Page 81 of Us Dark Few

Khalani’s chest felt like it was about to cave in. She glanced at some malnourished prisoners eating hungrily, completely unaware of what awaited them and their families.

Did the guards know?

Her muscles locked up, and an icy chill shot through her core.

Did Takeshi know about this?

Adan slammed his fists down on the stone floor, the veins in his neck popping out. “There has to be something we can do! We have to warn people.”

“Keep your voice down,” Derek commanded.

“What if we get help?” Serene asked, a calculating gleam in her eyes.

“Who would help us?” Derek’s green eyes blazed with fury. “It’s impossible to escape Braderhelm, and prisoners aren’t viewed as humans. The Council would sooner see us dead.”

Serene’s keen eyes were set with determination. “I’m not talking about Genesis.”

They all whipped their heads to her, unsure if they heard correctly.

“What do you mean?”

Serene glanced around apprehensively, making sure no guards or prisoners were paying attention, and reached into the pocket of her overalls, revealing a tiny black bag.

“What is that?” Adan frowned.

She placed it on the ground. “Open it.”

Adan reached into the bag and pulled out a broken mess of wires and metal, about the size of a handheld device. The black object was crushed, as if someone had aggressively disassembled it.

“It’s a…walkie?” Adan’s eyes narrowed as he inspected the item, concealing the jumbled material with his body.

“Not just any walkie-talkie. This belonged to a Death-Zoner. And you see that tiny blueHinsignia? This is from the other underground city, Hermes,” Serene whispered, her face gleaming.

“Where on earth did you get this?” Adan’s mouth hung open.

“I stole it from the Governor’s mansion last night. The guards mentioned equipment they had recovered from a Death-Zoner, so I snuck into his study and hid it in the oversized bra they forced us to wear. No one noticed.”

Khalani’s eyes widened as Serene continued.

“If we can somehow fix this, we might be able to get in touch with Hermes from here. Maybetheycan send help. We have to try,” Serene exclaimed.

“But wouldn’t the Council already have done that? Asked them for help?” Adan’s brows furrowed as he continued to eye the object.

“With the few radiation suits Apollo has, widespread evacuation isimpossible. Hermes wouldn’t be able to send enough food to save everyone, and Apollo would never tell another city of mass genocide,” Derek bit out.

The silence expanded at their harsh reality.

“You used to be one of their best engineers. Can you fix it?” Serene turned to her brother, her eyes blazing with hope.

Adan carefully turned the walkie over in his hands.

“I don’t know. I’ll need supplies, like a screwdriver, tape, and a battery pack. Some guards have walkie-talkies that are less advanced than this one, but their battery packs might be compatible. If I get those items, Imightbe able to fix it in a few weeks. But I can’t guarantee it will work.”

“Give me a few days. I’ll get you those supplies,” Serene stated, determination set in her eyes.

The bell pierced through the tense air, making them all jump. Adan quickly shoved the broken walkie-talkie into his overalls before any passersby could notice.

“We keep this to ourselves for now. We can’t trust anyone but each other,” Adan implored, and they all nodded in agreement, except for Derek.

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