A soft rumble sounds in the distance.
My heart lurches to an unsteady stop.
The tunnels.
The entrance was intimidating enough, with broken wood and shattered stone and piles of trash scattered all around it. And the first bit of tunnel within, when I could still see the water-stained walls, looked like it had been plucked straight from a horror movie.
It looked abandoned, just like Mack said it was.
And while I didn’t think normal conversation would cause a collapse, this isn’t normal conversation. It’s shouting.
“It’s only right!” Mack continues ranting. “Mother wanted the traitors dead! And now I’ve failed because of her!” He shoves me again. “So you’re going to be punished instead!”
“Stop. Touching. Her.”
“No! I’ll do what I want! And if I want to hurt this nosy bitch before I leave both of you to die down here, I will!”
The beam of the flashlight bounces off metal and stone, briefly illuminating a fork in the tunnel just up ahead.
Just as the light hits Indy’s face, he jerks his head to the left again. It’s the smallest movement, almost unnoticeable, but this time, I get it.
He wants me to run.
But when? How, when I won’t be able to see? And does he really expect me?—
“It’s her fault!” Mack shouts. “And she needs to die down here!”
As the echo of his voice tapers off, there’s a moment of stillness.
Then everything happens at once.
Mack punches me.
His fist clips me right behind the ear, knocking my implant off and making my head spin.
Pain explodes in a firework of white light.
I fall to my knees. Bits of jagged stone slice into my bound hands as I try to catch myself.
Indy leaps at Mack with a roar of anger.
Something hits the ground.
Mack shouts something unintelligible.
The flashlight rolls, flashing drunken patterns across the walls.
With my head spinning from the punch and with one implant gone, everything feels unbalanced. Funny. Nauseating.
“Bea!” Indy shouts. “Go!”
But I can’t go.
I can’t leave him.
To my right, I catch a sickening sound of flesh hitting flesh.
My stomach lurches.
