Folsom (End of Men, #1)(70)

We speed through, the driver seemingly oblivious to the rain, and Doctor Hunley sits in the front seat, glancing back at us every few minutes. She says something to the driver in low tones and I sit forward, trying to hear her.

“Where are you taking us?” I finally interrupt.

She turns around and I notice how tired she looks. Her nails are bitten down to the quick. I have no idea what she’s been doing these last weeks, how the strain of keeping us hidden has affected her. I reach out and rest my hand on top of hers. She’s been a true friend, even before this started. She looks back at me in surprise and then nods like she knows what I’m thinking.

“We’re getting you out. Somewhere safe.”

I look at Laticus who gazes out the car window, eyes glazed over. Teenagers aren’t meant to be holed up in tiny basement rooms for weeks at a time. He looks tense…eager—ready to jump from the car and sprint through the rain. I take his hand and squeeze it hard.

“Sounds like we’re getting out of here,” I tell him. He nods, mute. I don’t want to scare him. “Just do everything they tell you to do, okay? They’ve been working on a plan for a long time.”

“Do you think they’ve found Folsom?” he asks.

“If not today, I think it will be soon,” I whisper. I say this as much for myself as I do for him.

“We’re close,” the doctor says. “When we step out of the car, move quickly…that’s all you have to do. Okay? Stay calm, and we will have you airborne before you know it.”

I nod and take a deep breath, looking out the window. I’m afraid. I move slowly, my belly large. If we have to move quickly I’ll slow everyone down. We drive to an abandoned building. I recognize it—it once was a school back when we needed such large institutions to educate our children. The grounds are dark, and I squint to make out our surroundings. The remains of a playground sit collapsed, a lone swing hanging by a single chain. The car drives slowly. I hold my stomach as we bounce around, flinching when we hit the deep ditches. Finally we stop. There are no lights. Everything is bathed in darkness.

“Gwen? Are you ready?” Doctor Hunley looks at me and lowers her head, eyes always assessing.

Laticus grips my shoulder and gives me a little shake. “Don’t get scared on me now,” he teases, though I can see in his own eyes that he’s terrified.

“Never. Let’s do this.” I muster up enough enthusiasm in my voice that he looks relieved.

Our car doors are opened for us and we step out. I don’t look up at first, too busy seeing who has Laticus. I wish I’d gotten out on his side. The rain has dwindled to a mist, but the wind is picking up. It’s going to pour again soon.

When I look up, I see my sister. She smiles weakly at me and I freeze.

“What are you doing here?” I look at her in alarm, backing away. The back of my calves hit the wet steel of the car and I shake my head.

“I’m here to help,” she says slowly. “I need you to come with me.”

“What do you mean help?”

Sophia glances around, irritated. “We don’t have time for this,” she says.

I stay where I am, fingers pressing into cold metal. I don’t trust her. She sighs.

“He’s my nephew,” she hisses.

My eyebrows draw together, and at first I don’t know who she’s talking about. Then I lift a hand to my belly and our eyes meet.

“I’m a bitch, but I’m not heartless…you think you’re the only one who can be swayed by a cause?”

She holds out her hand and I only hesitate for a minute before I take it. There are so many questions I want to ask her, but she gives me a look that means I’m to be quiet.

We move toward the front of the car, where Laticus is waiting, his shoulders hunched forward. Doctor Hunley embraces us both in turn. It’s brief…hurried. There’s more to say but no time.

“You’ve changed the course of history,” she says to me. “You woke us up…”

A sound is getting closer: a dull, whopping noise. We all listen, our bodies still.

Where’s Folsom? Where’s Folsom?

The blade slap gets closer. I look around the parking lot and something catches my eye—a glint in the grass. Without looking away I lay a hand on the doctor’s arm.

“There’s someone out there,” I say quietly.

Before she can respond, the lights from the helicopter appear, glowing eyes in the dark. Our eyes move up to watch as the helicopter hovers over the parking lot. My hair lifts around my face, tendrils snaking across my eyes and mouth. I push it behind my ears, as Laticus presses close to my side. In my peripheral vision, I see movement to our right. While the others stare up at the approaching helicopter, I watch a vehicle appear, driving slowly, headlights off.

“Doctor Hunley,” I say. But she doesn’t hear me because the chopper is above us now, so loud I can barely hear my own voice. I put my hand on her arm as the car door opens.

I’m about to shout a warning when I see him.

Folsom!

He doesn’t notice me at first, stepping out of the car. I watch his head lift to study the helicopter and I’m given a glimpse of his profile. My heart drops at his appearance. Even in the dark I can tell he’s lost weight. I wave off the mosquitoes that hum around my face and will him to look at me.