The Anomaly Project

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

TODD

"Colton," I say, for around the tenth time, and still I can't be sure that he's heard me. He still holds Haley's body, not crying anymore but just resting his head on hers.

I squeeze his shoulder. "Colton, seriously. Snap out of it. We have to go and save our other friends."

He flinches, like I'd punched him, but he raises his head, keeping his eyes on Haley. "I want to bury her," he murmurs.

"I do, too. But we don't have time." The grief for Haley is still there, but now it's made way for worry and fear for my other friends. Because, you know, they're trapped in a building that's about to bloody explode. It's a bit concerning.

Colton lays her down in the grass. Her eyes are shut, and her face has a strange aura of peace about it. I feel almost like she could wake up, and smile at us, and say something cheerful. But as much I want it to, I know that won't happen.

Colton gently lays her hands over her chest, plucks a flower from the bushes and tucks it underneath her palm. "I'm sorry," he whispers. I don't know if he's talking to her, or to me, or to himself.

I carefully put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, too. But we have to go, Colton."

He shakes his head. "Why?"

"Why?" I repeat, dumbfounded. "What do you mean, 'why'? Because our friends are in there! And we have to save them, so we don't lose them, too!"

"We can't save them, Todd!" Colton whirls on me with such ferocity that for a moment I'm almost scared of him. Normally he's such a mild person. I've never seen him like this. "The whole building is going to explode, and we don't have a way to stop it. What, you want to run in there and die, too? Well, be my guest. But I'm not going to throw away my life like that. Not after Haley saved it."

"That's not – I don't want to throw away my life. I just want to save them."

"Well, you can't," he says harshly. "Accept it, Todd. They're going to die, and we can't stop it! Unless you can think of a way to keep a bomb from exploding in less than a minute."

I stare at him. "What are you saying? Colton, these are our friends. Do you want to lose anyone else?"

"Of course I don't want to lose them! But I can't..." He trails off, glancing down at Haley's body. His fists are clenched, his eyes full of grief and frustration. "Todd, there is nothing you can do. You have to accept that."

I shake my head. All I can think about is Autumn, and Tessa, and Erik. I can't leave them to die. "I can't."

With that, I turn and start to run back toward the facility. Colton's right. It's hopeless. But I have to at least try. Something. Anything.

"Todd!" Colton yells behind me, but I don't slow down. "Did you think I was kidding about it exploding in less than a minute? You won't make it through the door before you're blown to bits!"

I keep running, trying to ignore him, trying not to imagine myself, or Autumn, or Tessa or Erik being blown apart. But before I can reach the fence, someone tackles me around the knees, and I go down.

"Colton!" I twist around, trying to escape his grip. He lets me go, and we stand and face each other. "What do you bloody think you're doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he says. I start to run again, but he grabs me around the torso and holds me back. "What is wrong with you? Do you want to get yourself blown up, Todd?"