Shadows of Fate

Chapter 17

I appreciated Tobias's loyalty to stand by my side no matter how crazy the mission. But he had to be joking. Sure, he was making insane progress, to the point that the doctors looked at him like he was some sort of miracle, but he was still so weak.

"I'm not letting you go alone," he said, before I could protest. He crossed his arms over a navy button-up, as if that locked down his argument.

"I can't roll you around in a wheelchair all night."

He glared, but let the unintended insult slide. "The doctors told me to push myself in physical therapy."

"I don't think leaving the hospital to go hunt down gods was what they had in mind."

"I've been cooped up in here way too long. I deserve a night out."

I rolled my eyes and went to peek out the door. Our hall was clear and our room was close to the emergency stairs. I had to go now if this was going to work. We had no idea when Dad would come back. I didn't even want to think about how pissed he would be to find us missing.

"You sure about this?" I asked.

Tobias picked up his crutches and swung out of bed with a grin. "Oh, and they double as weapons." He leaned back on the left one and swung the right one like a sword yelling, "Hyah!"

Worst. Idea. Ever.

There was no arguing with Tobias. He was super excited to get into some trouble. I couldn't blame him. He'd been cooped up mentally in the Gray, and physically in a coma all summer, but this was not how I expected we would spend our first night together.

I held the door open while Tobias hobbled down the final flight of stairs.

"I got it. I got it. I. Got. It!" He stumbled off the last step.

Escaping the hospital was way too easy. The emergency-door alarm didn't go off. No one came looking for us. The whole building was silent, as if it was frozen. Luck being on our side should have given me hope, but I felt sick with dread. Luck was never on my side.

"Ahh, fresh air!" Tobias lifted his head to the clear night sky, leaned back on his crutches, and took in a deep breath. "I never want to go inside again. Maybe I should become a crazy hermit and live in the hills."

"You know, I could imagine that," I snickered.

"Okay, Jail-breaker, now what?" Tobias asked. "Do we need to do a séance or sacrifice a goat to summon him?"

"Don't be ridiculous." I would have laughed, but I noticed that the hospital parking lot was empty. I couldn't hear a single car on the road nearby either. Something wasn't right.

"You wished on a star last time, right? Why not try again?"

"That was a coincidence," I said.

Tobias scanned the stars above us. They shined brighter than I'd ever seen them in town. "I don't think there is such a thing as coincidence. Not anymore. Even the accident." He shrugged. "It's like it was meant to happen."

My chest tensed, and Tobias's smirk vanished when he saw the look on my face. I should be glad Tobias didn't blame me for the accident, didn't regret standing up for me at the end of the year party, didn't hate me for putting him in a coma, but part of me wanted him to be angry with me.

"It wasn't your fault." Tobias offered me a crooked smile. "And everything turned out all right in the end."

Charlie. Run. Icarus's voice whispered in my mind. I straightened and looked around. Icarus, human form or otherwise, wasn't here. No one was. We still hadn't crossed the path of any breathing creature.