“Come on, this way,” Tommy shouted, steering us in the opposite direction. We moved quickly and soon we were in the stairwell. I was so damn sick of this stairwell. “It’s only seven flights. You can do this, Zoey. You got this.”
Only seven flights. It might as well have been a million. Each step sent flames of pain through my body but I pushed my way through, climbing, using the handrail to haul myself up. Astrid tired quickly and Liam lifted her into his arms without hesitation.
We had scaled about three flights when another explosion rocked the compound. I grabbed onto Tommy, who had a firm grip on the handrail and we managed to stay upright as the shaking continued around us. “Hurry,” he insisted. “We’re almost there.”
I nearly collapsed with relief when we reached the top floor. Another explosion went off but we barely registered it, running through the large warehouse that housed all the transportation for Sekhmet. With one last burst of energy, I sprinted in between cars and vans and small planes. I could see the sun just through the large doors.
Almost there, Zoey. You’re almost there.
There were others running beside us and I didn’t care who they were. The mix of tan and black blurred to me and I just ran. Fifty more yards. Forty more yards. Thirty. Twenty. Ten.
I burst through the door. I wanted to stop. I had made it but I knew I wasn’t far enough away. The bombs continued to go off, and I realized they were climbing up the levels. It wouldn’t be long before something went off here and I wanted to be as far away as possible. I stumbled, landing on my knee, but a hand was there immediately, dragging me to my feet. I made eye contact with Erik briefly as the two of us ran.
The last bomb went off and Erik threw me to the ground, covering my body with his. The ground underneath us rumbled. I didn’t think I would ever be able to get back up again. I just wanted to stay there, let the ground swallow me up. I was slipping in and out of consciousness. I had hit my head too many times and I had lost way too much blood.
Erik rolled off of me and helped me to sit up. His hands held my head firmly between them and he looked back and forth between my eyes. “Zoey, are you okay? Zoey?”
I shook my head and my eyes started to slide closed. He shook me hard and I cried out. “Stop,” I said, trying to push his hands away.
“You need to stay awake. You need to look at me. Don’t close your eyes,” Erik pleaded with me. “Come on, Zoey, stay with me.”
My eyes were heavy and it was so hard to keep them open. I could hear Erik and I wanted to tell him that I was trying but everything was fading away. I turned my head and saw nothing but flames and smoke coming from where Sekhmet had stood. It was gone. It was done.
We had lost so many people in there. So many unnamed people that hadn’t deserved to die. So many people. Kaya.
Ash.
The last thing I remembered before the darkness overwhelmed me was Erik screaming my name.
***
THE SUN WAS bright when I woke up. I was in a tent, the tan fabric rippling slightly in above me. I realized that there was a person in the tent with me and I sat up quickly, reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there. The world spun and I pressed a palm to my forehead. I closed my eyes again, taking deep breaths, trying to fight off the dizziness that had come on so fast.
A hand reached for mine and I jerked back, my eyes flying open.
“You should take things slow and easy,” came a deep voice.
Bert’s hand reached for me again and this time I let him take hold of mine. “Bert,” I said, softly.
“Yes, its me.”
“Where are we?”
“You’re back in Hoover.” The voice was different this time and I looked over Bert’s shoulder. Greg stood in the entrance of the tent. “You’ve been out for three days. We were worried. Everyone will be glad to know that you are okay.”
There was a long silence as the three of us regarded each other. I took in my surroundings and I realized with a start that I was in Greg’s tent. I looked back at him, startled, and there was a smile on his face, clashing with the sadness in his eyes.
“What happens now?” I asked.
Greg told me what happened after we escaped out of Sekhmet. The Sanctuary forces had placed enough bombs in the place to effectively destroy it. It was a wasteland now and no one would be going near it again anytime soon.
There were a lot of survivors, mostly soldiers from Sanctuary, though there were a few from Sekhmet as well. Greg had welcomed them but they were being monitored around the clock. They hadn’t proved to be trustworthy in the past and they’d have to earn trust in the future.
Tommy had led everyone back to Hoover. Everyone who was mobile helped the injured and about fifty people had made the day’s journey. I didn’t ask who had made sure I had returned. I already knew who had carried me all the way back.
Out of the six of us that originally set out from Hoover, only four of us had returned. Kris had died at the hands of an Awakened and Nathan had been a victim of one of the bombs. I knew it would be a long time before the image of him blowing to bits would leave my mind.
Some of the Sanctuary citizens had returned. Octavia hadn’t been pleased but according to Liam, she couldn’t very well punish all those soldiers for taking down Sekhmet, especially since her dad had basically been the one to lead them into battle. Sanctuary and Hoover had struck an alliance, an uneasy one, but both communities knew the benefits of it. In the end, it was all about survival.
