Sure enough, I can hear the echoing booms outside. With one last glance at the girl who I trusted so deeply, a girl who I thought was my best friend, I turn to sweep out of the room. Aidan warned me about being careful who I trusted. Maybe he started figuring out Lilly's true intentions right when it was too late.
Liam and I climb the stairs together. I guide him along, holding him up as much as I can. I'm reminded briefly of when I pulled him from the monorail and I'm thankful that he's at least conscious this time around.
We exit through the secret door and then I pause. Liam nearly collapses as he stumbles into the dining room table.
"We forgot the Hippocampus!" I declare the moment I ensure that he's okay. "I have to go back for it."
"No." Liam stops me by grabbing my arm. "Leave it. We have another copy. Let them know what secrets my mother uncovered so they can watch everything crumble later. We-we c-c-can still do it." He winces again, trying to stay tough.
"Okay," I say and we walk on through the dark house. The Purge has escaped from the basement and now its pink essence hovers throughout the entire place. Every now and then, I glance back over my shoulder, expecting Lilly to come tearing after us. But like I mentioned to her earlier, this is not an old movie or a book. No last minute scare for the villain this time.
I lead Liam out through the front door. There's a neighborhood a few miles along the coast. I think it would be a good idea for the two of us to follow the path down from the cliffs where Lilly's house sits and move closer to the water. We can take refuge in the surf if we have to and once we reach the neighborhood, we can hide out there for a while. We would also have a clear vantage point of everything going on at Lilly's house.
We walk past Lilly's car that's parked in the drive, or at least I do. As I'm voicing my plan aloud to Liam, I notice that he's no longer standing beside me. I turn back and find that he's leaning against Lilly's vehicle, writhing in pain.
I hurry over to him. "Liam, come on. I know it hurts but we don't have much farther to go. Stay with me. Fight the pain . . . ."
"It hurts so much," Liam growls, spit flying everywhere.
"I know but come on," I urge him, feeling terrible for not comforting him. We just don't have the time for it. I can already see the Zeppelins in the distance and hear police sirens as well. "You can do it. You're stronger than the pain."
I tug on his arm but he won't budge. He's convulsing and his arm feels very warm.
"Liam, come on," I'm begging now. "Let's move right—"
And then—
"I've finally tasted the Purge and I have to say that it doesn't taste like bubble gum," a voice comes from out of nowhere. It's followed by a grunting scream and then rapid footfalls.
I release my hold on Liam and look up just in time to find Lilly charging towards me, barreling forward like an out of control rhinoceros. I can't even process what's going on as she slams into me, knocking me off my feet. The two of us go flying through the air, only on land roughly on the jagged cliffside.
Rocks slice into wherever my skin is exposed, sharper than the sharpest dagger. Momentum carries me right along, sending me rolling across the rocks and down the slope of the cliffs. Head over heels I tumble, my body screaming in agony that's probably just as bad or worse than what Liam is currently experiencing inside his head.
Then, I'm flying again after plummeting right off a rough protrusion of stony earth. Millions of thoughts rush through my head as I prepare to freefall. For a moment, it seems I'm suspended in mid-air until I drop hard, wind rushing all around me. My thoughts linger on my family and my friends and on Liam. Death opens up its cold embrace for me and I'm content. This is the end. It was unforeseen but soon it will be over. There will be no more pain . . . .
I collide with sand and it knocks the wind out of me. Something snaps and the sound of the broken bones sickens me. Was it one of my legs or my arms? I don't know. I just feel pain all over. I continue to roll but my pace slows tremendously. How far did I drop? Twenty or thirty feet? I don't know but I'm still alive.
The sand scratches my skin as I turn over and over again. I throw out my left arm to stop myself but it burns like eternal fire. The fall broke it, shattering several of the bones inside. My left arm is useless now, especially if I—
I swallow a mouthful of water as I'm carried right into the ocean. The salty taste is beyond horrible and the saline sets my cuts and scratches ablaze. I fight against the water as much as I can and it carries me farther from the coast and back again with each flowing tide. My left arm hangs practically dead by my side. I pump hard with my remaining arm and both of my legs. They all ache madly but not nearly as badly as my broken arm.
The water struggles against me, providing great resistance; however, I've been trained for this. Even with one arm, I know how to slice my way through the water. Once I regain my bearings and the initial shock of hitting the water wears off, I hold my breath as tightly as I can and make my way up to the surface. The moonlight shining through the surface tension of the water serves as a guide. I can hear splashing somewhere nearby. Lilly must have rolled into the water too. Stupid idiot. She could have killed us both. If she makes it out of the ocean, I am going to kill her with my bare hands. I lost the Discharger whenever she tackled me. The mechanical filter also flew from my mouth and—
Oh no. I hope the flash drive in my pocket is not ruined by the water.
I break through the surface and breathe in fresh air right when my lungs start to burn. As a giant wave sweeps towards me from behind, I swim on top of the water, my broken arm impeding my speed. The wave washes over me and I duck underwater beneath its splashing point for a moment. Then, I surface again and continue towards the shore. The moving water pushed me out farther than I thought in only a matter of seconds. The tide is strong tonight.
I stay afloat and allow the waves to push me towards the shore whenever possible. After a while, I reach a point where I can stand and walk. Each step is agony but I emerge out of the ocean and collapse onto the sand, my legs giving out.
"Charlotte!" It's Liam. His yell sounded so far away. I lay on my back, burying my head into the sand and a pile of washed up seaweed the color of viridian. I stare up at the black sky dotted with golden stars. The stars look so peaceful and I want to fall asleep. I'm so tired . . . .
