Текст книги "Sunset Rising"

Автор книги: S. McEachern

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Текущая страница: 20 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

Chapter Thirty

I went directly to the common room after work hoping to find Jack there, but he wasn’t. His climb up out of the mine was significantly longer than the few levels I had to descend to get there. I noticed Terra sitting alone eating, so I picked up my rations and sat with her.

“Oh, hi!” she said. “I’ve never seen you here this early before.”

“For a change, I didn’t have to work late tonight.”

“I usually wait and eat with David, but I’m starving!”

A guard came into the room and turned on the television. The official presidential seal appeared on the screen. There hadn’t been a speech from the president since he appealed to the people to find Jack and me.

Terra narrowed her eyes. “I wonder what that’s all about.”

“I don’t know.”

I wondered what it was all about too. Had Gina reported me? Was this going to be an appeal for someone to hand us over to Holt? Or maybe it was about the riot last night. I doubted it would be about Crystal. Malcolm West would handle her himself. It had to be about either the riot or Jack and me.

Jack came in with a few of the other miners and scanned the room. I waved to him. He nodded toward the screen, looking uneasy.

Terra’s husband David was the first to join us, and others came toward our table with their food. A few of us got up and pushed tables together making more room. We were all leery of what the president had to say.

“What were you able to find out about Crystal today?” I asked Jack when he was sitting beside me. Everyone at the table quieted down at my question.

“She’s with West in the most heavily guarded wing of the Dome.”

“But you have a plan, right?” I asked.

“It’s not an easy plan. First I need a couple of Domer uniforms.”

A few people laughed out loud. “You’re right, that isn’t going to be easy,” David said. “In fact, it’s going to be impossible.”

“Maybe not. If Sunny and I disguise ourselves as guards, we can get upstairs into the Dome. Once we’re on the main floor, my computer will be back online, and I’ll be able to get into the storage room where they keep the uniforms. As Domers, no one will question our presence on the tenth floor.”

“Your plan sounds complicated,” Raine said. I hadn’t noticed him joining the table. My heart jumped a little when I saw Reyes beside him.

“We’re here to help,” Reyes said curtly, never taking his eyes off my face.

“I’m glad.” I didn’t want Reyes to be my enemy. I had enough of those.

“Good, because Raine and I plan on going with him to rescue Crystal. You stay here,” Reyes said to me. I couldn’t believe he was still barking orders at me after all I’d said to him. He would never change.

“Thank you for your concern, Reyes. Jack and I have it covered.”

Reyes opened his mouth to respond to me, but Jack cut him off. “We appreciate both of you volunteering to help, but the fewer people involved in this, the better chance we have of succeeding.”

He would have continued, but the national anthem began to play, heralding the president’s address. The picture of the presidential seal turned into an image of Holt himself. Everyone in the room turned their attention to the screen.

“I bid everyone good evening,” the president said in his usual manner. “Yesterday’s riot was a most unfortunate event. I am told that no one was hurt or killed, for which I can only thank God. I truly believe that if not for His divine intervention, evil may have triumphed over good. And I know what that evil is! I know Jack Kenner and Sunset O’Donnell are hiding in the Pit. And I know Jack Kenner is spreading his filthy treasonous words and convincing the good people of the Pit to rebel against me. What surprises me is that people are listening to him. We were all appalled to hear Crystal Adams singing words of treason. A sweet, innocent girl corrupted by the words of a traitor!”

An Alliance guard came running into the room and headed straight to Jack.

“Domers in the Pit. Lots of them,” he whispered urgently.

“How many?” Jack asked.

“At least twenty per level. They’re heavily armed.”

“To everyone living in the Pit, I ask you if you think you know Jack Kenner as I do—a conniving manipulator intent on destroying people’s lives. Look at how he betrayed my daughter. Now he’s using all of you to strike back at me. To cause dissention in our Dome!” Holt paused for a moment, his face reddening with anger. “I will not tolerate treason!” he yelled, coming to his feet behind the presidential desk. He pointed directly at the camera. “You brought this on yourselves for listening to that evil traitor!”

Jack moaned. “Oh dear God.” He grabbed my head and pressed it into his chest. “Don’t look,” he yelled to everyone in the room.

