I dive into the car and peel out of there. As I smash through the pole at the entrance, I can see the SUVs following me, but I don’t know what to do. Do they know where she is? Have they found her? Do I go straight there? Do I lead them on a wild goose chase? But if they do know she’s there, if they know where she is, I need to get to her. I need to protect her. I need to save her.
I screech up the drive, fumbling to get my key in the door, as I run through the house, screaming, “Vic, they’re coming!”
She meets me at the top of the stairs naked and looking thoroughly fucked. “We need to go. Where’s Jacob?”
She turns and runs back to the bedroom. I run after her, where a startled Jacob lays naked on the bed. “Move, we need to go now!”
They grab clothes as I run back downstairs, and I snatch the laptop off the table. A shot rings out, and I drop to the floor.
“VIC!” I scream as she barrels down the stairs. Two guns trained on the door, shooting her way towards it. She slams her back against the side of the door that I left swinging open, and she glares at me and nods.
She mouths, “Three, two, one,” then turns out the front door, shooting and stalking towards the goons who are right behind me. I scramble up and grab Jacob by the arm, running for the door. I slam him to the side of it.
“Hey, I’m Xav. Do not move till she’s killed them all, then we go, okay? Whatever happens, you need to make sure she doesn’t come back for me, okay?”
He nods, looking terrified as the gunfire dies down. Vic screams out, “NOW!”
I grab Jacob, and we run like hell out of the front door. Vic’s already climbing in the car I abandoned, and we slip in the back as she high-tails it out of there, screeching on the gravel.
“Airfield,” I bark.
She just nods and drives like a rally driver to get us there. She drifts around corners in one move, never easing off or breaking as we hang on with everything we have.
“When we get to the airfield, there’s a plane that will take us with new identities. When we’re in the air, the files need to be sent to Shelley. You’ll have to do it manually. I’ve backed them up to the cloud, but there wasn’t time. You have all the logins. You know what to do once you send it all to Shelley, contact her and she’ll help you, okay? All the other emails are pre-loaded for the government and the tabloids worldwide. We finish it, Vic. We take everything he has, okay.”
“What are you telling me this for, like you’re not going to come with us?”
“I am, I promise, but if anything happens, I need you to carry on. You need to finish it. If we don’t all get out alive, we need to finish it, Vic. He’s lost it. They’re starting up the trials again, and he wants to replace us. Says we’re getting too old. He needs to find the younger, more susceptive stock. You know what that means, Vic. He’s going to take more children. We can’t let that happen. We can’t. Whatever it takes, okay.”
"Whatever it takes,” she mumbles back.
Jacob rests his hand on her shoulder and squeezes. We reach the airfield; they take off running for the plane. I’m not quick enough, and I need to buy Vic and Jacob some time.
“Keep going. I need to grab the laptop.”
They run as fast as they can down the airfield as there’s an almighty crash behind us. I spin around and see an SUV smashing through the fence.
“Fuck, Xav!” she tries to run back for me, but Jacob grabs her. He drags her behind him, screaming for her to keep going. I toss the laptop back in the car and set off to run, but the SUV is already in front of me. They climb out, and Father steps towards me, grabbing me by the neck and pushing me forward, shoving me up the runway with him at my back.
Vic turns, and I scream at her, “Go!”
I clench my fists by my side, and they run till they reach the aeroplane. Jacob runs up the stairs, and she turns to look, only to see Father standing in the middle of the runway with me on my knees in front of him.
A scream rips from her as she turns to run back to me, but Jacob reaches down and grabs her, pulling her back while she thrashes and screams.
“Go!” I scream again as Father leans down, whispering in my ear. “Ten was my biggest disappointment until today. Now that prize is all yours, Six.”
“Fuck you!” I grit out, and he pushes the knife to my neck and slits my throat.
As I drop onto the tarmac, I see Vic fall to her knees. The look on her face, as she screams a blood-curdling death cry, is the last thing I see or hear as my whole world is taken away in an instant, and it all goes black.
Vic
Chapter LX
“Go!” Xav screams, and we run till we reach the aeroplane. Jacob runs up the stairs, and I turn to look, only to see Father standing in the middle of the runway with Xav on his knees in front of him.
A scream rips from me as I turn to run back to him, but Jacob reaches down and grabs me, pulling me back while I thrash and scream.
