Counterfeit ✓

Chapter 39

THE THROBBING HEADACHE woke Mila up. She stared at the clock on the wall and in a flash; she remembered what happened in the past few hours. With her elbows, she pressed herself straight and got out of bed. Upon opening the door, she immediately noticed Oliver in the other room.

Thomas sat across from him. Elody beside him. Mila looked fleetingly at her friends, or at least two friends, pressing her lips together and plopping down in the nearest chair. Her breathing was shallow, each step being one too many.

"Where's Amy?" she asked right away. "Is she dead or?"

Elody shook her head. "She's not dead. She's in prison."

"What about Stephen's body?"

For the first time, Oliver stared straight into her eyes. "Stephen's body flickered away. We didn't get the chance to stop it."

"He's dead?"

Mila wasn't expecting confirmation from the others, she just wanted to hear it from her mouth. She had pulled the trigger on the gun that gave Stephen a headshot. She was the reason he was no longer alive. That they were free from his tyranny, even though she didn't know whether to celebrate it.

She clasped her hands in a fist. "The camp?"

"They support us. Everyone wants to leave."

A thought brought her back to the moment she fell to her knees. Stephen's death led to her fainting. The unknown man's words played in her head. Mila did not know who the man was and what it meant.

"Do we know how to get out of here?"

"It's a mystery." Oliver shrugged. "Before you woke up, we decided to go back to the dome. Take a look. Both Thomas and Elody would love to see it."

"And then we also need to focus on Mila's recovery," said Thomas. "It wasn't even a recovery. You woke up, and the wound disappeared."

Elody laughed. "I still find that unbelievable. Death means death."

Oliver pointed at her. "Agree. It means that otherwise Stephen can also be resurrected."

Thomas tensed. "It doesn't sound unbelievable. A dome that shocks us? Just as unbelievable."

"How else do you explain we're still here?" Oliver wondered. "One day, we'll find a way out."

"Nothing is unbelievable," Mila said before another discussion started. "We need to keep all the options open for thorough research."

"Let's start with the dome." Elody was already in the pantry. "I'll make the backpacks. We'll meet at the gate within fifteen minutes."

Mila heaved out a sigh. "We can't all leave. What if we get mugged again?"

Elody took apples out of the closet. "We waited enough. It's pointless to stay here forever. We need all the help we can get."

Biting her lip, Mila swallowed her answer. She refused to put Elody off. First, she had to convince Oliver they weren't sure which side she was on yet. And she also wanted to tell Oliver about the voice in her head. Although she wasn't sure if Oliver would believe her.

Mila looked up. "Thomas and I can stay here. Explore other trails while you're looking at the dome."

With a nod, she told Thomas she wanted to confide in him. He just shrugged and confirmed he chose to stay in the camp. Oliver also grabbed some apples, bit into one of them, and walked to the door.

"Agreed."

After Oliver and Elody left, Mila turned around and watched Thomas gazing at the table. To get his attention, she knocked on the top. He blinked and gave her full attention.