The Queen's Triumph by Mihalik Jessie

Author:Mihalik, Jessie
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781641971539
Publisher: NYLA
Published: 2020-12-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

I sprinted as fast as I could while dodging people in the growing crowd. Imogen shouted something from behind me, but I was too focused on not plowing into anyone to pay attention. The group link was also blowing up, but I ignored it, too.

According to the tracker, Adams had stopped just on the other side of the airlock. The distance between us shrank with each step. The doors wouldn’t close instantly. I still had time. I could make it.

The crowd got thicker and thicker as I approached the airlock. Many people were in pajamas, carrying whatever they could grab in thirty seconds. Frantic parents clung to their wailing children as they tried to get them to the safety of the airlock.

My heart twisted, but it would be far worse for everyone if Adams escaped. I shoved my way through the growing crowd, trying not to injure anyone.

I rounded the corner and finally caught sight of the airlock and the sea of people trying to escape. The heavy door on the Block 20 side was nearly closed. A few people still slipped through, but the gap would be far too narrow by the time I fought my way closer. The outer door had no safety shutoff—to prevent people from holding it open during a true emergency—and it would crush anyone caught between it and the frame.

I scanned the faces beyond the door. Commander Adams stood a few meters back, his pistol held loosely. He scanned each person coming through the airlock, presumably looking for me or Imogen. There were far too many people between us for me to get a clean shot, and I clenched my jaw in frustration.

Adams couldn’t possibly see me in the crowd, but his smirk grew wider and wider as the door closed and I didn’t appear. Just as I considered risking a shot anyway, a little girl’s head jerked into my line of fire. The crowd was too unpredictable. I would never forgive myself if I killed an innocent.

The outer airlock door sealed closed with a loud thunk. The inner door started to close but immediately halted due to all of the bodies in the way. The feel of the crowd shifted as people shoved and shouted and tried to cram inside the airlock. Those already in the airlock pushed back against the encroaching crowd.

People could theoretically escape through the airlock, but trapped, panicked people had to let the inner door of the airlock close with nothing more than the hope that it would open again after those inside made it through. And in any crowd, there was always that special asshole who refused to wait their turn and so ended up killing everyone.

Today, that asshole was a dark-haired young man. He threw the first punch and then the fight was on.

Someone grabbed my shoulder and I spun, ready to defend myself, but it was only Imogen. The crowd jostled around us, growing by the second. Imogen grabbed my wrist and towed me back the way we’d come.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.