I pushed my head away from Jack in time to see an image of Crystal. She was blindfolded and standing against a white stone wall. The blindfold was wet with tears and in an almost inaudible whisper I heard her singing her song. Then the unseen guns fired. I watched Crystal’s body spasm as each bullet hit her and her body fell to the floor, almost in slow motion, out of sight of the camera.

Someone screamed, and then I realized it was me. Jack was holding either side of my face, looking at me with a wild expression.

“I won’t ever let that happen to you! Do you hear me? They will never do that to you!” He had to yell above the din of the chaos that had erupted all around us.

I became vaguely aware that everyone in the room was on their feet. Some people were throwing their tables over in a fit of rage. The president’s face came back on the screen, but few people were paying attention now. The crowd pulsed with fury.

The president continued his tirade, spittle running down one side of his chin. “Let this be a warning to anyone caught cooperating with Jack Kenner. I do not tolerate traitors, and I will kill every last one of you. I know where you are, Jack Kenner, and I’m coming for you.”

I wanted to reach through the screen and beat Holt to death with my bare hands. How could such an evil being exist? How could he take such a sweet girl with the voice of an angel and kill her? He was the epitome of evil, and he had to be stopped.

Domers were coming into the room threatening to use tear gas, but instead of compliance they were met with fists and chairs being broken over their heads. Jack released me and charged at one of the Domers. I stood up to join the fight, but stopped when I heard a moan somewhere beside me. I looked down to see Terra gripping her stomach. David’s chair was empty. She was alone.

“I have to get you out of here,” I said.

“When they shot her…” Terra began, but broke down in tears. “When they shot her, the shock was too great.”

“I know.” Tears streamed from my own eyes. I needed to get myself together.

I took Terra’s arm and wrapped it around my neck and helped her stand up. Her pants were soaked. Her water had broken, and she was in labour. The room was in total chaos, and it would be a challenge to get to the door. I stayed close to the wall, putting myself between her and the fighting. A crowd had forced two Domers to the ground and was pummelling them with their fists and feet.

I reached the door and went out into the hall. It was just as chaotic as the room we had left. Terra was gripped by a contraction, and we had to stop. I was getting worried about them using tear gas again and wondered if I should take off my shirt now and put it over Terra’s mouth, like Jack had done for me. But it looked like the Domers were losing. Holt had underestimated our reaction.

“Okay,” Terra said when the contraction had stopped.

We resumed our trek down the hall, dodging falling bodies and fists that seemed to be flying everywhere. Ahead of us, a chorus of screams went up, and I knew something was coming our way. I didn’t have to wonder for very long. Soldiers were beating their way into the hall, and we were in their path. I looked behind me to find an alternative escape route, but the crowd was beginning to scatter with the approaching army, clogging the hallway.

“Flatten yourself to the wall,” I said. We would have to make room for the soldiers and hope they passed us by without incident.

They marched past us followed by a group of Domers. We were almost in the clear when two of the Domers came walking back to us. My heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. Was it too much to wish that they just wanted to help a pregnant woman in distress?

“Give me your hand,” one of them demanded. When I failed to follow his order, he took my hand. He waved a scanner across it. “Autumn Jones… aka Sunset O’Donnell. We got you.”

My mouth dropped open in shock. How did they know? Then I remembered Gina. She must have reported me. They would have all the information about Autumn Jones, including the floor I lived on. They knew where to come looking for me.

The guards grabbed me by my arms, forcing me to let go of Terra. I gave her a terrified look.

“She needs help. She’s in labour,” I said.

“That doesn’t concern us,” one of them said, no trace of emotion in his voice.

I wrenched myself free of his grasp and threw a punch at the Domer in front of me, aiming for his exposed torso. Surprised by my assault, he bent forward as his breath left him with a groan. I was already bringing my knee up when the other guard grabbed me from behind and lifted me off the floor. I kicked my legs wildly in an attempt to get free, but the other guard took a baton from his belt and touched me with it. An electric jolt went through me, making me go limp. The guard holding my arms twisted them behind my back and secured my wrists with cuffs. They forced me down the hall and up the stairs.

There were still a lot of people on the stairs even though soldiers were using their fists and the butts of their rifles to beat them into submission. I heard someone scream my name, but I couldn’t identify the source. I didn’t think it was Jack. There was a commotion behind me, and a gunshot rang out. My entire body jerked in response to the reverberating sound. How many people would be shot today? How many would die?

