Page 121 of Us Dark Few

Khalani glared at him and got down on her haunches. “You can’t be more than a few years older than me, so don’t call me kid. We made contact with one of your resistance members in Hermes,” she whispered the last part.

Brock stopped mid-push-up and bounded to his feet. His forehead pinched together, and Brock stepped forward aggressively, the intensity in his grey eyes unsettling her.

“You contacted Hermes? How?”

Brock listened intently as she explained what happened in Genesis, occasionally glancing around to see if anyone stepped close enough to overhear them. His jaw clenched when she finished.

“I know what you’re going to ask me, and the answer is no. I can’t get you to Hermes.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“What do you mean?” Adan leaned in closer. “You can’t get us the radiation suits?”

Brock let out a low laugh. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. The radiation suits aren’t a problem because they aren’t even a factor.”

She drew back. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“This information would kill you. But according to you, we’ll all be dead in a year anyway.” His expression hardened. “On my last supply drop heading back to Apollo, I was attacked.”

“By who? Other Death-Zoners?” Derek asked.

“No. I don’t know who they were, probably citizens from Hermeswho managed to escape to the surface. They followed me for a few days. You can imagine my surprise when they weren’t wearing radiation suits and showed no signs of radiation poisoning.” Brock glared beyond them.

“Are you sure? That can’t be possible.” Her mouth hung open.

Brock scoffed at her. “I’m sure, sweetheart. I managed to shoot them before they could overcome me. I returned to Apollo and requested a private meeting with the Governor, which he granted. I informed him of everything I saw, and an hour later, I was thrown into Braderhelm without a trial. The Governor spared my life because he didn’t want to draw attention to my death, and he knew my words would be meaningless down here.”

Khalani stared at the ground in shock. Everything Winnie had been telling her was true.

What if Timothy Talbot was real, too?

“Are you telling us that the surface is survivable?” Derek breathed out in disbelief.

“Just now putting two and two together?” Brock scoffed.

“But that doesn’t make sense. If that’s true, why are we still stuck underground?”

He tilted his head. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”

The tension grew thicker with the weight of his implications, nearly suffocating the air.

Were they forced to live underground, never to walk the Earth’s surface, all because of a lie?

She listed to the side, feeling like she might throw up.

“But if the surface is no longer polluted with radiation, why won’t you help us?” Adan interrupted.

“Have you looked around lately? They’ve doubled up on security. There’s a secret entrance to the surface, not far from Braderhelm. It is one the Death-Zoner’s use, but we’d be shot long before we made it close. For an escape plan to even be feasible, we’d need a guard to help, and in case you haven’t noticed, those are in short supply.” Brock rolled his eyes. “It’s over. Just accept it, as I have.”

Khalani wrung her hands together. The answer to their problem was on the tip of her tongue, but she was afraid to say it. Terrified of the implications.

“If we find a guard on our side, would you help us then?”

The others turned to her in surprise, and Brock raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

“That’s not what I asked. Let me worry about who.” Her eyes blazed with determination. “I know you hate Apollo just as much as we do. You can either stay here and rot, or fight with us and escape.”

“No man has ever escaped Braderhelm.” Brock crossed his arms. “You stand no chance of surviving.”

“Is that so?” She inched closer, and Brock’s feverish eyes narrowed. “Then a woman must not have tried yet.”

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