The Uprising (Book #3 in The Inception Trilogy)

chapter three

CHAPTER THREE

AFTER A SLEEPLESS NIGHT, Caroline is the one to find Michelle hanging from the ceiling in her room with her dead child behind her. She screams so loudly the walls of the hover quiver and the birds scatter from nearby trees. Michelle's head is bowed as the tips of her toes just barely scrape the floor. Asher still has an arrow through his forehead.

Micah, Harry, and Killian dig two graves in the clearing with shovels they found in the storage closet. Albeit the young redheaded girl is not sobbing uncontrollably, Evelyn still struggles to soothe her. She shakes violently, her wide green eyes twitching every now and then. Evelyn tries to hold her to her chest, to rub Caroline's hair like Evelyn's mother had once done with her. Her efforts are futile.

Robbie clutches her hand, which seems to be the only thing that keeps Caroline from running. He and Maxie try to talk to her but she maintains her dead stare on the wall.

As heartless as it makes Evelyn, she's slightly relieved the two are gone. Not only will it quicken their search, but they're both finally out of suffering. Michelle didn't hide that defeated look as well as she thought. Evelyn saw it every time the two locked eyes. She knew Michelle secretly wanted her son to pass as well--so he wouldn't have to wake up in a world like this.

Evelyn will avenge Asher and Michelle.

She'll avenge everyone who has died with that old bastard to blame.

She'll make a cut on his skin for every family he's stolen; she's sure he'll be left in slivers when she's done with him.

***

Erik rubs his chin impatiently as he waits in the men's bathroom. He paces the floor, rereading the note over and over until he finally hears the door click. He ducks into a stall just in case, but lets his shoulder sag in relief when Davon announces his presence. He steps back out to greet the only man he trusts in this facility, apart from Locke.

Davon's brown eyes narrow as he spots the paper in Erik's hands. "I'm not sure I'm gonna like what you have to say, Erik."

"I'm not sure you will either," he replies, sighing heavily. "Davon, you're the only person I know who can do this."

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

Erik locks the bathroom door and checks each stall again just to be sure. Then he gets close to Davon and lowers his voice for reassurance, though he knows those creatures can hear a mouse scurry in the floorboards. "I need you to leave."

Davon laughs, shaking his head. "Come on, man."

"Seriously. I need you to find someone for me."

"How the hell am I supposed to find anyone in a world where everyone is in hiding?"

"Just listen." Erik hands him the note, then grabs him by both his shoulders. "Her name is Eve, all right? According to Locke, she's pretty close with one of them. If you find her and tell her that a little girl named Sasha is here, she'll go ballistic. She's our only way out of this place."

Davon blinks at him. "I'm supposed to trust a girl who's all buddy-buddy with a demon?"

Erik drags a hand down his face. "Look. You're the only one with a free ticket in and out of this place. Please, Davon."

Davon has been here longer than Erik and has made friends with one of the trainers, Axel, who's also Wolf's second in command, apparently. Axel takes Davon down to the farm with him sometimes, or even lets him go out for a jog down the street. Erik knows Davon has never run because Axel will go after him, but this is Erik's only chance to save Sasha and Locke. To save himself.