They opened the door and marched me out of the Pit. As the door shut behind us, the sounds of gunfire and screaming were replaced with soft music piped in through the speaker system. The Dome was bright, and I had to shut my eyes against the glare. But the guards marched on, and I stumbled blindly with them. They stopped at the reception desk and scanned in.

The big steel door was opened, and we crossed the threshold into the Dome. I peeked out from my narrowed eyelids and looked around the room. It was a stark contrast to the battleground we had just left. A few people were lounging by the fire, drinks in hand and deep in conversation. Another person was curled up on a chair reading a book. All were oblivious to the war being fought right beneath their feet.

The guards dragged me to an elevator and marched me in when the doors opened. One of the guards pressed a button for the tenth floor. That was the presidential floor. Were they taking me straight to Holt? Maybe I wouldn’t have to face a firing squad like Crystal. The image of her dying was permanently burned into my brain, and it terrified me. Maybe the president would kill me with his bare hands. I think that would be preferable to everyone watching me be executed.

The elevator doors opened, and they dragged me to the entrance with the Holt family name printed above it. I had been there before when Leisel had invited me to pretend to be her on her wedding day, so I knew this was where the president’s living quarters were located. I wondered why they were taking me there instead of the president’s office. Silently I prayed Summer wasn’t going to be there. She wouldn’t be very happy to see me die.

But the guards didn’t take me to the president’s suites. They stopped in front of Leisel’s apartment. I forced my eyes to open wider and looked at their faces through their visors. Then I recognized one of them—Leisel’s boyfriend Desmond. Why hadn’t I recognized him before? He knocked on the door, and Leisel answered it.

“I brought you a present,” he said, taking off his helmet. He gave her a big smile. Leisel almost jumped into his arms, knocking me out of the way.

“Oh, Dezzi, do you know how much I love you?” Leisel exclaimed, kissing him on the mouth.

“You better, considering all the things I do for you.” He kissed her back.

“But this is the best thing!” Leisel removed herself from his embrace to take a look at me. “Well, well. The elusive Sunny O’Donnell. Get her inside.”

The guards pulled me into the apartment and forced me down into a chair. She walked over to me and pulled the hat off my head. My hair spilled down around my shoulders.

“I recognize this. It’s Jack’s,” she said, looking at the hat. Then she looked at my hair. “Black?” She curled a few strands around her finger and rubbed it. “It’s coal! That’s ingenious, Sunny. And have you put on weight or…” She felt my shoulders and chest. “You’re still wearing that thing.” She laughed at the bulletproof vest. “Well, you certainly are a master of disguise. I mean, even on my wedding day you were absolutely brilliant. No one suspected a thing.”

She looked at me with laughter in her eyes. I realized she was every bit as deranged as her father. Maybe more.

“What? You have nothing to say for yourself?” she asked.

“What would I have to say to a conniving little bitch like you?”

“You might want to be a little nicer to your captor. I can do whatever I please with you.”

“Do what you like. I’m dead anyway.”

“Brave words.” She laughed. “But if you don’t willingly tell me where Jack is, let’s just say you’ll be begging me to kill you.”

“I don’t know where he is,” I said, truthfully. At that precise moment, I didn’t have a clue where Jack Kenner was.

“Really? Do you want to know how I found you?” Despite my disinterested expression, she continued. “I intercepted a tip from someone named Gina who was hoping to collect the reward. She said a tall girl by the name of Autumn Jones was working in laundry. I checked the name and found out Autumn and Benjamin Jones are living on the fourth level. So I sent Desmond to see if Autumn might be Sunny O’Donnell, and here you are. Now I’d like to know where your husband is.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I assume Benjamin Jones is Jack Kenner.” She scrutinized my face to see my reaction. I averted my eyes from her gaze, afraid they might give away my emotions. “Or maybe you’re living with that handsome boyfriend you told me about. What did you say his name was?”

“I didn’t,” I snapped.

“Oh, touchy subject. Here I thought you’ve been living happily ever after with Jack, but now I think maybe you weren’t.” I could almost see the wheels working in her head. “I’m sure Summer knows his name. I’ll have a chat with her while I’m at my father’s for dinner tonight. So here’s the deal. You tell me where Jack is and I’ll let your boyfriend live. You don’t and I’ll have him brought here and shot in the head in front of you.”

