hatter.
He doesn’t look up at our arrival. Doesn’t respond. Doesn’t pay us any attention at all.
He rocks. Back and forth, the movement timing with the ticking of the clocks around us as he mumbles something I can’t hear.
Lyss looks up as he drops to his knees. Her eyes scan me, shoulders relaxing before she turns to Buck. “He’s not responding to me. Did you – did you getshot?”
“Chess patched me up. I’m all good.” We watch as Buck leans in. “Hat?”
He nudges Alyss. “Back up a little for me, trouble. He can be… unpredictable, when he’s like this.”
Lyss frowns, but she doesn’t move away. “Unpredictable, how?”
I yank her away just in time. His eyes fly wide, and he lunges.
Buck is ready, catching him. He grunts as Hatter’s fist lands in his injured arm. “A little fuckinghelp.”
The twins throw themselves past me as I hold Lyss in place to stop her going to him. She struggles against me. “What’s wrong with him?”
“No.” He’s roaring. “No –no!”
It sounds as if his soul is tearing apart.
And Lyss - she rips herself away from me, launching herself forward and grabbing his head in her hands. “Listen to me. Hatter!”
He thrashes. Buck grunts again. “He can’t hear you.”
“He can.” She shakes him. “Hatter. It’s not real.”
He bellows, a sound of pure rage. “Get themout.”
God. I’ve never heard a human voice ring with that level of pain. It sounds… unbearable.
Lyss’s eyes are damp. “Not real. Comeback, Hatter.”
He moans then. His voice cracks. “Get them out.”
And he’s sobbing, his body shuddering. Lyss looks at the others. “Let him go.”