“We’re going to live now, Zoey,” he said, softly, taking one of my hands in his. “We’re going to survive and it’s all because you were brave.”
I shook my head, trying not to let the tears fall. I had lost too much in the last year and I didn’t know how much more I could take.
Greg stood up and Bert quickly followed, both of them giving me the courtesy of privacy. I appreciated that more than they could know. I needed time to cry. I needed time to grieve.
I knew I would never be the same again. I needed this moment to accept that.
Greg stopped just before leaving the tent. “You are always welcome here, Zoey. This is your home. This is your family. I know it doesn’t feel like it yet but it’s true. We’ll be here. Don’t let yourself fall into sadness. The world is going to start over. It’s been given a second chance. Let’s grab onto it.”
I considered his words in the silence of the empty tent. There wasn’t much of a world left. There wasn’t much of my world left, but it was something. I had spent so much of my life surviving.
I would just have to keep surviving. For my dad and my mom. For Madison and Bandit and Kaya and every single person out there that lost their lives. I would do it for Liam and Astrid, who fought harder than anyone else I knew. I would survive for Ash, who would want nothing less for me.
But I would survive for myself. I was still alive and, like Greg had said, the world had been given a second chance. I wasn’t ready yet but I would be. I’d be there for whatever happened next.
LIFE IN HOOVER was exactly the way I had expected it to be. I had fallen in love with it the moment I saw it months ago and it was the place where I’d wanted to return. It was the place where Ash and I could be together and be happy and safe.
I was safe. I wasn’t happy.
I knew that it was going to take time. I knew that eventually the ache in my chest would dull and that I would be able to take a breath without it feeling like it took effort. Breathe in. Breathe out. I hated having to remind myself.
Now that Sekhmet had been taken down, and the Awakened all across the country had been eliminated, it was possible to settle down and be safe. There was no government and there were plenty of survivors still looking for places to live, things to steal. We would never be truly and completely safe, but things were better.
Greg and the rest of Hoover still didn’t want to stay at Sanctuary and I didn’t blame them. It felt good to be outside, to remember that despite everything, the world was still moving, still tu
rning, still growing and changing. Instead, they picked an abandoned town nearby, finally ready to stop and put down roots, instead of being constantly on the move. It worked out in everyone’s favor. Some of the people in Hoover decided to go underground, take in what Sanctuary had to offer, and a few of the Sanctuary citizens moved out with us, into the small houses that we had created a community in. The two communities supported each other.
I also knew that Liam was grateful to be so close to Sanctuary, close enough that when Astrid was ready, they would go back and she could have the baby. We had been so worried after everything that had happened in Sekhmet. Astrid had been injured so much but she was strong and so was their baby.
I spent most of the time on my own and the rest of Hoover respected that. Everyone was working. This town hadn’t been bombed, not like most towns across the country, probably because it was so small. Despite that, it was still a mess and there were weeks spent on cleaning and foraging and making the new Hoover a place where we could all live. I threw myself into the task, working and sweating until night fell, and I was too tired to think of anything else but my bed.
I shared a house with Liam, Astrid, Corbin and Erik. Corbin had left Sanctuary immediately after word from Hoover came in. He didn’t want to be there. “Too many memories,” he told me. I knew what he meant.
Corbin and I spent a lot of time together, not talking, just taking in the comfort of each other’s company. Everyone had experienced loss and the only thing to do was pick ourselves up, move on and try to survive the best we could.
Often times I snuck out of the city. There was a large hill just outside of it and I would climb it, taking out all of my stress and all of my grief on the physical activity. There were small pleasures in the burning in my legs as I climbed. I hardly ever stayed there alone. More often than not, someone would come and find me.
Most of the time, it was Erik that came to find me. He never asked anything of me. He sat next to me, sitting in silence until I was ready to descend. I knew over the short time we had known each other, he had grown to have feelings for me, and perhaps one day I could grow to feel something back for him.
Right now, it seemed impossible. I was only filled with Ash. I could think of nothing but Ash.
Maybe one day.
Liam found me one cold afternoon. He climbed up the hill and his face fell when he saw me, tears streaming down my face. I had been hiding my tears from them for months. I knew it hurt them to see it but I had to. There were days when I woke up from nightmares, screaming into my pillow and all I could remember was Ash and how he couldn’t climb into bed to comfort me. The reality of it made moving on harder than I could have imagined.
My knees were folded tightly against my chest. “I never meant to fall in love in the middle of all of this, Liam. I didn’t. But it happened anyway and I lost him too. What am I supposed to do about that?”
