There

by Denise Grover Swank

  I let out a shriek and arch my back, trying to get him off of me.

  Jo moves toward him, her gun still extended. She kicks his leg, but he doesn’t move.

  “Did you kill him?” I gasp. He’s smashing my chest and making it difficult to breathe.

  “No, but he’ll be out for a few hours.” She grabs his collar and slides him off with a grunt. His body thuds when it lands. “Besides, better him than you.”

  I jerk the straps on my arms, the movement shaking the bed. Is she going to shoot me next? “I don’t understand. You spied on us! You turned us in!”

  Jo tucks the gun into her back waistband. “I didn’t turn you in, but I did spy on you—only because they threatened my family if I didn’t.” She works on the strap of my arm restraint.

  “What family? You said they were dead.”

  She shrugs. “Part of the cover. A lie.”

  “Then why are you helping me now?”

  She rolls her eyes as though I’m an idiot she endures. “Because we’re friends.”

  Because we’re friends. Other than Evan telling me I love you, three words have never made me so happy. “But won’t your family be at risk if you help me now?”

  “My father and brother are safe.”

  “But Dr. Whittaker said you didn’t have a brother.”

  She snorts. “He said that to get in your head. He doesn’t know anything about me.”

  “Evan. We have to get Evan.” What is he going to do when he finds out Jo shot his father? I’m sure he loves his father, no matter what he’s done.

  Jo frees my leg, then moves to my other side. “Already on it.”

  “How?”

  She grins. “Reece.”

  “Reece?”

  “I got him a soldier’s uniform at the rebel compound and helped him onto the plane. He hid until after we landed then he snuck away while everyone was distracted with the handover. The rebels thought I was going to sneak off myself and gather information for them. But what they really did was provide me with transportation. The UR was expecting me. I snuck off to meet my handlers to give my report. I’d done such a great job that they believed me when I told them I was a loyal regionalist. Despite the fact I was raised a survivalist. Idiots.”

  I shake my head in confusion. “Was anything real? Or is it all a lie?”

  Jo looks into my face, while still working on my leg strap. “Our friendship is real. When I told the rebels that I was part of skirmishes against the UR, that was real. The important parts are real.” My leg is freed, and she lowers the guardrail. “We’ve got to go, Chipper.”

  I hop off the cot, thankful that I’m still in my clothes and not the awful scrubs they put me in when I first arrived in Evan’s world weeks ago. The sedative that knocked me out is still floating in my system, and I take a second to regain my balance. “Go? Go where?”

  She pulls the radio out of her coat pocket and grins. “You’ve got a date in the middle of a road.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Dr. Whittaker said you gave him the box. How did you get it?”

  She stuffs the radio back into her coat. “Sure, I gave him a radio. I didn’t say it was the right one. And it was easy to get. After you two passed out, I found it in the bag and hid it on the compound. I retrieved it when I helped Reece onto the plane.”

  We could do this. I could really go home. “But Evan…I can’t go without him.”

  “I told you already. Reece has it covered.”

  “Why would Reece send me home? He wants his Julia.”

  She shakes her head. “Reece is complicated. I suspect a person could spend a lifetime trying to figure him out.”

  I can’t argue with that.

  “But he says he’s partially responsible for bringing you here and he wants to take partial credit for sending you home.”

  Sounds like Reece.

  Jo peeks out the door then shuts it with a frown. “Get back on the gurney.”

  “What?”

  She spins around and pushes me toward it. “Get on the cot now.”

  I climb on the table as she shoves her hands underneath Dr. Whittaker’s armpits and starts to drag him across the floor toward a door.

  She looks up with a scowl. “Pull up the side rail and lie down and look like you’re asleep.”

  “What?” But I’m already obeying, worried I won’t pass for sleeping the way my chest is heaving.

