Page 112 of Locke 2

No, he needed Kali to be alive because fuck him, he didn’t care if he was breathing. He only cared that Locke didn’t lose Kali. It was the only happiness he’d ever tasted. If the doctor killed her, the Max he knew and saw flicker in him would be gone forever.

Jem didn’t need another fucking misery to be responsible for.

Shaking, he collected his breaths.

In, out.

In, out.

If this fucker wanted to hunt him, he’d have to give him a good chase.

If he was hunting him and Kali was in the hole, they might still have a chance. He just needed a signal. He needed to tell Locke about the hole.

He couldn’t risk dying with that knowledge.

Forty-Seven

Kali

The room was bright. Aurora was skipping rope and singing a tune. I sat up slowly, squinting my eyes at the bright light. I looked around. We were in a room.

My heart seized.

We were in her bedroom. Balloons were scattered around us. Her birthday banner was hung on the wall. She was in her blue birthday dress she’d picked out. Her tiara was fitted nicely over her head.

She looked like a real princess.

“You’re up,” she squealed. “You made it, Kali! This is our farewell party. Are you excited?”

I looked at the table. A teacup party was arranged. But there was real cake on the table. It was the pink unicorn cake I’d saved up to get her. It was my birthday present to Aurora, and she never got to see it. But she was seeing it now and smiling—

???

I cracked my eyes open and tried to breathe. My chest was tight and the pain radiating through my body was unlike anything I’d ever felt. There was blackness everywhere. I couldn’t see anything. I tried to move, but a knifelike pain radiated from my leg, causing me to cry out.

My body felt like one giant heartbeat. It pulsed and ached. I couldn’t breathe through the agony. I closed my eyes and tried to.

“Aurora?” I whispered.

Nothing but cold darkness greeted me.

I didn’t try to move my body again. It would just hurt too much. I could move my eyes though. Not that it helped me. I couldn’t see in front of me. I didn’t know what was there. The cement floor was cold and damp.

“Hello?” I whispered to the empty void. “Is anyone here?”

I had never felt so alone. Grief struck me, and I couldn’t breathe.

Until I heard the silence answer back. “Hello.”

I froze. Time froze. For a single second, I didn’t feel pain or horror. A rush of happiness hit me. Tears flowed down my face. “Lenny, is that you?”

He took a few seconds to answer. “Yes.”

Oh, my God. “Are you able to follow my voice? I’m right here. This is Kari, from class.”

“Kari?” His voice was tiny, uncertain.

“Yes, Len. Come to me. I’ve got my arms out. It’s me. It’s Kari. Remember, I like raptors and you like T-Rexes.”

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