Limitless

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Chapter 37 - Hope

A crack of lightning, an explosion of thunder, the sound of pounding rain. Somewhere far away, the first wailing of a flood siren.

I open my eyes, then squint at the water falling into them. For an instant I can't remember anything - not even my name. Where am I? What happened? I'm sitting right next to a chimney, soaking wet. I'm on a high-rise building. Rain mattresses the world around me and wind whistles through my drenched shirt. I huddle against the chimney. When I look up at the sky, I see an endless field of churning clouds, jet black and furious, illuminated by lightning.

Suddenly I remember. The firing squad, the hallway, the flat screens. Harmony. The explosion. Soldiers everywhere. I should be dead right now, filled with bullets. 'You're awake.'

Slouched next to me, almost invisible against the night in the black uniform, is the Girl. She's sitting awkwardly against the wall of the chimney, oblivious to the rain that runs down her face. I shift toward her. A spasm of pain shoots up my body. Words stick to my tongue and refuse to come out.

We're in the outskirts, outside the Limit. The Vortex took us as far as they can. But now we're on our own.' The Girl blinks water from her eyes.

I open and close my mouth. Am I dreaming? I scoot closer to her. One of my hands come up to touch her face. 'What... What happened? Are you all right? How did you get me out of Bataille Hall? Do they know you helped me?'

The Girl stares at me, as if trying to decide whether or not to answer my questions. Finally, she answers. 'The Vortex helped you escape. And yes, they must know by now.'

I look at her in silence. I notice that a deep gash runs across her shoulder, staining her shirt with blood. I tear a strip of cloth from the bottom of my shirt and try to wrap the wound the way Jess would do it. I pull the cloth tight and tie it off. The Girl winces.

'It's not that bad,' she lies. 'A bullet scraped me.'

'Are you hurt anywhere else?' I run my hands down her other arm and gently touch her waist and legs. She's shivering.

'I don't think so,' she replies. 'I'm okay.' Her eyes burn into mine. We stay here, unmoving, frozen in the rain. It feels like an eternity. I remember the afternoon that set it all in motion, the night I saw the soldiers stamp my mother's door. If I hadn't crossed path with the girl's brother, if I hadn't broken into the hospital, if I'd found a cure somewhere else... Would things be different? Would my mother still be alive? Would Royce be safe? I don't know. I'm too afraid to dwell on the thought.

'You threw everything away.' I bring a hand up to touch her face, to wipe rain from her eyelashes. 'Your entire life - your beliefs... Why would you do that for me?

The Girl has never looked more beautiful than she does now, unadorned and honest, vulnerable yet invincible. When lighting streams over the sky, her dark eyes shine like gold. 'Because you were right,' she whispers.

When I pull her into an embrace, she wipes a tear from my cheek and kisses me. Then she buries her head against my shoulder. And I let myself cry.

'I need to ask you something,' I say. I look into her eyes, and pause for a few seconds. 'What's your name?'

She laughs. A laugh that takes my breath away. 'You still don't know know my name!' She chuckles again. 'It's Harmony. Harmony Hunt.'

I don't reply. I just smile at her.