  “The halls were empty before but now there are guards everywhere. Dr. Whittaker needed someone to corroborate his story for killing you. I was supposed to show up and say that I saw you trying to contaminate the science wing with your rogue virus.” She snorts and shakes her head. “Rogue virus.” She drags him into the room behind the closet and comes out with a lab coat. “Even though the UR officials say they trust me, I’m sure they’re still watching me. They’d be stupid not to. I left my room thirty minutes early. It’s probably raised an alarm.”

  “Then how are we going to get out?”

  “We’ll ride this out and see if they move on.” She grabs a mask off the counter and puts it over her face as she sits next to me.

  The door opens and Jo grabs a clipboard off the table and looks at my monitors. “What are you doing in here?” She stands up and sounds angry. “This patient has been quarantined. She’s a biological hazard!”

  I hold my breath so I don’t look like I’m hyperventilating.

  “Where’s Dr. Whittaker?” the guard asks.

  “He’s gone to discuss the situation with the higher-ups. What are you doing in here without a mask? You’re going to become infected!”

  The door closes and Jo murmurs, “He’s gone.”

  I release my breath. “How are we going to get out of here?”

  Jo pulls a small tablet out of her pocket. “Chaos always helps.” After she taps on the screen, she watches it, then smiles. “Reece is on it.”

  I’m about to ask what he’s doing, but sirens fill the room and lights on the wall flash.

  “Uh-oh,” Jo says with a grin. “There’s been a dangerous biological incident.” She goes back to the room she put Dr. Whittaker in and comes back with another lab coat and hands it to me. “Ordinarily, this wouldn’t work, but Dr. Whittaker did a really good job stirring up a panic over your rogue virus.” She snickers while I slide my arms into the coat’s sleeves. “Everyone in the halls is freaking out that they’ll get infected, so they’ll be more likely to let us pass.” She hands me a mask. “And the biohazard explains why we’re wearing these. Hopefully, we’ll make it to the meeting point without any incidents.”

  I can’t help thinking that she’s doomed us with her statement, but decide to keep that to myself.

  The hall is in chaos when we leave the room. Guards donning respirators are sectioning off part of the hall three doors down from us. Reece must have told them a room down the hall was the contamination source.

  I follow Jo through a crowd of soldiers, guns strapped to their waistbands. I try not to think about what they’ll do to me if they realize I’ve escaped, especially if they think I’m the hazard. Shoot me on sight? Probably.

  Jo moves to a stairwell and we climb two floors. Two gowned figures wait on the landing and I freeze two steps down. Jo continues up, then turns back when she realizes I’ve stopped. “Do you want to go home or not?”

  I’m no longer sure. After Dr. Whittaker’s theory that the other Julia’s thoughts will continue to dominate mine even if I go home, I wonder what the point of going home is if I’m just going to lose me anyway. But now seems like a bad time to bring it up.

  One of the figures turns, and I know it’s Evan before he says anything. The love and worry in his eyes tells me it’s him. Evan pulls down his mask. “We need to get to the road.”

  Reece tugs his down too. “That’s going to be difficult. But not impossible.”

  “What if we don’t go to the road?” I ask.

  The three of them look at me like I’ve grown another
set of eyes.

  “Evan, your dad found out about the other Julia’s memories. He said since her memories had been bleeding into my dreams, he didn’t think going home would solve the problem.”

  Horror covers his face.

  “Then what are we going to do?” Jo asks Evan. “Just let her become someone else?”

  He leans his back against the wall and closes his eyes. “I’ve pinned it all on going back to your world.”

  “What if we go somewhere else? When we traveled from your jail cell, my mind was clear.”

  Evan pushes away from the wall. “So if you go to another universe—”

  “It might halt the process.” Reece finishes.

  Excitement fills Evan’s eyes. “Barring the possibility that the memories were only suppressed and not gone in the other world, it might work.”

  Tears fill my eyes. “My mom…I won’t see her again.”

  Evan’s smile fades. “It’s up to you, Julia. All we have is a theory at this point. I have no idea if you’ll lose your memories in your world or not. Or even if you won’t continue to lose them in another universe.”

  “It’s a crapshoot,” I say.

  He gives me a sad smile. “Yeah.”

