Unplugged: The Hidden World (#2, Unplugged Trilogy)

Chapter Six

Suddenly, Matthew darts forward from the crowd and snatches a large metal tub of chipping devices. I do the same. To my pleasure, it's much lighter than it had first appeared to be. Screams and gasps follow us as we sprint towards the exit door. The guard closest to the door whips his gun around and fires just as we run past. I can feel the bullet rush past my neck, only millimeters away from entering my skin. I burst through the door and a screechy alarm sounds, the same one that haunted me ever since I first escaped this place.

A few children continue to linger outside the entrance, unable to fit into the crowded lobby. I recognize the blond girl whom I'd warned earlier. She stands at the open emergency exit door, peering inside curiously. A guard heads straight for her. Some of the other children start to cry, alarmed by the loud noises and the rushing guards.

"Get out of here! Run away, hide!" I scream. Guards start to pour out of the door, weapons held at the ready. Pointed at me.

"No!" My mother sprints towards the little girl, scoops her up, and then begins to run towards us. A bullet flies over her head and I conceal a scream. Matthew and I join her in sprinting. Bullets fly past us... over our heads... at the pavement... Loud, synchronized footsteps follow us as we run. Adrenaline fuels me, and I blindly lead us through sketchy side streets and alleyways. A few familiar, most not. There's no time to fight back: we can only run. A few of the footsteps falter and die out, though several remain. Deafening gun shots sound behind us as misguided bullets slam into trash cans and car skeletons. We turn a corner, sprinting out into Times Square; monstrous buildings and television screens cage us in. Enormous, unlit marquees jut out from the fronts of closed theaters. High-end cars line the edges of the road and I veer towards them, aware that they may be our last resort. My mother gets the same idea. She runs towards the driver's seat of a sleek yellow vehicle and tries the door. It opens seamlessly, to all of our relief.

"Get in!" She shouts breathlessly, placing the terrified girl onto the passenger seat. Matthew hops into the back seat, and just as I lift myself in next to him a powerful firework of pain penetrates my thigh. I close the door and scream into my teeth. My mother twists a key stuck in the dashboard and the car roars to life, taking off down the street. The guards stare after us, dumbfounded, resting their hands on their knees. My mother drives recklessly, swerving dangerously close to several nearby vehicles.

"Have you... ever... driven... before?" Matthew gasps, pressing a hand to his chest.

"Nope." I close my eyes and lean my head back, my heart thudding so intensely that I can't feel anything else.

"Enna, are you-" Matthew starts. He pauses mid-sentence after spotting my wound. "No..." His voice cracks and he undoes my seat belt. I groan through the pain.

"What happened?" My mother exclaims, keeping her eyes on the road. She swerves the car to the right and I fall on top of Matthew. The tubs of chips slide around, spilling some of their contents. He holds me close to him, running his fingers through my hair.

"Got... shot..." I mumble. Now that the adrenaline is gone, the pain rushes back more acutely. My vision starts to twist and swirl. I screw up my face and tears squeeze from my eyes, pooling on my cheeks. Make it stop. Make the pain stop! Matthew wipes them away with his finger and caresses my head gently.

"You'll be fine. You'll be fine..." He mutters over and over. It seems like he's reassuring himself rather than me.

"Shot!? Where?" My mother screams. The girl in the passenger seat starts to cry quietly.