Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

{Book Three} 147 | Room 822

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 21

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• Luna •

Luna remained silent as her stomach clenched. She and Vikram were now on their way to Liberty's room after he explained that something had happened to her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"After leaving the community, a group of us were running for shelter," he said, tears welling up in his eyes. "Liberty, your parents, Sarah, and I jumped into a van after exiting the main gate. We wanted to stay with the others, but we didn't have time; we had to go."

Vikram's chest heaved after he took a breath.

"Take your time," Luna advised when they came closer to a closed door.

He stood for a moment, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall. "We made it to a convenience store outside of Gretna and stopped to stock up on supplies. We tried not to be seen by the soldiers who were slaughtering people. It was a complete bloodbath."

The dark corridor was empty and cold, and she sniffed when they slowed to a stop next to a fire extinguisher. "The soldiers were active Trojans, and they were in a simulation. They can only be controlled by the organization."

Vikram nodded, his hands covering his face. "We know that now."

"You do realize that if I'm ever fully activated, it'll be me? I'd go on an uncontrollable killing spree just like the rest of them."

He quickly shook his head, his hand resting on her shoulder. "No. You won't. We'll never let that happen."

Luna smiled softly and nodded for Vikram to continue.

"Anyway," he exhaled deeply. "Liberty and I dashed inside, while your parents stayed in the car with Sarah. People were swarming all over the place, grabbing whatever they could and running. Everything happened so fast."

Luna remembered the survivors she'd seen on the screen who were fleeing D.C. and didn't stand a chance since their rebellion shot missiles in their direction. Things must have quickly deteriorated for her friends and family while she was underground with Amir.

"I left your sister's side for a second to get water, and a soldier caught up to her, then inserted a syringe into her upper arm," Vikram continued, his lips trembling. "I stopped the man before he could do any more harm. He got what he deserved quickly and painfully."

His stern, sadistic smile made Luna's heart skip a beat. She didn't even need to ask what Vikram had done. She knew.

"I didn't want to burn him alive, but he wouldn't give up," he went on. "So, I grabbed Liberty and the two bags we'd managed to fill, and we made our way back to the van. I told Lawrence to drive, and not long after that, the store went up in flames."

"Oh. Wow. So you didn't see how that happened?"

He shook his head. "Elizabeth mentioned hearing helicopters and gunshots, but all I could think about was getting everyone out."

"You did well."

"But I didn't do enough. They still got Liberty, and whatever they gave her made her sick."

The worst-case scenario emerged the moment those words were spoken.

"Sick?"

He frowned and pressed his lips into a thin line. "We eventually settled inside an abandoned house and stayed in the cellar. She didn't wake up for nearly forty-eight hours until I was able to reach Owen and Dominique." Vikram's eyes narrowed. "It took a few days for them to get to us, but they did."