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He smirks. “I know. You like me too much.”

“FUCK!”

My fingers fly to my hair while objects spin and lift around me. I can’t be here another second. I can’t do this anymore. All the furniture drops in an ear-shattering thud. Slamming the door behind me, I rush out of the room, trip on the carpet, fall, and get up again. I barrel down the stairs, blow through the kitchen, and rip the basement door off the hinges. Once I’m far enough down, I pause.

His journals.

Patryn’s.

Ryx’s.

Heart in my throat, I retreat. In Patryn’s study, I find all his research is missing. I go to the library and find it cleared out too. Cursing, I all but teleport back to my bedroom, snatch every journal I know is Ryx’s, and clutch them to my chest. I secure a bag, put them inside, and sling the strap around my neck. I’m not formulating a plan anymore.

As far as I’m concerned, this is it.

I have to run.

It’s the only option left.

The thought barely enters my mind before the wall of crates shoves to the right. The service door slams open. A long, dark tunnel is revealed. It’s a good thing I never let Ryx find this place. It’s so, so dark. I doubt he’d step a single foot in this place, even if it led to his freedom. I can be brave for him. For once in my fucking life, I’ll be the person I should have been.

Strong.

My heart kicks against my ribs as I break off into a run, abandoning the house and door. The tunnel is a void, an abyss threatening to keep me forever. I’m terrified that if I stop even for a moment, Matthias will be right behind me, his horrible voice cooing to me before his ability reaches into my head and stops me in my tracks. I have no clue where this tunnel leads, but it has to be a way out. Why else would it go on forever?

There’s nothing to stay for, anyway. I’d rather die in the Barrens than become Matthias’s mate. I’d rather my flesh be stripped off the bone by the toxic air. I’d rather my throat be slit just like those people weeks ago. I don’t care as long as I take a breath outside of New Grove. That’s all I need.

A single breath.

15

Saren

I run into a hard surface.

It knocks the wind out of me for a few seconds. Patting around, I find a knob and twist it. Light blasts through, blinding me for a moment. Crisp night air breezes through the opening. At first, my lungs cramp from the different chemistry, but after only a few seconds, it fades. I creep out, eyes glued to the domeless sky above me. Endless stars litter the heavens.

“Unbelievable,” I whisper, stunned by the sight. I never realized how different the night looked without a barrier dampening its beauty.

All these years, I lived over the way out. Ryx and I could have escaped. The realization hurts. The brutal truth of it all is too much to bear. Absently rubbing my stomach, I take a few more steps, searching high and low for soldiers. This has to be near the wall. Someone will see me, and then I’ll have to kill them. But the longer I search, the less I find.

The tunnel spat me out at the foot of a hill. I creep away, my palm still cradling my gut. A lone tumbleweed rolls past me, the breeze stronger now that I’m out in the open. It’s just empty, flat land for miles. Where is New Grove? I scan the hill, gauging its height. Surely, I’d be able to see the halo of light from the community. It’d light up the night like a beacon.

Frowning, I follow the base of the hill, glancing over my shoulder every few steps. A horrible feeling tells me I’m being watched, too. Tiny pinpricks of awareness that are hard to ignore. Minutes go by before I reach a structure. That’s not what makes me freeze, though. No. I can see the dome. Enormous even all the way out here, lights twinkling within it. The massive wall circles the base of the community, with giant spotlights aimed at the ground, looking for anything and everything. I duck behind the strange shed.

It’s hard to swallow with my pulse in my throat. I check behind me once again, finding nothing but dirt.

Shit.

What do I do now?

I’m too close for comfort. All it would take is a single word, and there’d be a search party scouring the area. They’d find me too. My mastery has a very distinct signature. Not wasting any more time, I find the shed door and slip inside.

With my back flush against it, I close my eyes and breathe. My hands tremble, my knees threaten to give out, but I remain standing. After a few more seconds to ground myself, I look around. The outside is misleading. Anyone would mistake this for an abandoned structure. Something from End Days that hasn’t seen a face in centuries. I spot a dusty desk, a lamp, and a hatch.

I walk over to the desk and open the top drawer, my hand hovering over the neat scrawl I haven’t seen in so long. My heart lurches. Gathering the papers and wishing for some fucking light, I stuff them in my bag. I check the rest of the drawers but find nothing. I suppose I should look into the hatch. Throat bobbing, I lift it and peer down the hole. It’s even darker than the tunnel, if that's even possible.

Mustering the nerve to go down, I rake a hand through my hair, blow out a breath, and climb down the ladder. My feet hit the dirt with a thud, and something slaps into my cheek. I swat at it, fingers snagging on a string. With a pull, the place lights up.