POWER | the darkest minds

chapter eighteen

I brushed off the ash that coated my shirt, coughing a bit.

After we left Ruby to help the rest of the kids at the camp, I'd gotten separated from Liam and the others when trying to get everyone out. I had been trudging and stumbling through the forest tiredly for about an hour or two now. The sun had already risen, and I still hadn't seen anyone.

I was exhausted, to say the least. Using so much of my powers in such a small time span couldn't have been good for me. My eyelids were beginning to get heavy.

I looked up and through the trees. My eyes focused the best they could on a taller, lanky figure in the distance. "Liam?" I breathed out softly, unsure if it was really him.

"Emily!" his voice called out, making my brows raise. His figure became clearer as the boy ran to me, not bothering to stop as his body collided into mine and his arms wrapped around my waist. I let myself relax for a few moments and allowed the exhaustion come through as Liam supported most of my weight. "You're okay, darlin'," he assured, pulling out of the hug only to place his hands on my face and examine my features. "Oh, my God. You're okay." He pressed a kiss to my forehead and pulled my head into his chest.

"I'm okay," I concluded softly. "Where are the others? I was . . . I was supposed to be there and keep you guys safe, but I-I didn't and I'm sorry," I apologized, my voice hoarse and cracking in a few places. "I went to help the kids from the camp and when I got back you—you guys were gone."

"Zu's okay, so is Ruby. Chubs . . . he's—there's someone coming to help."

My brows furrowed and I pulled back to look up at him. "Where is he? Who's coming to help?" A feeling of panic began to flood through my gut. There was only one option as to who would be helping with the camp gone and us being alone again: the League.

I could feel my eyes pricking with tears as my head shook. "Liam, you said we couldn't trust them. W-why would you call the League?" If the League caught us there was a good chance none of us would see each other again.

   He took my face into his hands and shook his head rapidly. "No, no. Em, they're not separating any of us, okay? They're not taking anyone. I won't let that happen. They're just gonna help Chubs."

   "And what are they gonna want in return, Liam? No one does anything for free."

The boy's mouth stayed shut when I'd said that. His blue eyes flickered away from mine briefly and I knew he was planning something. A resurgence of what I'd seen in his mind flashed through my own and I recoiled from him in shock. Shaking my head firmly, I looked at him and thought of the others, wondering if they knew what I had found out.

   "No. No. You're not going with them, Liam. You said they weren't separating us," I reminded, my voice cracking under the emotion from the situation.

   "Em, they aren't—"

   "Yes they are! You leaving—that's separating us!" I wasn't sure if my eyes were beginning to water due to the smoke that I'd been in earlier, or due to the fact that the boy I'd grown attached to over the last few weeks was trying to leave and be the hero.

   "It's better I leave than they try to make you all into their soldiers! You don't know how bad it is, you guys don't deserve to go through that."

I took a step closer to him and grabbed his hands into my own. His brows furrowed and his thumbs began rubbing circles over my skin. "Liam, please. You said to me 'you got us now. You got me.' Do you remember that?" My eyes looked into his with a hint of disheartenment. "You guys are all have. You are all I have. I don't want that to go away."

   Liam's hand maneuvered out of mine and moved up my neck and rested on my cheek. His thumb ran over my cheekbone and it wasn't until then that I realized tears had begun to fall from my eyes. "I swear to you that I'll come back. I don't care how long it takes or what I have to do, but I will come back to you. I'll come back to all of you."

   His pristine blue eyes pierced my gaze and he gently pulled my frame closer to his. He glanced to my lips quickly and pulled my face closer, his thumb still tracing over my skin.

   Liam's lips were nearly brushing against mine the moment a loud echo was heard bouncing off the trees and through the woods.

   "Liam!" a feminine voice yelled. Ruby. "Emily!"

   Within the next second I'd pulled myself out of Liam's grasp and began running in the direction I'd heard her yell from. I tugged the boy along with me, nearly stumbling as I did so. "Ruby!" I shouted back. "Liam, where are they?" I asked over my shoulder before he fell into step beside me.

   "Just over here!"

   A few moments later I found myself stumbling to a stop in front of Ruby and Chubs. The latter laid against a tree, seemingly unconscious and in bad condition. My face fell at the sight. "Chubs," I muttered, already moving to sit beside the boy on the ground. "Has he said anything or moved at all?" I asked Ruby.

   The curly-haired girl shook her head sadly. "We can't do anything for him here, Emily. I—"

   I gave her a sad smile. "I know. Liam told me. How much longer 'til they're here?"

   My question was answered by the loud hum of a vehicle engine coming through the woods towards us. My instincts told me to run and my fingers twitched at the idea, but I held myself back. There was no running anymore.

   Liam sat down beside me and took my hand into his, lacing our fingers together. "It's gonna be okay," he said surely.

   I looked over to Ruby, wondering if she knew what he had planned. But she was looking down at Chubs, making sure he was as comfortable as he could be right now. In that moment, all I could hope was that he would be okay and that we would all make it through this alive.