His arm reached out and wrapped around my waist, tugging me closer to him. I flinched at the contact before relaxing against him. “You remember him. You love him, even though he’s gone. That’s all you can do.”
“I killed him.” Even months later, the feel of the screwdriver in my hand as I drove it into Ash’s neck was still painted in my memory. I relived it every night.
Liam sighed. “You saved him. If he could have asked, he would have. He would have never wanted that. He’s in a better place. You know that.”
I didn’t. I didn’t know anything else but the hurt and pain but I clung to it. I had to believe this or I would fall apart. Ash was in a better place. He wasn’t suffering anymore. That was the best I could hope for.
Hope was the only thing that was left in the world. Hope and love. As Liam slid his hand into mine and squeezed, I held tight to this idea. Hope and love. This would be what got us through it all. This was how we would survive.
In the end, it was the only thing that mattered.
IF I THOUGHT writing the first book was incredibly tough, it was nothing compared to writing the sequel. So that means there are quite a lot of people to thank.
A huge overwhelming amount of love to my family. My parents, who always support me, even when I’m stubborn and headstrong and overly opinionated. My siblings, Robby, Jessica, Dink, Joey and Stevey, for being the best five people in my life. My dog, Scout, who is the best writing company ever.
Love and thanks to my best friend, Daniel Boulanger. Thank you for loving me and supporting me and dealing with me when I cry and introducing me to incredible people and most importantly, for being my Liam.
To Shelby, Nathan, Erik, Allison, Lauren, Alyssa, Jenna, Allison, Holly and all the rest of the incredible friends that I’ve met this year. You have reminded me what true friendship means and this book would not have been finished without you guys coming into my life. Thank you for loving me for just being me.
Huge shout outs to Chris, for constantly pushing me forward on days I wanted to give up, and Emerson, for helping me through the hardest scene to write in this book. To Sydney, who has read all my books and loved them and believed in me on days that I didn’t.
To all the amazing friends I’ve met in this community, both in real life and on the internet. Thank you for supporting me from reader to blogger to author and for just being my friend. Mina and Jade and Nicole and Astrid and Alyssa and Isabel and Natasha and Meghan and the list goes on forever. Book friends are the best.
To Logan, for always believing in me and helping me edit my books when being an author was just a dream. To Xina, for editing and re-editing my books, and making sure I sent out the best book possible. To Claire, for making this cover gorgeous and unbelievable.
To all of the following music loves: Set it Off, Our Last Night, Issues, As It Is, All Time Low, anything and everything Andrew McMahon has ever done and the entire cast of Hamilton…thank you for keeping this girl sane during the late nights of writing.
To Courtney Saldana, the most badass librarian I’ve ever known. Thank you for your never-ending support and taking a chance on me, when I was a newborn blogger. The Ontario Teen Book Fest is so important to me and I’ll be a part of it, in whatever way I can, as long as you’ll have me.
A huge hug of love to my OfTomes siblings, Gabriella, Freedom, Claire, Esther, Jorge, Jennifer, Laura, Emily, Hilary and all the authors that keep joining the family: I am honored to be on the same shelves as you. Thanks for the support, the advice, the late night writer talk and more.
To all the authors that I have loved and been inspired by and who have supported me right back: Leigh Bardugo, Jessica Brody, Morgan Matson, Gretchen McNeil, Andrew Smith, Melissa Landers, Cora Cormack, Jennifer Armentrout, Cassandra Clare, Rainbow Rowell, Aaron Hartzler, Tonya Kuper, Robin Benway, Lauren Miller, Mary McCoy, Michelle Levy, Nicole Maggi, Mary Weber and yeah, this list could go on for ages too. I am forever indebted to your words and your advice and your inspiration and your friendships.
I will never have enough thanks in the world to give to Mr. Benjamin Alderson. Thank you so much for taking a chance on me and the world I built. Thank you for believing in The Awakened, and for allowing me to bring The Survivor and The Sanctuary to life. You have made my dreams come true and I will never be able to thank you enough for it. You are an inspiration and a good friend.
Lastly, to you, who have made it through The Awakened, The Survivor and are now here, in The Sanctuary. You are my favorite people in the world. Thank you for reading my books and thank for you for always supporting me. You are the literal best.
SARA ELIZABETH SANTANA is a young adult and new adult fiction writer. She has worked as a smoothie artist, Disneyland cast member, restaurant supervisor, photographer, nanny, pizza delivery driver and barista, but writing is what she loves most. She has an obsession with baseball, cupcakes, tattoos and green iced teas. She runs her own nerd girl/book review blog, What A Nerd Girl Says. She lives in Southern California with her dad, her nana, five siblings and two dogs. Her debut novel is The Awakened.
Sara Elizabeth Santana, The Sanctuary
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