Whisper (Whisper #1)(91)

“Come on, move!” Keeda cries out.

At first I think she’s talking to me, but then I feel a jolt as she slams her free shoulder into the door, trying to get it to budge. It was touch-activated on the way in, but it must require some kind of security scan to exit. We don’t have time to figure it out, so —

“Open!” I force out the word through lips that can barely move, and the door blows clean off the wall. Given how scattered my thoughts are, I’m amazed it actually worked, even if I would have preferred the option to close it — and lock it — behind us.

Keeda and Cami waste no time in hauling me into the corridor. I wonder what the plan is from here, because while the hallway is full of twists and turns, it’s also narrow, which means the Speakers will be able to aim their words at us as easily as if we have targets painted on our backs. Plus, by the time we reach the elevator, I doubt I’ll be able to pull my door trick again. But I decide not to tell either of them that just yet — we still have to make it to the elevator.

Hobbling along the maze-like corridor while ducking every few feet as the Speakers close in on us — and some like Crew continue to throw word daggers our way — I’m mildly concerned when the pain in my arm and back gives way to a numb feeling, and then that numbness quickly spreads over the rest of my body. I’m cold from head to toe, and tired — so very tired.

No matter what, you have to stay awake. It’s very, very important.

Kael’s not speaking to me in a dream this time, but the memory of his words echoes in my mind, and I keep my eyes open through sheer willpower.

… Only to see Ward barrel around the corner toward us.

“Landon!” Cami yelps in surprise, slamming to a halt.

Driven by momentum, my numb legs continue forward, my movements like those of a rag doll. My arm draped around Cami’s neck slips, as does my grip on Keeda, and I stumble, trip and crash onto the ground — again.

“I’ve got you, Chip,” Ward says.

His nickname fills my cold, numb body with a spark of warmth as he draws me up into his arms.

To Cami and Keeda, he asks, “Can you run?”

When they respond in the affirmative, he takes off at a sprint — much faster than we had been moving before — and with a glance over his shoulder, I can see our pursuers right on our heels.

“You called me ‘Chip.’” I slur the words, my thoughts like liquid.

“Now is not the time, Alyssa,” he says.

With his use of my real name, the spark of warmth disappears.

So.

Many.

Lies.

“Let me concentrate on protecting you from the Speakers I’m supposed to be protecting from you, would you?” he adds.

“You’re blocking their words?” I’m amazed when I string the thought together, let alone the sentence. “Why … Why are you helping us?”

He doesn’t answer, just continues sprinting around the antiseptic-smelling labyrinth. He’s fast, even burdened by my weight. And despite her wound, Keeda is keeping up, as is Cami. We’re pulling ahead of the other Speakers, if only slightly.

When the elevator comes into sight, Ward speaks again, but not to me.

“Kael and the others are waiting topside, so all you have to do is get Lyss up there, and he’ll take you all to safety.”

When we reach the wall, he slams his hand against the elevator scanner. It opens with a ding, and he lowers me to my feet in front of him, but his arms remain around me to keep upright.

“I’ve keyed your stats into the scanners, Keed, and I’ve made sure Falon and the guards are distracted,” Ward continues. “You should have a clear run out of here, but only if you go right now. I’ll hold these guys off for as long as I can.”

“What? No!” Cami cries, reaching for her brother. “We’re not leaving you here, Landon. No way.”

In my blurry state, I almost miss the meaningful look Ward sends Keeda. I don’t miss what happens next, though, because she nods once before turning to Cami and saying, as she once did to me, “You’re so very tired.” Light leaves her and touches Cami, likely with an added push of Ward’s power to make it stronger, since Keeda has to catch my now-unconscious roommate and drag her into the corner of the elevator.

Shocked, I stutter, “You just — you just —”

“Cam’s right,” Keeda says to Ward, interrupting me. “They’ll know you know more than you should. You have to come with us.”

“You need to complete your mission and get Alyssa out of here,” Ward tells her. “Cami, too, now. They’re all that matter.”

Even my fuzzy thoughts don’t like what is happening. “Ward —”

“I’m not leaving the other recruits. They’re my responsibility, and I can’t abandon them.” His green — so flipping green — eyes capture mine. “But I also won’t let him hurt you any more than he already has. I made you a promise, Chip. This is me keeping that promise.”

I hold his gaze as I hear the memory of his whispered words from what feels like forever ago float across my mind: Trust me. I will protect them. I will protect you.

“Ward —” I breathe, but that’s all I manage, because he presses his hand to my cheek and leans in until his forehead rests against mine. His movements are gentle, so gentle, like I’m made of fractured glass and he’s afraid of splintering me further.