Crystal’s execution replayed in my head again, and hot tears stung my eyes at the thought of Reyes being killed in front of me. I knew she would do it, but there was no way I would tell her where Jack was. My only hope was that Summer wouldn’t tell her Reyes’s name. Given that Leisel was a master manipulator, I knew my hope was in vain. She could easily trick that information out of Summer.

“Change your mind yet?” Leisel asked. I remained silent. “I will get my way, Sunny. I want Jack so I can give my father the matching set. He’ll be so proud of me. He might even make me president right there and then.” She laughed with glee. “But now I have to meet him for dinner, so I’ll be nice and give you a few hours to think about our little deal. When I come back, I’ll have your boyfriend’s name. The choice will be yours.” She turned to Desmond. “Tie her up.”

“Do you want me to stay and guard her?”

“Obviously! But stay inside the apartment. You’ll arouse suspicion standing around outside.”

Leisel watched Desmond tie me to a chair and pulled the rope to make sure it was secure. Then she gave him a passionate kiss and told him again how good he was to her.

I got the impression she was manipulating him, too.

Chapter Thirty-One

Desmond eyed me warily and then turned his back on me. He stripped off the rifle that was slung across his back and unsnapped his belt that held the tear gas canister and knives. He went into the kitchen for a glass of water and then took up residence on the sofa.

“It seems like Leisel really loves you,” I said.

He glared at me. “Did I tell you to talk?”

“I was just making conversation. I mean, it’s going to be a long night sitting here in silence.”

“Well, if you want to talk so much, how about you tell me where Kenner is?”

“I really don’t know. I’ve always been honest with Leisel. I don’t know why she doesn’t trust me now.”

“She doesn’t trust you because you’re protecting Kenner.”

“Why would I protect him? He’s just another no-good bourge who thinks he’s better than everyone else. The only reason I’m married to him is because Leisel tricked me into it.”

Desmond narrowed his eyes. “Leisel thinks you two are hiding together.”

“If he’s down there, then someone else is hiding him.” I hoped he would believe my lie.

He eyed the ball cap that sat on the table. “What are you doing with his hat then?”

“I took it from his closet before I left.”

“Yeah, and I suppose you’re the one who knocked out the guards assigned to his apartment. You’re lying.”

“Of course he was the one who took out the guards. I told him I would get him down to the Pit if he could get us out of there. And that’s what I did. I got him to the Pit and said goodbye. I don’t know if he stayed or if he left. But one thing I can tell you, bourge are not welcome down there. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s up here somewhere.” Lying was coming easier to me.

Desmond studied me for a moment. “I don’t trust you.”

“You don’t trust me? You’re in love with a woman who betrayed her fiancé and used me to do it. Don’t forget, Jack Kenner thought she was in love with him, too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just that I can’t help but think if she could do it to one man…” I let him finish my thought.

“Leisel is in love with me. She trusts me.” He was almost yelling.

“I’m sure she does trust you.” I forced my voice to stay calm. “You’ve been very useful to her. Did I say useful? I meant helpful. You’ve been very helpful.”

He slammed his fist down on the arm of the sofa. “I think it’s time for you to shut up.”

I could tell by how angry he was that I should leave him alone. Now I just hoped the seeds of distrust I had planted would take root. If Desmond stopped working for Leisel, there would be no one to do her dirty work. No one to bother Reyes. The plan was weak, but I couldn’t think of another.

After a few minutes of silence, Desmond got up and paced the room. He was obviously deep in thought. I had never manipulated anyone like that before and was surprised at how easy it was. Leisel was a good teacher.

I kept my gaze on the floor, glancing at Desmond every so often. The look of confusion and anger on his face told me that my plan was working. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I knew she would be back soon. Of course I had to keep in mind that Leisel really was the master of manipulation and she could easily calm all of his fears and have him wrapped around her finger again.

I nearly jumped when there was a sharp knock at the door. Desmond was immediately alert and went quickly to the door.

“Who is it?” he demanded.

“Leisel sent me to pick up the prisoner,” said a male voice from the other side of the door.

Desmond gave me a sharp look. I gave him my best “I told you so” look. Angrily, he pulled open the door and was met by the butt end of a rifle smashing into his face. He dropped to the floor, obviously dazed by the blow. A Domer walked in, letting the door close behind him. I recognized Jack under the visor.

