I can do it. For Kara. I have to. It will only be a matter of minutes or maybe even seconds before Gatsbro and his men show up. I draw in a breath and hold it. The doors to the cab automatically swing open. Dot has seen me and is ready. I stumble, and Miesha, like a solid wall, catches me. I force two long strides and fall into the cab, sprawling out on the back seat. My head pounds, and more salty blood swirls in my mouth. I hear the excited exchange between Miesha and Dot, feel my legs being folded in so the door can be shut, and then I hear more doors shutting.
"Let's go!"
I swallow the blood. "No!" I say. "We have to wait for Kara." The car begins to move. "Stop! Didn't you hear me?" I force myself to sit up. "We can't leave her!"
Dot looks at me through the mirror. "She's not coming. I saw her run past. She looked at me and kept going."
What? It makes no sense. I told her to find Dot.
"Why would she do that?"
"She was headed toward the Transgrid Train Depot. She may have thought it would provide better escape. It's a more direct route out of the city."
"And there are plenty of crowds to get lost in," Miesha adds.
I grab the back of Dot's seat, feeling myself slipping, the blood in my mouth swirling, my ribs tearing into whatever insides Gatsbro has pieced together for me. "How would she know about a train depot?"
Dot turns in her seat to look at me directly. "I told her this morning. When you got out of the car to look for your house, she asked about quick ways out of the city."
Why would she want to know another way out when we have Dot's cab? A quick way. Was she just thinking ahead? Planning for an alternate route in an emergency? Kara is always thinking ahead, plus they were right behind her. She had to keep running. She would never leave me unless she had to.
"You have incurred damage, Customer Locke."
I nod. Yes. Damage. My grip on the seat weakens and then I notice my hand. The iScroll. It's still sending signals to Gatsbro. "Give me something sharp. Anything. Hurry." I fall back against my seat. Miesha reaches over and hands a knife to me--a Swiss Army knife. I can't believe they still make them or that Miesha has one. I hold out my other hand, palm up. "Will cutting through it stop the signal?"
Miesha's face wrinkles. "No, you can't--"
"Several cuts will disable the device," Dot answers.
I stab my flesh and draw the blade across before I can think about it. I do it three more times. Lines of red beads run together to form a small glistening pool. My temples pound. I have no strength left. The damage is finally overtaking me. The knife falls from my hand, and I close my eyes. I hear Miesha and Dot's chatter, feel something tugging at my hand, but it all melts into a black roar. I try to move my lips.
The train station.
Find her.
But my voice is sucked into the roar.
Chapter 25
A tunnel. Long. Dark. Inviting.
And Jenna is there.
Her smile is slow. Understanding. She's been waiting. She holds her hand out, and I take it; we walk. For miles and miles we walk in the dark.
"Where's Kara?" she asks.
"Shhh," I tell her. "Sleeping."
Jenna knows I'm lying, but she understands. She knows I need this quiet moment with her.
I pause now and then just to look at her. She is so beautiful. More than beautiful. Innocent. Calm. My mother would like her.
"What shall we talk about today?" she asks.
"The sky. Describe the sky for me, Jenna."
"It's blue, Locke. You remember that, don't you? The color of my eyes. Look into my eyes, and you will see the sky."