Page 5 of Us Deadly Few

Takeshi’s eyes were the opposite.

His gaze was all-consuming. Sometimes, when she looked into his face, it felt as if the entirety of the world stared back, like the depths of his fiery soul couldn’t be contained in one vessel.

“Takeshi’s not like the Governor,” Khalani stated.

“How can you be so sure?” Serene inclined her head.

‘I’ll find some flowers for you.’

His whispered words in prison swept over her. Something within her dark heart recognized him. When he spoke of his deceased mother, the grief in his eyes mirrored her own. That was not something that could be faked.

If there was one certainty Khalani still held, it was that.

“I’m sure.” The finality and confidence in her tone loosened the tension ever so slightly. Serene’s lips were pursed, but she nodded, her trust in Khalani overshadowing her doubts.

As darkness encroached, Khalani looked up at the night sky, a mesmerizing sight she never thought she’d witness. If she stared hard enough, maybe the vast expanse would answer the questions that raced through her heart.

What other lies did Apollo tell them?

Why did the Governor keep them from the surface for so long?

Was he the only machine…

As soft snores began to filter around her, she gently extracted herself from Winnie’s arms. Crouching, she grabbed her bag and carefully tiptoed away from the others, trying not to wake anyone or draw Takeshi’s attention.

She hid behind a small, broken-down vehicle, reaching into her bag to withdraw a sharp blade. The hard edge reflected in her green eyes. Without a second thought, she slowly drew the blade down her palm.

Blood wept from her skin like tears.

Khalani waited.

And waited.

She lifted the bloody hand to her face, peering closer to see if any wires lay hidden within.

But all that remained was broken skin and blood.

Taking a deep breath, she collapsed, ignoring the discomfortas she leaned her head against the car door.

Drawn to the pain, she stared at her palm again, waiting for something terrible to happen.

But nothing did, just the same as the previous night.

And if Khalani could bleed, that meant she was real, too.

Right?

2

Try to fix everything and you’ll only end up breaking yourself.

“Hum…Humfrie…”

“Humphreys Peak,” Brock corrected, standing over the worn yellow sign off the side of the road. “I think it’s that thing over there.” He gestured toward the far-off horizon, where a towering mound stood proudly above the sandy rocks and rugged terrain.

“Why’s it so big?” Adan’s jaw hung open.

“That’s a…mountain. Yes, that’s exactly what the old scholars from the Great Collapse described,” Winnie said, her eyes widening. “She read about some on the surface that are double the size of this.”

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