Page 76 of Ghosts of the Dead

Luna’s ears prick forward, and a low growl builds in her throat until her body vibrates.

“Shit. We need to get out of this place. Run as hard and as fast as you can, and don’t stop to fight unless you absolutely have to,” Jace says.

Autumn tries to pull her hand out of mine, but I tighten my grip. She lets out a surprised squeak. “Caspian, you can run faster without me holding you back. It’ll be easier this way, for both of us.”

“As corny as this sounds, you’re my light in the dark. I’m not letting you go. Not again.”

Jace appears right beside us, making us both jump. “Look, you two can do whatever you want to make up once we get out of here, but right now, we really need to go. Even if I have to knock you out and drag your bodies out myself.”

A low growl echoes through the tunnel, getting louder with every second. Slithering feet, wet snapping mouths, and bones dragging along the asphalt join the symphony of the undead. Shadows twist at the far end of the tunnel, moving wrong and limping fast.

Luna bares her teeth.

Rotters. A lot of them. Freshly freed in the tunnel collapse.

“Go,” Jace shouts, pushing us into motion. Mars follows close behind with his flashlight bobbing wildly as he runs.

I grip Autumn’s hand tighter and take off at a dead sprint, pulling her along with me at a pace she struggles to match.

Luna races ahead. Her brown and black fur is barely visible in the darkness while she darts between abandoned cars.

The tunnel feels like it’s closing in. The sounds around us multiply. There are too many.

“Stay still, Caspian. Stay quiet.”My brother’s last words before he stepped out of our hiding place to draw them away.

I blink hard, trying to push the memory away. Not now. Not here.

“Cas, let go,” Autumn says. She almost sounds out of breath. “You’ll run faster without me.”

I cut off whatever other nonsense she’s about to say. “I told you I’m not letting you go. Not again.” And I mean it. I mean it so hard, it hurts.

She stumbles, but she keeps moving. We sprint pastrotters, and I don’t look back. My back throbs where the rocks hit me when I shielded her, but the pain is distant, secondary to getting her out alive.

Rotters are all around us, but I’ve got Autumn’s hand in mine, and that’s the only thing that matters right now. Until it slips away.

Her fingers slide from mine when she trips. The sound she makes when she hits the ground punches through my chest, and I stop cold.

Run. Save yourself. Like you did before.

“Keep going, I’m right behind you,” Autumn rushes out. She reaches to push herself up, but her hands slide on the loose gravel and she falls again.

Like hell I will.

I whip around and sprint back for her. She’s nothing but a shadow in the dark, but I find her with ease. She’s on one knee, in the process of standing again, but I don’t hesitate. I scoop her into my arms as though I’ve done it a thousand times. She fits there too well. Too right. Too dangerous.

She gasps and grabs onto my shirt. I imagine her eyes wide with panic and her voice ready to argue, telling me more nonsense about saving myself, but I’m already moving. I’m not letting her go. Not again. Not ever.

“Cas—”

“I’ve got you,” I grit out. “Hold on to me, Autumn.”

Luna circles back and appears beside us with a snarl as she snaps at another rotter reaching out for us. She keeps pace, darting between our legs and the undead, buying us precious seconds.

The light from Mars’s flashlight is too far ahead. I’m running blind through the dark tunnel, straining my ears to catch every sound of each nearby rotter, dodging them as best I can while trying not to trip over Luna.

The rotters reach out for us, but their decaying fingersonly grasp the air while we soar past. My ghosts come out to play, taunting me, telling me I’ll never make it.

You let him die. You let your brother die to protect you, so how could you keep Autumn from the same fate?

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