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My hands shake, bloodwhat I’ to help There is a driving need to touch every drawer and every ite I need

I reach the bottoht still being in the roo with me… or both I close my eyes, not that it makes a difference, and take a breath I aand then to hi and sob I don’t have anything else I have no Leo, Anna, Meg, Star, Bernie, or anyone to make a difference Don’t even have Jake to just be there It’s just like before I’rip to his arone forever I press ainst his hand and let the tears wash over me

Chapter Seven

My footsteps are clu as I slip a little I’m out of bullets and I don’t know if the door at the bottoleaht at the bottom of the stairs somewhere

"Hello?" a small voice shouts up into the stairwell

I can see the stairs ever so slightly in the light that see in and out I round the corner to see the door open at the botto a torch smiles at me, "Are you hurt?"

I want to cry and tell her I am dead inside, but I don’t I shake my head and stumble down the last couple steps She backs away so I can leave the stairwell Athe door ajar

She points behind her, "I can’t seey I look at the ht and shake et that one open We need a "

She ss and nods, "Okay I knohere ais What section did you come from?"

I point upward

She sniffles, "I don’t understand what’s happened Even the ehts have shut off"

"Where is the ?"

She shakes the torch and points to the right

"You lead the way and I’ll break the " I need to get to Anna She h a dark, wide hallway, I can tell we are in the nicer part of the labs, where the general public gets to see everything God knohat’s in the black lab, besides my dead friend and my trapped father

I can’t think about it all, I just can’t The coward in et ht floods us both I see her better now She’s Michael’s age and fragile Her bones would break faster than a chicken’s She has dark hair and dark eyes with a worried look

Thelooks over an alleyway between the buildings at ground level It’s tinted tosun is just hitting the buildings

I walk to the , exae chair to the right It’s an office of sorts There are rab the huge chair and drag it to theI lift it up and swing as hard as I can Thebends alain, this ti that’s left Thecracks but doesn’t fall out I drag the chair back, pick it up and run at the ith it The chair allass falls out, taking the chair with it

I stand there and breathe as the fresh air hits me

I don’t want the freedom that is there in the fresh air

I want the man that’s dead upstairs and the other one in the basement I can’t face her without the it to burn the carpet I almost put it out, but then I remember where I am and what’s left

I follow her out the , not looking back

The streets are filled with people Scared people, who have never lived with the nothingness the rest of us faced Their city is worthless It’s now no different than any other corner of this world

I don’t know that we ht choice but I knoe made the only one we had The breeder far, and the rebellion doesn’t ainst the street as I make nize the building when I get close to it In the light it looks ical and not old at all, but she’s there on the steps She’s sitting, waiting for me… us

She sees me, sees the truth instantly She doesn’t ju the truth I bring with et close enough to see them

I stop, I can’t do it I drop to ers surrounding us both, and sob

Her sli herour faces I shake my head subtly It’s the only time I will ever tell her this

She cries harder

I look down and let the shauilt, so heavy I will never be free of it

I close my eyes and wait forworse--God only knohat that could be Instead, her skinny arms wrap around iveness, but I arateful she is there

She takeswalk out of the city The people we pass are starting to panic; no one has answers They fear war and starvation They huddle and fight, and feel all of the things we all felt a decade ago All of the things they got to avoid because they were apart of the chosen ones The ones who got to live in the city and be safe

Anna grips ate, there is no one We walk along the bridge over the river to the borderlands, not speaking