Just then, an enormous flash of white overtook all else.

A piercing crack thundered overhead, and a colossal force seemed to shudder through my bones; my hands and knees slammed into the pavement as my trembling legs gave out.

I raised my head to the sky and saw a splitting fracture of bright white slashed across the blackness. There was a tingling static in the air that seemed to ripple across the surface of my skin, pulling every hair toward the stratosphere.

My eyes searched and found Jason's face glowing in the light—devoid of all shadow and glistening with rain. He looked younger this way, his eyes wide with fear. He seized my arm, but this time, it wasn't a forceful advance; it was like a child gripping his mother's hand in the face of uncertainty. His mouth moved, but no sound met my ears.

I thought his words might have been: "It's them."

Then the pain hit. Jason's hand clenched my wrist like a vice, but it was nothing compared to the vicious agony pummeling through every nerve, enclosing me in its torturous grip. Soon, I realized I could not breathe—my lungs were paralyzed as I hopelessly made to gasp for air.

Jason and I met eyes again. His face was turning blue.

As we suffocated together, I prayed that the last person I saw would be anyone but him. Fate seemed to have other ideas as black spots appeared at the edges of my vision, pressing in.

Then, astonishingly, with harsh gasps and choking coughs, I was released.

I collapsed flat onto the ground, every muscle slack with overpowering exhaustion as life gradually flowed back into me. A clamor of gasps, sputters, and groans met my ears as my surroundings came back into focus.

Above, the vast fissure in the sky had vanished—or perhaps closed.

"Is everyone okay?" Kole rasped in between coughs. I managed to sit myself up against the brick wall behind me, my strength slowly returning.

"I think so," Ana answered, clutching at her throat.

"Yeah," Dorian said.

"What was that?" Jason gasped.

I shook Jason's hand away upon realizing that it had still been latched around my arm. Despite the inexplicable interruption, my mind was still preoccupied with other issues. My gaze wandered to the lifeless heap beside me. I quickly averted my eyes from the sickening sight. "What was that, Jason?" I demanded, gesturing toward the slain guard.

He looked at the body with a hint of surprise, like he'd forgotten what had happened—or he didn't think it was even a worthy topic of discussion.

"He would have turned us in," Jason said, his eyes shifting to me. "Is that what you wanted?"

"It was him or us," Dorian agreed. He cracked his knuckles, appearing entirely unphased by the killing.

Kole and Ana closed in, having run deeper into the alley when the guard appeared. They stared at the body with alarm, Ana's hand over her mouth.

"We've got bigger problems," Jason asserted. "What are we going to—"

"You are not part of this we. It's time you realize this," I said sharply.

He stared at me hard, irritation growing in his expression. "I'm not leaving. I stopped him from caving your head in. You're welcome."

Then his face changed, harboring an odd glint of excitement. Before I could say anything, he continued, "You know, I have information you might find interesting, Tess." A shiver ran through me at the intensity with which he spoke my name. "I was there when Van briefed my father. I heard everything."

His face wore a sick, self-righteous smile that made my stomach twist. A similar image of his father's cruel features surfaced in my mind.

"And best of all," he said, "you got special treatment because of me. I personally asked Van to attend to you himself. He was more humane than some of the other—"

"Special treatment?" I hissed. "They still sliced and diced my brain—"

"I think, if you ask the others, you'll find that they were treated significantly worse."

I stole a glance at the rest of the group and saw Ana wince at some memory, her eyes vacant. Kole swallowed hard, looking sick at the mention of our time at the facility. Dorian seemed bored.

I felt my brow furrow unwillingly as a strange pang of guilt coursed through me. If I'd really been treated better, what horrors had they gone through? I knew the government was capable of greater evil than I'd experienced when I found the kids locked up in dungeonlike cells.

Then I shook off the feeling, deciding to address the problem of Jason later. I ignored him and turning to face everyone else.

"I've got a plan," I said, catching their attention. "If you're in, meet at the big park on the east side of the suburbs at midnight. It's near the border fence. We'll all get out and decide what to do from there." I blinked away the cold rain sliding down my face, then added, "I'm going to stick around here and see if anyone else shows up."

There were still two groups of three roaming the city—presuming they hadn't been captured again—and someone needed to fill them in on the plan.

"I hope they didn't get caught," said Kole, his eyebrows drawn together with worry.

"Me too," I murmured. We parted ways, and I watched closely to make sure Jason didn't hang back. I would try to get rid of him later, but for now, the last thing I needed was for him to interfere with my plan.

I paused where the shadows met the brilliant lights of the city street. Outside our little alleyway, the rest of the world seemed to have gone on uninterrupted.

"Some thunderstorm!" I heard a man exclaim as he fiddled with an umbrella.

Had no one else seen or felt what we had? My eyes swept up and down the street. Everything was normal. Yet I still felt choked and weak.

Just as I ventured to leave the alley, a shriek broke through the patter of rain behind me. My heart jolted, and I froze midstep, neon lights spilling over my toes.

I drew back into the darkness and whirled around, blinking away droplets of water. There was a slight figure at the far end of the alleyway, facing the group who had started off in the other direction.

The shadowed form stepped forward cautiously. In the shine of moonlight, I caught another glimpse of a tangled mane of blonde hair.

"I thought that was you," Rosalie exclaimed, beaming at us. "Come on, follow me!"

__________

that makes four updates this month

(and seven counting my other story)

like wow, I'm actually capable of being reliable–

we're also closing in on 50k, folks.

should I do something special? any ideas?

I'm still over here in disbelief at reaching 1000...

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