Page 14 of Oblivion
“Where do I go, Kill? I can’t leave Storm. He’s still in a coma. It’s not like we can just wake him up.”
“Find a way, Ophelia. They’re coming to kill you. I mean it, get the fuck out of there. I’m arranging a car for you. It will be there in half an hour.”
“Kill—”
The line cut off before I could say anything, and I knew he wasn’t joking. The Syndicate was coming for us, and after my uncle took over, things were even worse than before. Or at least they seemed to be. They were relentless in their pursuit of me, and I’d be damned if I allowed them to catch me.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I cursed, picking up the coffee cup and throwing it in the bin next to the sink. I looked into the mirror, seeing the dark circles around my eyes, my disheveled hair, and the tiredness sinking into the lines of my face.
“Think, Ophelia. Think,” I said out loud. I knew there was only one option…
We had to wake him up, one way or another.
I rushed out of the bathroom, running toward Storm’s room. Atlas came out, barreling toward me.
“Oh, thank God,” he said, out of breath.
“Atlas, we have a problem.”
“Storm is awake,” he said at the same time I spoke.
My entire body seized, my muscles locking in place, my brain repeating his words over and over again.
“What?” I asked, my eyes widening. “What did you just say?”
“He’s awake. He’s asking for you.”
I didn’t want his first day to end up like this. I didn’t want him to have to run for his life when he'd just opened his eyes after over a month of sleeping, but we had no other choice.
“Atlas,” I started, trying to calm my racing heart. “The Syndicate is coming for us,” I whispered, looking around us. Everyone looked suspicious—the doctors, nurses, even the family sitting in front of one of the rooms.
Any one of them could’ve been the mole that told them where we were.
“There’s a bounty on my head, and they’re not going to stop until I’m dead. That includes Storm as well.”
“Shit!”
“Call Indigo. Call the other guys and tell them to prepare a car for you and him. We need to get him out of here.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked, looking at me skeptically.
I’m going to say goodbye, I wanted to say, but I knew if Atlas was aware of my plan, he never would let me do it.
They wouldn’t be able to get out of here without someone distracting the soldiers The Syndicate would send. I didn’t want to have anyone else dead.
“I’m going to see him. You need to bring a wheelchair for him.”
“The doctor checked on him already,” Atlas said. “He’s okay, but he’s asking for you, Phee. He’s fucking mad.”
I gulped, knowing that in a few seconds, I would need to say goodbye. I would need to break my heart once again, and his as well, but it was for the best.
Storm didn’t need me. He shouldn’t have to live with someone who could only bring damnation to him. I needed to say goodbye—to him, to this fairytale I was holding on to. I had to go my own way.
4
OPHELIA
Seconds tickedby as I stood in front of his room. I could hear voices coming from inside, and I knew that the nurse was still there, going through the final checks.
