The Undying (The Undying Series) by Reid Ethan

Author:Reid, Ethan [Reid, Ethan]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/ Simon451
Published: 2014-10-07T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FORTY

JEANIE stammered as she pulled away. “Ben, she’s alive!”

“What? Holy shit. Are you—”

“Zou Zou! It’s me! Jeanie! Can you hear me? Are you hurt?”

“Tu m’entends?”

Jeanie laughed. “Yes, yes! I can hear you! Can you hear me? Are you okay?”

“Jeanie!”

“Yes!” Jeanie nearly screamed. “I’m here! We’re here!”

A torrent of muted French came through the debris as Jeanie brought the baby to her chest and grinned. Her heart beat wildly with hope, thumping inside her chest. Finally, a break. She turned to Ben, smiling, to see his face slack with shock.

“Dieu merci,” Zou Zou exclaimed. “Tu m’entends? Ben, ça va? Et le bébé?”

“English! I can’t understand!”

“Jeanie! Et Ben? The boy? Is the baby okay?”

“Yes. We’re okay! You? Farid?”

“We’re fine!” There was a long pause, then with less enthusiasm. “Tout va bien.”

Jeanie’s frame shook with joy. She smiled as she tried to control her breathing. When a few small rocks fell from the ceiling, landing at her knees, she began to scoot slowly backward.

“Keep going—” Jeanie called out, trying to project her voice without shouting. Keeping her gaze on the ceiling, she reached for her messenger bag. Her fingertips barked in pain as she gripped the strap and slipped the strap over her shoulder.

“Quoi?”

The foreboding pressure hovered above, as if the schism would give at any moment. Ben was correct. They needed to go, now.

“Keep following the lion,” Jeanie called out. A sob escaped her lips at the prospect of splitting up, stealing her elation. “Don’t wait. Follow the lion.”

“No! We dig through! Jeanie, we will not leave!”

At Farid’s voice, she covered her mouth. For a moment, all she wanted was to melt in his arms, for him to whisper that everything would be okay. As silly as the notion was. When a broken brick tumbled from the rock fall and landed next to Ben’s foot, he took a slow, wide-eyed step away from the corridor, retreating into the intersection.

“No,” she called out. “Not safe. The Louvre. Meet at the museum.”

When Ben begged for her to hurry, she shushed him. After a few seconds, Farid’s muffled response eked through the rubble.

“We go,” he said, not sounding pleased. “On se voit au Louvre. We expect you there, Jeanie. D’accord?”

She nodded.

“Jeanie?”

This time it was Zou.

She put a shaking hand to her lips. “Yes?”

“Remember the signal. If you have to, skip the Louvre, go to L’Étoile. Find whoever sends the signal.” After a moment of silence she added, “Et Jeanie?”

“Yes?”

Jeanie stood, staring at the cave-in. The lamplight cast her shadow on the rocks and bricks. There was only a few feet of rocks between her and Zou Zou, but the distance felt like miles. Like the miles of corridors that lay between her and the surface.

“Yes? Zou?”

“I love you, my little American sister.”

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