Desmond sprang to his feet and reached for Jack’s rifle with both hands. The two men struggled, sending a vase crashing to the floor. The noise was so loud I braced myself for more guards to come running in, but none did. Jack had Desmond backed against a wall and used the rifle like a bar to pin him there. With his visor still on, Jack head-butted Desmond, smacking his head into the wall. A vacant expression came over Desmond’s face, and Jack let him drop to the floor.

“Miss me?” Jack asked as he crossed the room and untied my binds.

“How did you find me?”

“I saw them take you. I recognized Leisel’s pet.” He motioned with his head in the direction of Desmond.

“How did you get in here?”

“Leisel has the cameras jammed again, and I’m beginning to suspect she owns the guards on this level. It explains why they disappear whenever she needs them gone.”

“Did you find Terra?”

“She’s fine. Or I think she is. She was giving birth when I left to come up here.”

“Thank God!” I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. “Leisel will be back any minute.”

“Then let’s get out of here.” Jack returned to Desmond and stripped the uniform off his limp body.

“Leisel is going to go after Reyes.”

He handed me Desmond’s uniform, and I put it on. It was too big for me, but with a few tucks and the added weight of the bulletproof vest, I could pass.

“What does she want with Reyes?”

“She wanted to know where you were, and I told her we went our separate ways after we escaped. But she knew that Autumn Jones has been living with someone and wanted to know who that someone was. When I wouldn’t tell her, she guessed it might be my boyfriend that I told her about when we were drinking wine in your apartment that night.”

“Does she know his name? What other information did you give her that night?”

“I didn’t give her his name, but she’s going to try and weasel it out of Summer. And I don’t know what else I told her. I was drunk. I don’t remember.”

“Yeah, you were pretty drunk.” Jack chuckled.

Once I had the uniform looking like it fit, I put the belt with the tear gas and knives around my waist. It was heavy, and I cinched it as tight as I could. It fell off.

“Leave it. Maybe no one will notice,” Jack said.

I dropped it on the floor and slung the rifle across my back. The final piece of the uniform was the helmet, and I took a moment to tuck my hair up inside it. Jack opened the door, looked both ways, and then motioned for me to follow him.

It took every bit of my will power not to sprint down the hall and out of view of Leisel’s apartment. I breathed a sigh of relief when we made it into the stairwell and closed the door silently behind us.

“We can’t go back. She knows where we live,” I said.

“I figured as much.” He started down the stairs.

“Where are we going?”

“To the Pit.”

“What’s happening in the Pit right now? Are they still fighting?”

“It’s on lockdown, although not many people went willingly to their homes. It’s not pretty down there.”

“Jack, we can’t go back down there. We might start another riot if a guard recognizes us and tries to take us into custody. Everyone’s been through enough with Crystal’s execution.” My voice was hoarse with emotion. I didn’t want to start crying now, not while we were trying to escape Leisel. But regret for not coming to Crystal’s rescue earlier plagued me. Why did we wait?

Jack stopped suddenly and walked back up the few steps separating us. He pulled me roughly into his arms. “What happened to Crystal is not going to happen to you. I won’t let it.”

I could plainly see that her execution had affected Jack just as much it had me. If watching her die wasn’t horrific enough, we both knew we were doomed to the same fate.

“Jack, you might not be able to stop it.” I pulled away just far enough to look into his eyes. “But that doesn’t make it your fault. If anything happens, you need to understand this was out of your control.” A series of emotions played across his face until he hardened his lips into a straight line.

“I’ll do everything I can. As long as we can get back down into the Pit we’ll be okay for a few hours. David and Terra are waiting for us.”

“We can’t put them in that kind of danger.”

“It’s safe. Even if the guards run a routine check-in during the lockdown, no one is going to come in and search the apartment. There’s no reason to.”

I hesitated, but had little choice left for a place to hide. I followed him down the ten flights of stairs and out into the main lobby. We walked through the lobby as if we had every right to be there. No one questioned us. When we got to the door, a guard asked us to scan in. Jack kept going right past him, and I kept pace.

“No time. There’s an emergency down there,” Jack said gruffly and quickened his pace. Domers outranked guards assigned to the Pit and reception duty, so the guard didn’t question Jack any further.

We strode through the doors to the Pit and descended the stone stairs. I could hear a distant hum of voices, and as we came closer to the first level, I made out hundreds of voices singing Crystal’s song, just as they had the night before. The emotions bubbling up inside me threatened to cut off my breathing, but I fought back the tears and won.

