Connor staggers back, his feet half over the wall edge. His hands pinwheel as he tries to regain balance, but his weight is shifted too far back. He disappears off the edge. His scream echoes through the dry dock, punctuated by a dull thud and then silence.
“I thought he’d never shut up,” Zach says just before I black out.
*
ZACH
I lie there, weak, fever raging, every muscle in my body screaming and aching. Aiden lies unconscious, with a pool of blood forming under him. I try to move, but my arms and legs don’t respond. So, I close my eyes and remember Curtis and his kindness. I remember my mother and father and how much I miss them. And I remember Aiden and my love for him. I dig deeper than I’ve ever dug before. Energy wells up inside me. It won’t last for long. I need to act quickly.
I crawl over to the aluminum box resting on the ground. The one that’s caused all this pain but also has the power to cure it. Getting to my feet, I lumber over to Aiden, lying next to the container. He’s still breathing, but his breaths are shallow. I put his hand up to the panel. A light flashes green, and the door opens up to an elevator.
I hook my hands under Aiden’s arms and pull with all my might. Somehow, I find the strength to drag him onto the lift and press the button. As we descend, Aiden’s eyes open slightly.
“Hold on!” I cry. “We’re almost to the bunker!”
He looks into my eyes. “I love you, Zach.”
I kiss his forehead. “I love you too, Aiden.”
He smiles, and then his eyes close. His face goes slack.
“Aiden! Stay with me!” I slap his face to wake him.
But he doesn’t respond, and I’m spent. I crumple beside him, with my arm draped over his chest.
The elevator takes forever. When it gets to the bottom, my reserves are depleted. All I can do is sit and stare at the large circular bunker door in front of us. Our goal is so close. But I’ve done everything I can. I have nothing left.
Even now, Aiden’s face is beautiful. I love him. If I have to die, this is how I want it to be. Next to Aiden. Together in a broken world. For eternity.
I’m barely aware of the bunker door opening. Shapes approach, and voices shout. Someone lifts my eyelid, and a bright light shines into my eye. The box I’m clutching is pulled away.
Then darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
A New World
ZACH
When I wake, my vision is fuzzy. The world is impossibly bright. A loud ringing buzzes in my ears, but the sound subsides, replaced by the deep murmur of voices.
My vision slowly focuses. First, I’m aware of a room. A hospital room, I’d guess. Then, objects around me take shape. The IV bag to my left snakes down and goes into my arm. A large instrument panel to my right makes beeping noises.
Then faces. An older man in a lab coat. A woman with gray hair tied back into a ponytail beside him. And then I see him. Aiden. He’s alive, and I’m alive. Either that, or this is some kind of afterlife.
I reach out to touch him to be sure. “Aiden?”
He squeezes my outstretched hand. “Zach, you’re awake!”
“You got shot.”
“Yep. I’m on the mend. Thanks to you.” He lifts up his shirt. A bandage wraps around his waist.
“Everyone here owes you their life. You stopped Connor.”
His name brings a cascade of memories. It was me. I shot Connor. Aiden helped, and the fall killed him, but that’s a technicality. I had to do it. He was going to kill Aiden and everyone else in the lab. But that doesn’t make it feel better. I didn’t want to take a life. Even one so despicable as Connor. Now, I’ll carry this burden.
But Aiden is alive. And I’m alive.
