There is nothing to do but wait and hope. It’s a different kind of feeling than what I’ve grown used to in here. There is an urgency to this hope. If they don’t come, we burn to death.
Flames grow higher, and the room clogs with smoke.
“Piper!” Priya screams.
Coughing as my lungs fill with smoke, I drop to my knees. “Get on the floor!” I shout, and we drop to the ground, covering our mouths and noses with our sleeves and collars.
The door clicks. Oh my God, it’s worked!
Evan’s eyes find mine. He can’t quite believe it, either. I mean, we knew they would have to, but they’re so sick and it wasn’t an impossibility that they would leave us to burn.
I turn around as Theo shoves the door. “Let’s go!” he shouts.
I watch the black smoke at the top of the room pour out the door as the fire roars. It’s only been one minute, but it feels like an eternity.
“Go now!” Evan orders.
Pushing myself to my feet, I grab Hazel and tug her along with me. Theo and Lucie are ahead with Priya behind him. Evan is last, his hand on my back, pushing me forward. We hit the door at the end of the waiting room and it opens.
We run through the clothes room as the fire rages behind us, creeping up like it’s personally trying to get us.
“Hurry,” Evan shouts.
God, the fire is growing so quick. How is it so fast?
Theo bashes into the next door, and we’re through the clothes room, the empty room, and the orientation room. Then the hallway to hell.
I sprint after the others and make it through the game room and out into fresh air. We did it. I turn to Hazel to make sure she’s okay. Evan grips my hand.
Where are Caleb and his friends? They’re not here. My eyes desperately scan the area for signs of them waiting. Are they somewhere in the woods, hiding with their gun?
“Which way?” Theo says.
“Near the road, but stay in the woods,” Evan replies.
There’s no time to worry about them—we have to go.
We sprint. My pulse is all I can hear.
I’m tired already, but adrenaline has taken over, coursing through my veins, spurring me on. We’re miles from town, and they might get up any minute, but we have to focus on running.
My feet thud on the dry, compacted dirt. “Go!” Theo shouts, pushing Priya and Lucie in the direction we need to run.
We don’t get far.
A gunshot echoes through the air, freezing my spine. We stop. All of us plant our feet.
I turn. Caleb is standing outside the door, arm in the air, gun pointing to the sky. No. Matt and Owen stand a step back from him.
“I don’t think you want to run another step,” Caleb says.
Evan lets go of my hand and laughs.
“Don’t,” I whisper. If Evan tries to take them on alone, Caleb will kill him. I can’t watch someone die in front of me, especially not someone I care about.
Caleb moves in closer and his groupies come with him.
Hazel, Priya, Lucie, and Theo move in, so we’re solid against them. But Evan is still in front.
“Evan,” I call.
He takes two more steps closer to the three of them.
What is he doing?
Caleb watches Evan, but I can’t place his expression. He looks unsure.
Inside the building, something smashes. Glass? No one pays much attention to the fire behind us; we’re having some sort of standoff. None of us willing to back down.
“Where do you want to be, Evan?” Caleb asks.
“What? What does that mean?” I whisper. Are they willing to let him go? Why?
Evan is going to get himself killed. We’re supposed to all get away. I don’t want him being the martyr.
“Evan!”
“Man, come on!” Theo shouts.
Evan’s eyes lock with mine, and for the first time, I have absolutely no idea what he’s thinking. I can usually take a pretty good guess, but right now, he’s closed off.
I step back, willing him to come with us.
“Don’t do this, come on!” I plead.
Caleb laughs. “So dumb.”
Evan turns around as Caleb, Matt, and Owen close in. Oh God, Evan, move!
They stop a meter behind him, and Evan tilts his head to the side. A slow grin spreads across his lips.
My mouth falls open. “No…”
“Come here, Piper,” Evan says.
I shake my head, my vision blurring with tears.
No, no, no, no.
My heart falls to my feet. This can’t be happening.
“What the hell is going on?” Lucie asks.
