Page 12 of Dead End

“Apparently. Take the lazy river to the west entrance,” she said quickly. “It’s chaos over there. Nobody will stop you.”

There was, of course, one teeny tiny problem and it was currently fastened around my neck. “This will.” I flicked the collar. “I can’t cross the border.”

“Oh, right. Of course.” She dipped her hand into her pocket. “I almost forgot.” She held up a key. “This was in your box, too.”

“Kami, you’re my new best friend.” As she stuck the key inthe lock, I grabbed her hand and held it. “Wait. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“What do you mean? Don’t you want to escape?”

“Of course I do, but what if they find out you helped me? There are far worse things in life than the prophecy department.”

Her face hardened. “Sometimes you’ve got to grab fate by the balls and squeeze.” With a firm push, she slid the key into the lock, and I heard a soft click. The collar fell to the earth, narrowly missing my toes.

“Come with me,” I said. “You’d love Fairhaven. It has a bookstore, a library, and an excellent coffee shop.”

Kami smiled. “I appreciate the offer, but if I leave with you, they’ll know I helped you. I have to stay, if only to avoid detection.”

“What if someone saw you take the box?”

The edges of her mouth stiffened. “That’s the one thing in my favor. No one ever sees me. Might as well use it to my advantage.”

“To my advantage, you mean.”

“If I’m right, we’ll both benefit from your freedom.”

I recalled Posy’s statement that the Prophecy Department was right half the time. “And if you’re wrong?”

Kami’s mouth snapped back to a smile with the elasticity of a rubber band. “It’ll be fine. It has to be. Now go!” She dashed in the opposite direction.

The lazy river would be my ride to freedom.

Be careful what you wish for, I thought wryly. I’d coveted the lazy river since the first time I saw the glorious stretch of water, and now that I was finally going to take advantage of it, there’d be nothing lazy about the experience. Even if I splashed the whole way to the west end, it was doubtful anyone would hear me over the din of invasion. As if on cue, the clang of steel on steel rang out. The battle was movingcloser to the heart of Paradise. Part of me wanted to stay and assist Apep, but there was a demon prince in greater need of my help.

As I started toward the water, I realized there was one thing my box didn’t contain. One thing I refused to leave behind.

My DNA sample.

If The Corporation survived the attack, they’d still possess a piece of me to use for their own nefarious purposes. I couldn’t risk it.

“I am Apep, god of darkness and ruler of the underworld, and I demand the return of Anubis.” His words rumbled like an approaching storm. Apep must’ve found his way to the intercom system.

Out of the corner of my eye, Ademir stirred.

Swearing under my breath, I sprinted in the direction of the lab.

Chaos reigned as I made my way toward the lab, reciting Libitina’s directions as I ran. Stables, then left. My heart leaped at the sight of the stables on the horizon and immediately plummeted as I spotted hundreds of serpents ahead of me. I doubled back to take a longer route.

As I passed through an unfamiliar section of buildings, I realized I was at the barracks. The area appeared abandoned; it seemed Ademir wasn’t the only one to fail to reach it.

A splotch of pink streaked past me. Posy. I half expected her to blow a whistle and raise the alarm. Instead, she waved me over.

I pointed to myself.Me?

“I need your help! Hurry!” she shouted.

I stood rooted in place.

“I thought good deeds were your thing,” she said. “Nevermind.” She turned toward one of the buildings that looked like a warehouse.

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