I wished with all my heart I could just go back to our apartment, curl up beside Jack on our bed, and have a good cry. But we didn’t have a home anymore. There was nowhere left to run.

As we passed each level, I saw at least three or four Domers still on duty. I guess with everyone singing about rebellion they weren’t going to take any chances. I was relieved to see the army gone. I wondered how many people had lost their lives that day. How many more would follow. The fighting was so senseless. All we were asking was to be treated with respect, but they couldn’t even grant us that.

Jack left the stairs on the fifth level, and I followed. I didn’t see any Domers on this level, just guards from the Pit. Jack raised his visor and nodded to them. They were with the Alliance. He walked a short distance down the hall before he stopped at an apartment and knocked on the door. David opened it and motioned for us to come in. I was surprised to see Bron there, too.

“Are you okay, Sunny? Did she hurt you?” Bron asked as soon as David closed the door.

“No she didn’t hurt me. But she might come looking for Reyes. She was going to try and use him to get information out of me. Hopefully, she leaves him alone now that I’ve escaped, but she might go after him if she thinks he knows where I am.”

“We’ll keep a close eye on him, although Reyes can look after himself. He’s been doing very well in training,” Bron said.

“How’s Terra? Did she have the baby?”

“She and the baby are fine,” David said with a smile. “They’re in the bedroom if you want to say hello.”

I walked over to the bedroom and peeked in. Terra was lying on the bed gazing down at the sleeping infant beside her. I knocked softly at the door, not wanting to wake the baby.

“Sunny!” Terra whispered excitedly. “I thought I heard your voice. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. How are you?” I asked, coming into the room.

“I didn’t know what to do when they took you. I wanted to help you, but I couldn’t even stand up.”

“I’m just relieved you didn’t end up having the baby in the hallway. Jack told me that David was able to get you home in time.”

“David was beside me a few seconds after the Domers took you, and then Jack was running after you. David took me straight home, but with all the fighting, he couldn’t find a midwife and ended up helping me himself. I don’t know who was more scared, him or me.” She chuckled.

I looked down at the tiny little bundle. “The baby is adorable. A little boy?”

“A girl.”

“I know you wanted a boy,” I said gently, hoping she wasn’t disappointed. But by the misty-eyed look of love in her eyes, she wasn’t.

“I’m going to name her Sunny, so she knows to fight back if someone doesn’t treat her right.”

“I’m very flattered, Terra. She’s beautiful.” I wanted to tell her that there were prettier names out there than Sunny, but she seemed quite taken with her choice. And I really was flattered. “You better get some rest. You look exhausted.”

I gave her a kiss on the cheek and gave the baby one last look. Terra’s eyes were already fluttering shut, so I quietly left the room and joined the others.

“There were at least a hundred casualties today, maybe more,” Bron was saying when I came into the room.

“That many?” I asked in shock.

“There were just as many on their side. Only ten Domers made it out alive. A few guards were killed too, although none were from the Alliance. The fight was as good as over once the army showed up,” Bron said.

“That was the first time I ever saw soldiers come into the Pit,” I said.

“It is the first time soldiers have ever been sent down here,” Jack said. “And the message was loud and clear. This isn’t a rebellion anymore. Holt’s declared war.” He was thoughtful for a moment before he continued. “There was something… orchestrated about it all, though. I understand why he sent Domers down here before the execution, but he had the army ready to go. It doesn’t make sense. If Holt publicly executed her as a fear tactic, then obviously the outcome he expected was obedience from the Pit. But he had the army ready to go, which tells me he anticipated a confrontation. Was he deliberately trying to provoke a fight?”

Bron shook her head. “That wouldn’t make sense, sir. The Pit is too valuable. A war would destroy it.”

“I know. That’s why something doesn’t feel right,” said Jack thoughtfully.

“Crystal’s song,” I said. “‘The Pit they want to blow.’”

David looked stunned. “She did say that in her song. What are they up to?”

“I don’t know,” Jack said, dragging a hand through his hair. “And I don’t know if we have enough time left to find out.” He gave me an apologetic look.

I went to him and put my arms around his waist. He pulled me close against him and held me there tightly. We were running out of places to hide and by now Leisel knew Jack had rescued me. She was probably convincing her father to start a door-to-door search for us in the Pit. But I doubted we would be any safer in the Dome. Our chips wouldn’t work anymore, and there was no place to hide there anyway. The Dome was only so big.