“We’re going over.” Linc finally released his grip on me and cupped his hands as he put his back to the wall.
“But-?
??
“Now!” he yelled, his eyes on the sky above me.
I snapped into action before I could question him further. I just hoped he knew what he was doing because I sure as hell didn't. I placed my foot in his palms and he launched me skyward as I jumped. The top of the wall scraped my palms as I gripped it and swung my leg over, perching on the top and looking back towards the devastation behind us.
My mouth fell open as I took in the massacre taking place beneath me. Drones swept through the sky, raining death down from above while the city Wardens advanced behind them, finishing off anyone who was left alive in the heap of bodies.
The shrieking grew more intense as the contaminated people flew down the hill, racing after anyone they could catch.
I felt sick. Bile raced up my throat, threatening to spill the contents of my stomach. I searched the crowd frantically for any sign of my friends and brother but all I could see was chaos.
Lincoln jumped, catching the top of the wall and pulling himself up beside me. He paused too, glancing back before setting his gaze on me.
“We can't stop,” he said, cupping my face in his palm. “We need to run.”
I nodded silently, turning my attention to the alley on the other side of the wall.
Lincoln jumped down, landing in a crouch before turning back to me and raising his arms. I didn't need any further prompting and pushed myself off after him, falling into the safety of his embrace.
He set me back on my feet and we ran again, tearing along the alleyway which ran between the wall we had just climbed and the back of a warehouse.
Lincoln pulled a pistol from his waistband and shoved it into my grasp. I curled my fingers around the cool metal, focusing on it as we kept running. He pulled a second gun from his belt and flicked the safety off as he ran, ready to take on anything that got in our way.
The screaming got fainter as we ran on. Though whether it was because we were getting further away or there were just less people left alive, I didn't know.
I wanted to go back. To find Lacey, Reese and the rest of our friends. But I knew we couldn't and the shame made tears spill down my cheeks.
We rounded a corner and found ourselves on an unmade road lined with warehouses.
Linc stopped suddenly and I nearly barrelled into him.
“What-“ I began but he shoved me back, pushing me around the corner again with a finger to his lips.
The sky buzzed as a drone closed in on us and I held my breath, my grip tightening on the pistol. There was nowhere for us to hide. If it rounded the corner, we were totally exposed and there would be nothing we could to do to stop it from firing on us.
Lincoln stooped, grabbing a rock from the ground by our feet before launching it around the corner. It clattered noisily across the concrete and the drone opened fire.
Lincoln leapt out, firing his pistol until the chamber rang empty.
The drone’s machine gun suddenly went quiet before a huge crash sounded beyond the warehouse.
“Come on. That drone going offline will probably have set off a distress beacon. There could be ten of them on us in thirty seconds!” Lincoln called as he started running again.
I followed close behind him as he reloaded his pistol and sprinted to the end of the dirt road.
I couldn't help but stare at the mangled black metal which was laying in our path, smoking slightly. The sight of it sent a slither of ice running through my veins. How many people had died because of that machine?
At the end of the track, we came upon a locked door leading into one of the warehouses.
Lincoln stopped, spinning around as he took in more of our surroundings than I guessed I was even capable of noticing.
A faint buzzing reached my ears, growing steadily louder by the second. A drone was closing in on us again. And this time I didn't think it would be tricked by a rock.
Lincoln turned back to the locked door and booted it as hard as he could. It groaned and he kicked it again and again until it finally burst open. The buzzing was closer now, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I raced inside as Lincoln pushed the door closed again.