Page 101 of Blood Ties
My triumph sputters out as fingers close around my wrist. Knox stirs weakly, lifts his head just enough to look at me. His face is a mask of blood.
He tries to say something. I’m not sure if it’sKaiorRy. Either way, more blood than sound comes out of his mouth, spilling down over his chin, and his eyes roll back.
I yank free of his grip as it goes slack, and suck in a shuddering breath. No time to think or feel. I return to Kai, who’s slumping sideways again, his eyes fluttering. Thank God, he’s way too out of it to notice that Knox is still alive.
“Let’s get out of here,” I tell him, my voice shaking.
I straighten up, grab Kai by the shoulders, and drag him across the tile. It’s not gentle — I wince every time his ruined leg hits something — but it’s the only way I can move him.
My own body is barely holding up, and the smoke is making my head spin. I’m gasping for air by the time I make it beyond the porch, where Knox’s truck awaits.
I open the passenger door, and then stare at it, despair curdling in my belly. Of course it had to be a goddamn truck. How am I supposed to get Kai into it without doing further damage?
But I grit my teeth and reach down to grab him. I don’t have a choice. I know for a fact that if I leave Kai here, he will die. He only has a chance if I get him into this truck, so I have to do it, further damage or not.
I lift him beneath the arms, straining with the effort. Inch by inch, I ease him into the seat as carefully as I can. His mangled leg is still hanging out, so with a grimace, I grab his thigh — above the worst of the damage — and push it into the cabin. Kai cries out, and I let go as quickly as I can.
“I’m sorry.” I grab his hands and direct them to the blanket on his leg. “Keep pressure on it, okay?”
“O... okay.” I’m glad to hear him talking, but it terrifies me how weak he sounds. Even breathing sounds painful, air whistling in his throat. He wets his lip and struggles for breath, looking at me as he asks, “Knox?”
“He’s...” I hesitate for a split second. “He’s dead, Kai.” It’s not a lie, not really, when it’ll be truth soon enough. The smoke is thickening as the fire spreads through the house, and Knox wasn’t in any state to make it out of there.
There’s a flicker of pain in Kai’s eyes before he shuts them and turns away.
His head is lolling by the time I climb into the driver’s seat, his grip on the filthy blanket going limp. It’s already soaked through with blood.
“Kai, please, try to stay awake,” I beg.
He opens his eyes just a sliver. He drags his head up with obvious effort to look at me.
“We’re getting out of here,” I say. “Both of us.”
I turn the key, and the truck starts up with a roar. It should feel like victory, but it terrifies me that the noise drowns out Kai’s shallow breathing. As I turn onto the dirt road that leads to freedom, I can’t stop looking over at him, trying to verify that he’s still with me. But once I reach the main road, his eyes slide shut again.
“Stay with me,” I beg, pressing my foot harder against the pedal, willing this truck to go faster. “We’re almost there. Look!”
Kai doesn’t answer. Doesn’t even try to open his eyes.
As the truck swerves, I’m forced to turn my attention forward again — to the beautiful sight of the open road, and the world beyond.
When I glance back in the mirror, for a second I swear I see three figures standing on the road, silhouetted against the flames that consume the farmhouse. My stomach drops, but then I recognize them — Felix, Caleb, May. My friends that didn’t make it out. A blink, and they’re gone.
“We’re free,” I say, and start to sob. I slam my foot on the gas and speed toward sunlight.
