Linked

Chapter 19

Once we had returned to the familiar gas station, bought the necessary supplies, and patched Cyrus up, his sight had regained a bit. We were all back in the car again, and Cyrus told us he was able to make out the shapes of people and things.

"At least he can walk around without bumping into stuff, now," I whispered to Liam, who was beside me.

"Yeah, but do you think we should bring him along to get Emily?" Liam asked the question I'd been thinking as well.

"Well, I bet his eyesight will be completely there when we reach the edge of the state. Or he will be able to see almost as well as normal. Let's just give it time. He may be a key component in finding Emily; especially if her compound is different from the others," I calmly argued for my friend.

"Alright. Yeah, maybe his sight will be fine by then," Liam assured himself.

We drove for 20 to 30 minutes longer, and found ourselves at the same type of place the other compounds were: Big forest, small road. We all exited the car, and stepped through the trees. Cyrus came too, as his eyesight had almost fully returned. By this time, the sun had just set over the horizon, and the last lights of day flickered out. I sighed at the new darkness, and kept walking to search for the building. The crisp leaves crunched under my feet, and I felt my body take into account how thin my jacket was. Why is it so much colder now?

In the note of frost beginning to settle on the ground, I suddenly became fearful that finding this place might be harder than the others. Maybe we found the other two compounds by chance. Maybe there wasn't any real pattern, and we're in the total wrong place. My breathing quickened.

"Hey, guys? Do you see anything?" I called out to the others in an attempt to bring back hope.

"No!" All three yelled back, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Do you think we're in the right place?" I asked.

"We have to be! All the other buildings had this same correlation!" Liam answered back, which gave me some hope. He's found more of these things than all of us. Surely he can't be wrong... Oh, Emily. Where are you?

We kept hiking through the brush until a small clearing presented itself. My heart fluttered.

"It has to be close!" I exclaimed, more to myself than to the group. My pace picked up and I circled the clearing all the way around, seeing nothing. I rested my head in my hands. If we don't find all of them, this is all for nothing. I found all the others, but not the most helpless, innocent, one. Please, please, please. We need to find her; we have to.

"Hey guys! Come quick!" Cyrus' voice summoned us to him.

"What? What is it?" I bent down next to him, as Liam and Dustin arrived.

"I think I found the compound. Or at least her cell."

"What do you mean?" Liam asked, and Cyrus brushed away some leaves in response.

"I think this is the door," He hand revealed a small latch placed in the center of a trapdoor.

"Oh goodness," My stomach churned, "We found her last. And if she's in there... in that tiny place..."

"She'll be okay," Liam put his hand on my shoulder and I leaned into him.

Don't think about her cell now. Let's just get her out, C. Liam told me inside my head.

"Let's go get her," Dustin echoed the thoughts, and we all nodded. Cyrus grasped onto the latch and pulled. Moss and dirt broke away from the door, and it opened to show a set of stairs leading to darkness. My limbs weakened from the torturous sight, but Liam steadied me. To think she's down there somewhere. All alone.