Page 19 of Shattered World

“Shit,” Sasha groaned as an audible click sounded, the ammo having run out.

The man who had fallen to his knees was now standing, both of them an imposing force, staring Sasha down. Maybe if I was a different person, I would have run with Mina, knowing that saving two was better than saving none.

But I had left two people behind before and I would never do that again.

“Hey!” I shouted, drawing the attention of one of the men, the other refusing to remove his stare from Sasha. “Don’t you want to know who sent us?”

The shorter of the two men widened his eyes, stepping toward us at the thought of answers. Clearly, from his earlier words, we weren’t the first ones to step foot on this pier. And I knew they were probably struggling to find out who was in charge of all these escapades.

His drawn attention was the opening Sasha needed. With a warrior’s yell, she kicked the man in front of her straight in the groin, sending him back to his knees. Throwing the gun with all her might, she hit the shorter man’s head, dazing him for only a second.

But a second was all she needed. Sprinting past the two men, she joined Mina and me and, without another word, the three of us broke into a sprint. For miles, we didn’t stop. The wind whipped at our cheeks, tinting them red, our breaths labored and struggling.

Eventually, when my legs wouldn’t pump any longer, when the breath in my lungs sputtered, we finally stopped. The pier was a distance behind us, towering buildings and twinkling streetlights a reprieve I never imagined I’d crave.

Hands on my knees, I bent over, dragging in as much air as I could. Sasha and Mina did the same, our panting sounds fighting for dominance with the howling wind. Several minutes passed, the ache in my side easing as I stood back to full height.

Twin sets of bewildered expressions met mine, all our eyes wide and dread in our frowns.

“We’re going to have to go back there, aren’t we?” Mina asked, coughing over another breath.

Sasha and I nodded in unison. There was no doubt in my mind that we had found where the bunkers were located. Now I onlyhad to hope that we found the entrance before one of us was killed trying.

Chapter Ten

Warner

Rainer and I stood at the back of the train as the doors opened. Two guards stood outside, checking something off a list as each man and woman climbed off.

Glancing sharply at Rainer, I wondered how far these uniforms and fake names were going to get us. Declan shifted forward, avoiding eye contact, but before he could move another inch, I gripped his collar, pulling him backward.

“What are they doing?” I whispered harshly, refusing to let go of my grip.

Declan sighed, extremely fed up with me and Rainer. Well, too fucking bad for him. I was fed up with this entire situation.

“We each have bunker numbers. They’re checking them to make sure we’re transported to the right area.”

Rainer nodded, stepping forward so the others on the train couldn’t hear his voice. Not that they didn’t already realize we shouldn’t be here. If the fact that half of them seemed to know each other didn’t give us away, our surly expressions and utter silence sure as hell did.

“What’s your bunker number?” Rainer asked.

Declan was already shaking his head. “That won’t help you. They gave us each a specific number. I have no clue what theirs are.” He gulped, his face turning ashen as he thought of his friends that he had sold out for his own safety. “I mean, what yours are.”

A low growl built in my chest, my grip tightening, but Rainer grabbed my arm, releasing Declan. Without words, his eyes told me everything he needed to say.Not here. We’d find another way.

I was about tired of always having to find another way. Why couldn’t, for once, the way be a straight line?

The group of men and women in the train became sparser as they hopped off, whisked away to safety. Shuffling forward, Declan glanced at us one more time. I had no clue what had him whispering under his breath. We sure as hell hadn’t done anything to deserve his kindness.

But I was thankful when he said, “I’ll distract them. Hop off the train before they can stop you.”

Rainer’s eyes widened slightly before he nodded, bending his head as to not draw attention as we approached the front of the train. Declan stepped in front of us, handing out his specific identification number, before shouting nonsense about one of the women ahead of him sneaking onto the train.

Immediately, the two guards turned their heads, trying to track down whatever woman Declan had pointed out, and Rainer and I slipped out the mouth of the train and past the guards. Turning swiftly, I saluted Declan before blending in with the crowd.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people flowed seamlessly from the trains and toward the city. And although we had made it out of Montana, I realized we had another issue ahead of us.

“How are we supposed to find them?” Rainer reiterated my thoughts and I frowned, walking between one of the larger groups of people.

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