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The rest of the e, als of Christ, so a s ce and narroalls ahs back through the darkness like ghosts I sucked in shallow breath after shallow breath, feeling the blood actually start to pound out a low beat behind eles--on a round if what Cole said was true, but sih hts and sounds around h ait all happen through someone else’s runt of pain from Vida Chubs’s bleak, hopeless expression as he stared down the dark Zu, passed out against Liam’s back, her arms wrapped around his neck as he carried her in We walked for so long, there were

Up ahead of us, Cole cli e, rusted square thatinto the tunnel We’d need to be let in from the other side

"What if no one’s here?" I heard Chubs ask I pretended, for the sake of my heart, that I hadn’t heard hiainst it for another minute before the kids behind hiainst it with hiht They didn’t o--the walls were so close on either side ofmy route out I felt Liaht of it hter My feet tripped over theroan, and the pathas flooded with light

Cate?

I shieldedout, "Hello, Dolly!"

"Oh my God!" There was a faint note of some kind of accent in her voice--et in here-- to have to go out and find you"

Liaht I hadn’t realized how cold I was until a delicate wave of warainst the flood of fluorescent light overhead

Dolly blew out an aggravated sigh,as she reached where I was standing beside Lialanced between him and Cole "Oh, God, there’s another one of you? How has the world survived this long?"

"Pure, dumb luck," Cole said "Is everyone here?"

Dolly visibly hesitated "Wellnot exactly"

"Cate?" The word came out of Vida in a nad rush of hope

"Conner’s just fine She’s been worried sick about everyone"

Lialanced down, his expression so sincerely thrilled on my behalf as I leaned into him that h, that the first feeling to flood into the hole that fear had left in me wasn’t elation or relief Those came only on the heels of a sudden, sharp ache that radiated out from my core She doesn’t know Cate had survived, made it up here in spite of fiercely skewed odds, and she’d been waiting The only ive her is that ere here; she wouldn’t know about Jude I would have to keep froh to tell her She doesn’t know anything

And now she would

"What do youaround "Ten of you caht her dozen--"

Dolly’s sneakers gave a faint squeak as she shifted unco to answer by the sound of bare feet slapping against the tile My heart jumped into my throat as a head of pale blond hair rounded the corner of the hall at full speed--Cate

Vida launched herself toward her, tearing through thetheround

"I’, "ere just outside of the attack zone and couldn’t get back in through all of the barricades that were set up--"

Cate looked past Vida’s shoulder to where I stood, a relieved smile on her face as her eyes et the words to my mouth, couldn’t uilt and shaer and sadness up fro at either of us, but at the e at the whole hall, her eyes tearing frohter She was looking for hi at all She had to have known, the first second she saw ers as he pulledood shoulder, listening to his heart pound againsttears

"How about" Dolly put a hand on Touys where the bathrooms are and where you can sleep? All of the rooure out sheets and blankets tomorrow, I’m sorry"