Page 5 of The World Undone

How they did the vetting? I had no idea. I didn’t have the clearance. But I knew it wasn’t with the kind of callous torture The Guild swore by. From Izzy’s experience, it mostly seemed like a deep, exhausting discussion, making sure everyone was safe for the community here.

It was frustrating at times—relying on their process and staying out of it when they asked. And while it was incredibly difficult to have the patience they requested, I understood why they were so protective of this place, of the people here. The Lodge was an oasis in a pool of confusion—it wasn’t perfect or easy, but it was worth preserving, protecting. It was the kind of thoughtful community I’d always assumed The Guild would be.

“So, any ideas of where Uncle Saif is?” she asked, a small grin twisting the corner of her lips.

I snorted. “Of course not.”

“Oof,” Izzy stumbled, laughing quietly as a small redhead—no older than eight or nine—went zooming past us at high speed, face split into a giant grin as another child I didn’t recognize chased him.

Children—several—were living here. That upped the security stakes considerably.

We were encroaching on this peaceful haven they’d carved out here, and we’d brought the fight they probably weren’t expecting for years to them immediately—and to their front door.

It was a lot.

Izzy nodded to the large building in sight ahead of us. “This it?”

He did what? Why haven’t you said anything?

“What?”

She snorted. “Girl, we need to get you a coffee. I said, ‘Is this it?’ The med center?”

She’s exhausted. She has enough to worry about.

We still need to tell her.

The words were hardly even a whisper. I spun back towards her, eyes narrowed. “Tell me what?”

Lines carved through Izzy’s forehead as she took a step closer to me. “You okay, Max? You’ve got that face on.”

I shook my head, trying to clear it. Maybe I really was reaching a breaking point with my exhaustion. “Yeah, sorry. Coffee would be good after this.”

My stomach clenched at the sight of the unremarkable building in front of us. It seemed quiet, normal even—brown walls and roof, small patio. I knew that once we crossed through the doorway, we’d be met with chaos and pain and confusion.

The med center was wildly understaffed.

Eli had been looped into working here most days, since he was the best at field medicine in our group by far. Each night, he’d come home drained and exhausted, a walking ghost with barely enough time to eat a bite of food before he crashed into a deep sleep and started the whole thing all over again. But he never complained, never took a day off—and as much as it hurt to see him so tired, I couldn’t help but love him even more for how much of himself he was willing to give to help out here. He tried to pretend he didn’t care about people, but his actions proved otherwise.

The demons we’d rescued were in pretty bad shape. And since we didn’t exactly know the details of what they’d been through, it made it incredibly difficult to help them.

But they weren’t the only ones.

Seamus was still in isolation, and I hadn’t even been permitted to see him.

Until today.

And Sarah?—

My chest pinched at the memory of her that night. Lost and confused, trapped inside of herself like Atlas had been.

I took a deep breath as my fingers wrapped around the cool metal doorknob. With a quick glance at Izzy, I exhaled. “Brace yourself. It’s not exactly pretty on the other side of this door.”

She laughed; the sound more haunting than humorous. “Nothing ever is anymore, is it?”

2

MAX

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