Page 75 of Captured Immune

When we finally make it to the other side of the cliff, Carlos stops to examine a large crack running up the rocky wall.

“There’s a hidden keypad here somewhere.” Carlos sticks his hand between the crack and feels up and down. We all wait a moment before he sighs. “I—I can’t find it. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong crack.”

Pixie whips the knife out of her back pocket and points it at the old man’s face. “Or maybe you’re just purposely wasting our goddamn time. Is there even a tunnel here?”

Carlos throws his arms up in surrender. “I swear there is!”

“Point to where the entrance is,” Katie says. “I’ll get it open.”

With Pixie still pointing her knife at him, Carlos gestures toward a part of the cliff that looks the same as all the other parts of the cliff. “It’s around there.”

“How big is it?” Katie asks.

“I dunno. Maybe big enough for a small car to fit through?”

“Okay. Everyone, stand back.”

I take about three steps backward. So does everyone else.

Katie shakes her head at us. “Um, no. You’re gonna want to have a lot more space than that, I promise you.”

Without a word, everyone takes another ten big steps back until our feet almost touch the waterline. It must be far enough because Katie twists around to aim her stare at the cliff.

Suddenly, a square part of the cliff glows red, thenBOOM!Debris fireworks through the air. Rocks the size of watermelons land in the sand with hard thuds. A cloud of dirt and sand makes me cough. In the corner of my eye, I see Carlos lift his hand and circle it above his head. A gust of wind blows the debris away. Once the air clears, it reveals a dark tunnel and a grinning Katie.

Carlos lowers his arm, then the wind stops. “Told ya there’s a tunnel.”

Pixie shoves her knife back into her pocket, then pats Carlos on the shoulder. “You did good, old man.”

“Where does this tunnel let out?” Ruby asks.

“The forest, I assume,” Carlos says. “I haven’t actually walked through it. I just knew it was here.”

“Dash?”

“On it.” With awhoosh!the Speeder disappears.

This time, he’s gone for almost ten seconds. The whole time, I expand my powers upward to sense how things are going upstairs. From what I can tell, a lot of people have died. The number of people I can sense has almost halved. Thankfully, I don’t sense anyone on their way down here—yet.

Whoosh!“The tunnel is about a half mile long. It lets out into the forest. I even surveyed the area up top. It’s clear.”

Ruby lights up her palms with fireballs, then throws them into the tunnel to light the way. “All righty, peeps. Let’s get this Ordinary outta here.”

I’m so overwhelmed with gratitude, I’m speechless. This is the ZIRDA I know: a team who works together to do good things, to save Ordinaries, and to keep the Royals from causing harm. This is what I thought I was working for this whole time. This is what I’ve wanted to be a part of my entire life.

17

TREY

Ruby leadsthe group with her fireballs flickering against the tunnel walls. I’ve got Pixie on my left and Katie on my right. Carlos and Dash are at my heels. I think I trust the men now—not enough to ask one of them to carry Arella, but I trust them enough to let them walk behind me without wondering if they’ll try something. Even if they do, the women will stop them. I’m sure of it.

“Is Pixie your real name?” I ask as our footsteps echo with each step. The silence was killing me.

“Nah. I go by Pixie here because my real name is Anna Jung. It’s kinda lame and plain for how badass I am, huh?”

“That’s not as lame asmyreal name,” Ruby says. “My family’s been calling me Ruby since I was born, and I’ve been going by it ever since. Barely anyone even knows what my real name is.”

“Idon’t even know what your real name is,” Pixie says. “And we’re besties.”

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