Page 63 of Captured Immune

I shrug my shoulders with anotherI dunnolook. “Maybe I would have told you the same thing?”

“But I’m assigned as her overseer. I’d know if Victor wanted her there or not. What kind of dumb plan is that?”

“Listen, I never said it was any good.”

“It’s shit, is what it is.”

I think I prefer the mousey version of Katie. This one is mean. “All right,” I huff, even though she’s right, “you come up with something better.”

“I already have. That’s why those perrizo guns are preloaded for you. Again, room 317. Far back right cabinet. Once you get those guns, aim at whoever you see. Once everyone’s gifts are subdued, you’ll have a better chance of getting outta here with the Immune—alive.

“Now, before you go, remember that vision I had when we first met? I lied about what I saw.” Katie reaches down her shirt and pulls out a shiny object from her bra.

I move my fireball closer to it, then gasp. It’s Arella’s angel-wings necklace. But why does Katie have it?

“In my real vision, you were outside an apartment building, asking a woman where her angel-wings necklace was. You said something about it being proof. Later, when I saw the Immune for the first time, I realized she was the woman from my vision. And there she was, wearing an angel-wings necklace. I thought maybe she didn’t have it in the future because Victor stole it. I took it off her to give to you. Hopefully, I just prevented my vision from happening.”

“Thank you, Katie. You have no idea how much this necklace means to me.” I accept the jewelry. As our hands touch, Katie’s breath hitches and her eyes go blank. Seconds later, she blinks and returns to the present.

I place the necklace into my front jeans pocket for safekeeping until I can hook it back where it belongs. “Did you just get another vision?”

“Yes. I—I think I just saw your death.”

My lungs stop working. “What?”

“And I think it’s soon.”

Shit.“Describe your vision to me. What did you see?”

Katie shuts her eyes and thinks. “Um, you were running from some men. Probably Royals. Three of ’em. They catch up. One is a Slasher. He stabs you. Left side of your stomach. You collapse to the ground as the other two drag the Immune into a van. You get stabbed again, and that’s it. Everything goes black. My visions never black out like that unless... well, you know.”

I gulp as the trauma of seeing my parents’ mutilated faces whips through my mind. Is the Slasher who attacked them the same one who’s going to kill me?

“On the bright side,” Katie says, “this vision means you manage to get the Immune outta here alive.”

Her words give me no reassurance. “Where am I when this happens?”

“I’m not sure. I saw shops. One had cats in it. Lots of ’em. Toy cats. Golden with one arm waving.”

Golden toy cats waving?What the fuck? What kind of shop sells those? “What time of day was it?”

“Maybe late afternoon? The sun was out for sure. God, they’re going to kill you in broad daylight. The bastards.”

Hell no, they’re not.“I’ll make sure to avoid any shops with waving cats while the sun is up from now on.”

“Good.” From the inner pocket of her jacket, Katie pulls out an ID card with her name and face on it. “Take this. You’ll need it to access room 317.”

I shove the card into my back pocket. “Thanks.”

“Oh, and you’ll need the code for her door. It’s 5634.”

Goddammit.How am I supposed to remember all this? I repeat the numbers in my head a few times. “Okay. Got it.”

“All right. You ready for the most important part?”

“There’s more?”

She tilts her head back to look me square in the eyes. “You need to punch me.”

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