I battle against the fatigue, squaring off with it briefly until I'm able overwhelm it and gain the upper hand. I climb up groggily to my feet, recoiling every time my left arm moves even a hair. The world around me spins and takes a moment to come back into focus. I'm bleeding from multiple places and I'm soaked to the core. I shiver, the night air made chillier by my wet clothes.
I stare out at the ocean and hear more splashes, however faint. I locate the source immediately. It's Lilly. She's stuck far out to sea, flailing madly to keep herself from going under. I forgot that many citizens of Paradise don't know how to swim. I hesitate. I can probably save her if I can reach her in time, but do I want to save her life when she's heartless enough to end mine? No, I don't. But I'm not an evil person. I have to save her. I can't watch her drown and live with myself afterwards, knowing that I didn't at least try.
Sighing, I half-run and half-limp back into the water. Then, I prepare to dive when the water is deep enough.
"Charlotte!" Liam calls and thunder rumbles in the sky. More light adds to the glow of the moon. The Zeppelins are here but I don't care about them right now. I'm focused on getting to Lilly, cursing myself for having a stupid conscience.
I push myself, propelling my body through the water as fast as I can go. I toss water aside with my good arm and move my legs up and down in rhythm. Lilly stops thrashing suddenly and I watch as she slips underwater. She disappears for a second and I fear that I won't make it in time now. But then, I see her head bobbing in the water, her blonde hair splayed across the surface like outstretched tentacles.
I swim closer and closer to her but she's still so far away. She drops underwater sever
al more times, her limbs unable to fight anymore. The distance between us closes even more and then—
She vanishes yet again beneath the water. This time, she doesn't reemerge.
I swim on quickly to the area where I last saw her. But when I get there, I'm no longer sure if this spot was where she was trying to stay afloat. I dive as deep as I can and search for her, my eyes stinging. But she's nowhere to be found. She's gone, the ocean claiming her like a prize.
An unexpected numbness settles over me and it takes everything in my power to turn around and make my way back to solid ground once more. Lilly's gone. I can't believe it. I didn't really think that she deserved to die and I feel terrible for wanting to kill her earlier. But I don't grieve for her. Not after the destruction she's caused in my life. I never wanted it to end like this but perhaps it's better that it did. Lilly not only ruined my life but she murdered Emerson and caused that Donovan guy and Dr. Cato to go to jail. I don't even want to know how many other lives she destroyed, how many other families she ripped apart by her actions. At least now she can't continue her vindictive rampage. It's over. She's dead.
I exit the foamy water and drop to my knees in the sand. My left arm jerks suddenly and I scream bloody murder. Liam is there then. Somehow he found his way down to me, enduring all of the horrible pain ravaging his own body.
"Charlotte," he says weakly. "We have to go now."
I stare past him. Dozens of cop cars are parked around Lilly's house, their purple lights blinking. Twice as many cops emerge from the cars, guns drawn. They break off into two teams. One team searches the house, while the others approach us, wondering who decided to go down to the beach after dark. When they get close enough, they will realize who we are. It's too late. We can't escape now.
A Zeppelin flies above us and I look up, staring directly into the spotlight emitted from the bottom of the airship. The scanner registers my vector at once, as well as Liam's. We're caught now. There's no sense in trying to run. We will only be gunned down and the information Dr. Cato discovered will be lost, known only to her.
I stuff my right hand into my pocket. The flash drive is gone. It must have fallen out of my pocket during the fall. I curse silently, knowing that the team of law enforcers inside of Lilly's house will recover the Hippocampus. Fortunately, a copy of both vids remains inside my head where no one can access it unless I allow them to. Despite knowing this, I still feel as though this has all been for nothing. Liam and I are only a few seconds away from being ensnared by the Zeppelin's stasis generator and frozen like statues. All hope appears lost and I consider if it was worth it.
Yes. Yes it was worth it. I now have the knowledge to topple the Coalition. I may end up in prison but when the time is right, I will use what I know to inform the citizens of Paradise that they have been duped for many years. I will let them know that Dr. Cato is a hero for risking everything to acquire enough information to reveal the true oppression here. I will alert the SAFE rebels that it's time for action, instead of sitting around underground plotting the best way to hit the Core hard.
Yes, it was definitely worth it, even though right now it doesn't appear that way.
I glance up at Liam and he looks down at me. Our eyes connect; his blue ones collide with my hazel ones and we reflect the natural beauty of the beach that surrounds us. I'm the sandy shore dotted with seaweed and he's the ocean. At this moment, I'm lost in him, drowning inside of his gaze. I stare at him because I want him to be the last thing I see right before I can no longer move.
"We're screwed," he tells me, accepting the fact that it's over.
I nod. "I know we are, but it'll be okay." I smile feebly, trying to be brave. Just like Scarlett.
"Why are you smiling for?" He's taken aback by my reaction to the trouble we're in. "This is b-b-bad, Charlotte. With Lilly gone, we're both going to take the fall for everything."
Maybe I'm delirious from falling off of a cliff and into the ocean. Maybe all of the pain has placated me, removing my inhibitions. But I grab Liam's hand and hold onto it as if for dear life. I continue to stare up into his handsome face, locked onto his gorgeous eyes that I jokingly said were all right before when they are absolutely breathtaking.
Maybe it's just the heat of the moment, the thought that we're about to be separated from each other very soon. But whatever it is, I open my mouth to speak to him one last time. "I just wanted to tell you that no matter what happens, I lo—" is all I can get out before I can no longer speak. We're both trapped in stasis now, Liam and I, holding hands and staring at each other.
For one last time.
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