“Only human.” His fingers grazed her cheek in the barest of touches, wiping her tears as he leaned in, murmuring four words in her ear.
She smiled, even as she felt a part of her die.
He pressed his lips to her forehead for the last time.
And then, he let her go.
56
Yiran
The ground continued to shake.
Yiran fell onto his knees.
“Is it an earthquake?” Teshin shouted above the noise, helping Yiran up.
“I don’t think so.”
The ground gave another sigh—
And broke.
There was a loud crack, then more. The asphalt was splitting, the cracks radiating out.
“Move, move, move!” Ash yelled, shoving Yiran forward.
Everyone ran desperately for safety as the road tore apart.
Yiran scanned for Teshin; they’d separated in the mayhem. He spun around, spotting a pink-haired figure instead, crawling out from the crumpled heap that was the healer’s tent.
“Ada!” he called out. She waved weakly. He wanted to go to her, but she was on the opposite side of the giant crevice in the ground.
Just then, Teshin appeared next to her. “I got her!” they shouted. “Get out of there, Yiran!”
Yiran realized he was one of the unlucky few stuck on the wrong side of the crevice. The ground around him was unstable. He staggered as it started giving away completely, sinking beneath his feet.Move. You’ll fall in if you don’t move.He scrambled toward the blockade.
A few steps later, a metallic sound screeched in his ears. He glanced in its direction. The tower crane next to the office building was creaking menacingly, the slabs of concrete hooked onto the trolley swaying as the structure shook and groaned. Gulping, Yiran ran faster. The creaking grew louder, like a piercing roar.
There was a violent lurch, and the base of the crane tilted into the asphalt. The concrete slabs slid off, crashing down.
Yiran was thrown forward into the air. He braced for impact, hitting the ground, rolling over coarse debris. Gingerly, he lifted his head. There was a ringing in his ears, and he was bruised and battered, the cuts on his arms and legs bleeding freely.
But he’d been fortunate, thrown clear onto the stable ground.
Dazed, he struggled up and stood in the chaos of sirens and screams and rubble and dust. He was strangely numb. In shock. The late-afternoon sky had turned orange, and the large sinkholes that had appeared looked like sinister portals to another world.
“Yiran!” Ash was suddenly next to him, holding his shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“You’re bleeding—”
Ash swiped at his head, his hand coming away wet with blood. “It’s nothing. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”
They had barely taken a few steps when Yiran felt it happen. Somethingtearinginside him. His chest seized. He crumpled to his knees. Grabbing at air, grabbing nothing, grabbing Ash’s leg.
“Yiran! Yi—”
The sky above him was so orange. The world so silent. He didn’t feel anything. Was he dying?This isn’t so bad, he thought.
