The Key to Fear - Kristin Cast Page 0,103

up and take us to a safehouse.” She rested her head against the building and sighed. “It’s almost over.”

“We’re not going to a safehouse,” Aiden said as he stared at the flickering lamplight. “There’s only one place where no one will look for us—where we can truly hide.”

Bile burned the back of Elodie’s throat. “Zone Seven.” She’d known all along but hadn’t wanted it to be real. She’d hoped something magical would happen and they’d all be rescued. But magic was only in stories, and all of those stories were banned.

Aiden twined his fingers together with hers. “New Dawn is out there. It has to be. We’ll be safe, Elodie,” he lifted her hand to his lips. They brushed against her skin as he spoke. “This time, I’ll make sure of it.”

An alert beamed bright white from her blood-spattered cuff, illuminating the mossy depths of Aiden’s eyes.

“Shit!” He dropped her hand, yanked off his cuff, and threw it to the ground. “Take yours off. We have to destroy them.” He stomped on his cuff. It flashed green then red then went dark. “We can’t be traced. Not again.”

Elodie scrambled to remove her cuff. It had been years since she’d taken it off. It was as much a part of her as the implant embedded behind her ear at birth. She followed Aiden’s lead and drove her heel into the cuff until red light sputtered and it went dark. Elodie closed her opposite hand over wrist. Goosebumps rose against the soft skin once covered by the circle of plastic.

Aiden’s fingertips grazed behind his ear. “Tech deleted your VR profile, but we’ll still have to get this.” He tapped the spot where the implant was inserted.

Headlights bobbed along the street and Aiden craned his neck to get a better look.

Before she could question him, Aiden rushed toward the truck. With another surge of adrenaline, Elodie matched his stride. The unmarked black box truck seemed to grumble as it idled in the street between warehouses. Her breath stuck in her chest as she rounded the vehicle. A helmeted Key Corp soldier stood by the back of the truck, automatic weapon slung across the chest of his red uniform like a purse strap. He remained still and unfazed even as Elodie, blood smeared and frazzled, skidded to a stop. Her gaze flicked to Aiden, but he was stoic, unreadable. He had been since they’d left the MediCenter. Since Cath …

The soldier unlatched the door and pushed it open enough for them to climb through. “Sparkman said you’d need a way to Zone Seven.” His nostrils flared under the visor covering his eyes.

Aiden nodded.

“My partner and I are making a run out there to drop off some gear and oxygen tanks.” He motioned to the silver cannisters and stacks of black bins lining what they could see of the inside of the truck. “It’ll be a week before we make another trip.”

With another nod, Aiden gripped the side of the truck and hefted himself up into the cargo compartment.

The soldier checked something on his cuff before fixing his shielded gaze onto Elodie. “You in?”

Her hands were numb as she traced Aiden’s steps and hoisted herself into the crowded back of the truck and onto the slim metal bench next to him.

The soldier followed her in and pulled a glowstick out of his vest pocket before closing the door. It was pitch black for a moment, followed by the crunching snap of the glowstick and a cloud of white light.

The soldier held his gun against his chest as he struggled to fit his bulky gear between bins and boxes. He braced himself as the truck seemed to cough before it lumbered forward. “I have a couple packs for you,” he said and dug through one of the bins. He pulled out two backpacks and dropped them in front of Elodie and Aiden before reaching back into the open box. “Some clothes too. By the looks of it, you need ’em.” He set two pairs of neatly folded fatigues next to Elodie before he continued. “Sparkman got all of this together quick. I’m not sure each bag has everything you’ll need, but one thing I do know is that you can’t fit any type of shelter in there.” His lips ticked with a frown. “You’ll have to find New Dawn before you’re out of food and water, or the elements,” another frown, “or anything worse gets you.”

Elodie twisted the bottom of her shirt around her finger. They