  I take his hand. “Are you coming with me?”

  His hand tightens around mine. “I’ll follow you anywhere.”

  “Okay.” I wipe a tear off my cheek. “How do we do this?”

  “Are you sure, Julia?” Jo asks. “How do you know you’ll end up somewhere you’ll want to be?”

  “As long as I’m with Evan, I’ll be where I want to be. And if you two come, it will be even better.”

  Jo lifts her chin. “I’m in.”

  We all turn to Reece.

  He rubs his neck. “My mother…”

  Jo’s voice lowers. “You can’t go back there, Reece. Not after this.”

  His eyes land on me. Is he wondering if he can live with me when he loves the girl who looks like me? Biting his lower lip, he shakes his head. “I’ll probably regret this, but I’m in.”

  I resist the urge to hug him.

  With a sigh, Reece pulls out his tablet. “Then let’s get this started. Where do you want to do this?”

  Evan looks worried again. “We want to try to find someplace in the open. We could end up anywhere.” He pauses. “Has this area been excavated?”

  Reece appears confused. “I’m not sure.”

  “Look it up. I don’t want to end up inside a cliff.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jo says as she hands the radio to Evan. “What does it matter?”

  “When we cross over we’ll be exactly where we are now in the other universe. If this area hasn’t been excavated in the other world, we’ll be buried underground.”

  “Oh, crap.”

  My mind spins with the possibilities and the potential dangers of going to a different universe. “We don’t have any clothes or any money or anything. What are we going to do?”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Evan says. “After everything we’ve been through, this will be a piece of cake.”

  I smile. “Piece of cake.”

  Reece looks up. “There’s been some excavation around this site, but if we go a quarter mile to the north, we’re good.”

  Evan grins. “That’s where we ended up after our last escape. When Reece picked us up in his car.”

  That night will be forever etched in my brain and fills me with terror. We managed to get away then. Will we be lucky enough to do it twice?

  “Then let’s do this,” Jo says. “Which way do we go?”

  Reece glances at his tablet. “Down one floor then through a hall to the exit.” He pauses. “The hall we used to escape last time.”

  “I hope you get the door open this time,” I say. “I’m not sure all four of us will fit in the storage closet.”

  We descend a flight of stairs, and Reece checks his tablet. “We’re clear, but we’ll have to hurry.” Evan leads the way into the hall and we file out behind him. The space is eerily quiet except for the alarm piercing my ears.

  Evan runs to the door and holds up his hand, and I release a sigh of relief when it slides open. The boys stand next to the opening while Jo and I go through. The door closes seconds after Evan and Reece pass.

  Reece nods. “That was the easy part.”

  We sprint down the familiar dim hallway, but this time it seems longer. When we reach the door to the parking lot, Reece stops. “They’re evacuating the building, which could work to our benefit, except they’re making everyone strip and go through a disinfection station.”

  “They’ll know who I am,” Evan says.

  “Yeah, that’s what makes this the tricky part.” He grins. “But we’re at the back of the building and most people are going out the front and the sides. If we head straight back to the trees, it’s probably dark enough we can hide in the shadows and make our way to the area without being seen.”

  “What time is it?” Evan asks.

  “It’s four-forty-five.”

  Evan shakes his head. “It’s too early. We’ll be in the sun. We’re not protected. We’ll get burned.”

  Reece grimaces. “Here’s our first bad news, then. We’re about to have visitors who will be coming from the hallway.” He points to where we just came from.

  “How many?” Evan asks.

  “Too many. More of them than the four of us can handle without alerting the officials to your escape.”

  “Suggestions?” Jo asks.

  “I’m thinking.”

  “Think faster.” Jo pushes past him and walks down the hall with her hands on her hips.

  We’re trapped at the end of a long hallway, with no doors in sight except for the one to the outside. I push Reece’s arm. “Go! You and Jo need to run. Evan and I will stay behind so you can get away.”

  Reece shakes his head. “No way. I didn’t get this far to abandon you two and let you get caught. Because, obviously, you’ll get caught without me.”