“He’s with them,” I whisper. All this time, he’s been one of them. “I don’t understand...”
How can he be with them? He went in those rooms; he did one with me; he was there for me. Caleb beat him. He sat there and took that. This can’t be real. Why would he do all of that?
What is wrong with him?
“Babe,” Evan says, holding his hand up. “Don’t be mad.”
Caleb chuckles behind Evan.
Don’t be mad!
“You’re… How?”
Hazel reaches out and puts her hand on my shoulder.
“I like you,” he says.
“You don’t even know what that means.”
“Our Evan here gets bored easily. He’s a genius, but he’s not happy to sit back and observe,” Owen says.
Evan’s eyes darken. “I wanted to experience it. How could I create something and have it succeed if I didn’t put myself—”
“Stop talking!” I snap, my heart tearing. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Piper, you are the reason I came into the room. I wasn’t going to. I was just going to do room zero.”
I look away.
Evan continues. “But the second I saw you, I knew I had to break my own rules.”
“You’re sick,” Theo growls. Lucie leaps to him and grabs his arm.
“Caleb,” Evan prompts.
I open my mouth to scream, but I’m not fast enough. The gun goes off so fast, two shots, both ringing through my ears, and Theo falls to the ground, followed by Lucie.
“Oh my God,” I murmur, my eyes wide and fixed on their lifeless bodies.
I drop to my knees, and Evan uses the opportunity to his benefit. He rushes forward, grips my upper arm tight and drags me to my feet.
“Get off!” I scream, squirming in his grip. I yank my arm, but his grip is too tight. “Evan, let go! Get away from me! You’re sick, I hate you! Let go!”
I want to get back to Priya and Hazel. They’re huddled together, standing over Theo and Lucie’s bodies, sobbing. I don’t belong with Evan. I belong with them. I have to get away from Evan.
“You’re not sitting on the ground with them,” he snaps, holding me close to his chest.
“I hate you! How could you do this?” I thrash in his grip, but he tightens his arms around me until I can barely move.
“You’re taking her?” Owen asks.
“No!” I shout.
Evan looks over his shoulder and shrugs. “I like her. I want to keep her.”
I shove his chest with my free hand, but it doesn’t get me anywhere. His hold on my wrist is too tight. “I’m not a damn toy! Get off me. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Piper,” Hazel cries.
I thought he was my friend, maybe more than that one day. We had gotten close, he held my damn hand at night.
Wait. He wants me to go with him. Evan coming into the common room was an act, but we weren’t.
Hope ignites in my heart.
“Evan,” I plead, lowering my voice. “Think about this.”
He leans closer and my throat closes up. “I have thought about nothing else since the moment I saw you. The guys are going to give me crap for this, but I don’t care. I’m going to let Caleb finish this, and then you and me are out of here, okay?”
Okay? Is he really asking me if this is okay?
I don’t know what to say. Evan is clearly sick. But he somehow thinks he likes me, and right now that is the only chance we have. Caleb is standing before us with a gun, waiting for instruction.
“Evan,” I whisper. “I don’t want you to hurt my friends. Please.”
“There is no other way, Piper,” he says, stroking my cheek with the back of his index finger.
I swallow down the cringe and force my lips to smile. “Yes, there is. You trusted me with the fire.” That is currently spreading everywhere. “Trust me with this, too. Let them go, and I’ll come with you.”
“No way!” Hazel shouts. “Piper, shut up!”
Oh my God.
I look over my shoulder and widen my eyes at her, telling her to shut the hell up.
“Ignore her, she’s worried about me,” I say, cupping his cheek and forcing him to keep looking at me as he goes to face her. “Evan, for me?”
“He’s not going to fall for that,” Caleb says. He sounds bored, but he continues watching, waiting to see what Evan is going to do.
I’m not sure how far they will let Evan go. Will they allow him to let Hazel and Priya run?
I thought Caleb was in charge, but it’s the guy I thought I was falling for all along.
How stupid am I?