Page 34 of Shattered Love

“It was the last thing she said.” I struggled to get the words out. She had done what she thought she had to do. But with her last breath, she had been brave, choosing what she thought was right over what was expected.

Rainer continued clicking away at the computer, searching for answers until finally his hand paused. One file was pulled up, a schedule listed on the screen. His eyes scanned quickly over the words, mine passing over the dates, times, and locations.

“Is that what I think it is?” I breathed and Rainer nodded steadily.

Murphy, Sasha, and Mina flooded in behind us, all shoving to try to get a view.

“What is it?” Mina asked, her small body too short to see over the towering men.

Sasha backed away from the screen, speaking to Mina, but we all listened to her words, needing them spoken out loud to be true.

“There are trains. Dozens of them filled with supplies.”

“And people,” Murphy added.

“Where are they leaving from?” I asked, trying to find the information over Rainer’s shoulder, crossing my fingers that it was somewhere close.

“Dozier Station,” he answered.

There was no familiarity to the name. Based on Warner’s blank stare, Sasha’s confused frown, and Rainer’s tight shoulders, they didn’t recognize the name either.

But Mina’s smile lit up her face. “That’s by the college. I know exactly where it is.”

Sasha wrapped her in a hug, spinning her around, laughter of disbelief spilling from her lips. She dropped Mina back to her feet, glancing over her shoulder at Rainer. “When does it leave?”

Rainer squinted at the screen, reading the schedule. “The first set of trains leave October 3rd. Then another set October 5th.”

This time there were no yips of excitement, no relief filled hugs. Because for the past several months we had lived in a world where we woke and slept with the sun, no idea how many days were passing.

But the people of the camp knew. The bright red numbers and letters seared into my mind last night as I entered the building. And I knew exactly what day it was.

“It’s September 4th. We have one month to find a way on those trains.” I paused, allowing myself to glance at the dozen dead bodies surrounding us. “Or else we’re going to die.”

Chapter Nineteen

After my statement, Murphy found a pen on one of the desks, writing the date on each of our arms. There was no way we were going to take the chance that we would forget. Shoving the pen into his pants, he assured us that now we would be able to keep track of the date.

Realizing our time here was up, hopefully for good, we raided the rest of the building. Shoving medical supplies and meager helpings of food into our bags, Warner threw Aiden over his shoulder, the seven of us prepared to sneak out. Unfortunately, we weren’t entirely sure how.

“Maybe they aren’t out front anymore?” Mina suggested, but even her voice lacked its usual optimism.

Our shoulders touched, creating a line of bodies, staring at the front door. There had to be guards on the other side. And now that the sun was up, probably hundreds of innocent people as well. Which meant a shoot out was out of the question. Or at least it was for me.

“There isn’t a back entrance?” Murphy asked, his eyes squinting at the door. Although, I knew the slant of his eyes had more to do with the excessive bruising than searching for an exit.

None of us had an answer for him. We had walked the entirety of the building and this seemed to be the only door. But not the only exit.

As I thought the words, Warner said, “There’s a back window.”

Our gazes collided, his lips quirking in a smirk when he saw the idea in mine. Maybe climbing out a window was crazy, but what part of this day hadn’t been? The real challenge would be lowering Aiden’s body without injuring him more. But I was willing to take the chance if it meant avoiding whoever waited for us outside the door.

Again, no one spoke in response to Warner’s statement. All of us debated the pros and cons in our heads until Rainer groaned.

“Fuck, we’re jumping out the window, aren’t we?”

Murphy laughed at his friend’s statement, throwing an arm around his shoulder. “Guess we are.”

The two shared a look, Rainer looking ill while Murphy smiled as wide as he could without causing pain in his cheeks.

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