  “Jo?” I plead.

  “You’re stuck with us, Chipper.”

  “Then what are we going to do?”

  Evan stands straighter. “We’re going outside.”

  I shake my head. “But you said—”

  “The sun’s almost set. I’m willing to take my chances. The sun will be on the other side of the building and we’ll be in the shadows.”

  “But we’ll be seen.” I counter.

  “Let’s just hope we get caught up in the chaos.”

  “Okay,” Reece says. “Let’s go.”

  We exit the building into the fading sunlight. Reece and Evan expected the parking lot to be streaming with people, but the side of the building is eerily quiet. There’s no one.

  “What do you make of this?” Reece asks as we near the corner.

  “I don’t know.” Evan takes my hand in his.

  “It feels like a trap,” Jo murmurs.

  I hope to God she’s wrong. Evan sets a quick pace to the edge of the building and the beckoning shadows. When we round the corner, we see a lone figure moving toward us.

  Evan stops and pushes me behind him while Reece moves next to him. Jo pulls her gun out of her waistband.

  “Evan.” The figure calls out.

  “Dad?”

  I look at Jo in disbelief. “You said he’d be out for hours.”

  “He should have been.”

  Dr. Whittaker moves toward us, holding a gun. “I can’t let you throw your life away like this, Evan.”

  “Dad, this is my life. It’s my decision.”

  Dr. Whittaker’s hand trembles, and the weapon shakes. “I underestimated your feelings for this Julia, and I’m willing to make a compromise. If you’re set on sending her back, fine. I’ll help you do it. We’ll take her to the road and send her away.”

  Evan shakes his head. “I’m not sending her home. Julia told me your theory and I think you’re right. If she goes back to her world, she’ll lose her memories or at l
east be plagued by our Julia’s. She has to go to another universe.”

  “You’d send her there alone?” His eyes widen in disbelief.

  Evan squares his shoulders. “She won’t go alone.” He pauses. “I’m going with her.”

  Dr. Whittaker shakes his head in dismay. “No. I won’t lose you again.”

  “Dad,” Evan’s voice breaks. “You already have.”

  Evan’s father takes a step toward us.

  Jo moves around Reece, pointing her gun. “Don’t come any closer.”

  Dr. Whittaker’s lip trembles. “But Evan, you have no idea where you’ll end up.”

  “We’ll take our chances.”

  “Evan,” Reece whispers, looking up from his tablet. “There are soldiers on the way. Too many to fight off. We’re going to have to do this here.”

  Sucking in a breath, Evan’s face hardens. “How deep did they excavate here?”

  Tapping on his tablet, Reece’s face is pinched with worry. “Almost two meters.”

  Evan nods. “We can still do this.” Evan’s focus stays on his father, but he pulls me over to a row of parked cars, keeping me behind him. Reece is bent over his tablet, and Jo pushes him along with us, blocking his body from Dr. Whittaker as she keeps her weapon trained on Evan’s father.

  Evan’s father releases a cry of anguish as he follows. “It’s much too dangerous, Evan. Give this up now.”

  “You’re the one forcing me into it.” Evan passes a small sedan, heading toward a large military truck parked twenty feet way. “We had a safer spot to cross from. Just let us go there.”

  Is that Evan’s plan? Get in the military truck and drive to the site we planned on?

  Dr. Whittaker’s shoulders shake with tears, and his voice breaks. “I’m sorry. I can’t let you.”

  Evan points at his father. “Then if something happens to me, this is on you.” His words are harsh and bitter.

  We stop next to the truck, and Evan looks over his shoulder. “We have to climb to the top, but we won’t have the force field to protect us like we did last time. We might get shot.”

  I inhale and stiffen my back. “I’m dead anyway. I’ll take my chances.” I pause and my voice breaks. “It’s not too late to change your mind, Evan. You don’t have to do this.” The thought of going to another universe without him is unthinkable. I’d rather stay here and take my chances, but I can’t let that sway his decision.