Page 54 of Death Match

“Jade!”

Hands grabbed me, running along my arms and legs to access my injuries.

Kay. Her voice and the warm and tenderness of her touch was unmistakable. At least Zach’s cry had stopped. Or at least I thought they did. It was hard to tell with the high-pitched ringing in my ears.

“Kay?” I wasn’t sure if I said her name out loud or not. I strained against my blurry vision to try to see her. The shadowy outline of a person came into view over me, and I blinked rapidly, trying to force my eyes to refocus. It took a while, but when Kay’s worried face stared back at me, relief flooded me. As expected, little Zach was cradled in her arms, now looking at me with the same apprehensive curiosity all babies had when they saw something for the first time.

I felt my lips curl up in a frail smile. “Hey you two. Funny seeing you here.”

“Are you all right?” Kay asked, ignoring my poor attempt at lightening the mood. It was difficult to hear her over the roar of the water nearby, but I could make out the gist of it. Watching her lips move helped.

When I sat up, my head pounded fiercely. I groaned again, reaching up to gingerly touch the back of it. Observing my fingers, I found blood coating their tips. Ugh. Everything inside of me ached.

“Maybe you should take it easy,” Kay said, touching my shoulder. “You had quite a spill there.”

I rubbed my forehead to try and relieve some of the pain. Just in the little time I’d been here, water made every inch of my skin wet. Actually, when I looked at Kay and Zach, I noticed that they both were drenched, too. Little Zach was even shivering despite being pressed tightly against his mother.

Seeing him like that made my chest clench.

“I have to get you guys out of here,” I told them and used whatever strength I had left to help me stand. The ground beneath me seemed to sway, and I hobbled to the wall to hold myself up. Against my palm, the rocks trembled.

I paused, unsure if what I had felt was right. Staying still for a moment with my hand still pressed against the cliffside, I waited.

Another rumble.

It wasn’t my own wobbliness that was throwing things off for me. The rocks were moving. Like in the maze.

Oh fuck. Not here, too.

“Did you feel that?” Kay asked, her voice rising in horror. “The ground’s shaking.”

“Yeah, and I know from experience it doesn’t mean anything good.” I held out my hands for her to pass Zach over to me. She did without hesitation. Then, I pointed to the bridge above us. “We need to get off this ledge. Now.”

Kay peered up. Rising onto her tiptoes, she reached for the last plank, but since she was shorter than me, it was just out of her reach.

“Here. Use my leg. I’ll help you up.” I dropped to a knee, making sure to hold Zach on my opposite side, and patted my thigh. “Hop up.”

She stared at me hesitantly. Uncertain.

Then everything trembled again, and she let out a small scream before leaping onto my leg and using the wall to balance herself. She reached for the first wood piece and grabbed it. After struggling a bit, she managed to pull herself up and continue climbing.

She glanced down at us.

“Keep going,” I urged her. “We’ll be right behind you.”

If I knew anything about the maze, it was that shaking never meant anything good. We had to move.

Nodding meekly, she continued to use the planks like the rungs of a ladder and climbed.

Zach cooed happily in my arms, and I couldn’t help but smile at him, despite our shitty situation. It was the first time I’d been able to hold him, and now being this close, I could pick out both Laurence and Kay’s features in his cute face.

“Don’t worry, bud. We’re getting out of this,” I whispered to him. “You just gotta trust me, okay?”

He responded with a happy gurgling sound. I took it as a yes.

Then, I pulled out my tank top, placed him inside so that he was snuggled safely against my body, and tucked the ends firmly into my jeans. His little head popped out of the top. It was his own little personal Jade cocoon.

“You got the best seat in the house,” I told him. “Ready to go?” Then, I rose on the balls of my feet and grabbed the first plank of the bridge. Using the cliffside to my advantage as I climbed, I was able to catch up to Kay rather quickly. She let a relieved sigh when we came up to her feet.

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