The Necklace: The Trial Realm

Chapter Thirty Three: As Long As You're Here

The alarms ring loudly in my ears, making me want to cover them with my hands but I keep my hand on Raven's shoulder as Maxum rushes us through the hordes of people running in every direction.

It could be a siege and we wouldn't know it.

The alarms mean to lockdown in rooms again, but I don't know yet if the attack on the special groups was the only one carried out tonight or if there are more within The Hub just waiting to jump out at us.

Because of that, it's impossible for me to slow my breathing.

Serge is dead.

Who knows who else is or who might be injured. I still feel terrible for leaving the gymnasium behind and likely other bodies or people who might have needed my help, but I've got to make sure Raven gets help. His skin gets paler by the minute and his brow is soaked with sweat.

I try hard not to focus too much on the drops of blood he leaves as a trail behind him.

"Mali." He coughs, his voice so weak.

I squeeze his arm tighter. "I'm here."

His head droops forward and Maxum has to readjust his weight to move faster. "He's passed out." Max huffs, out of breath himself.

"Is that bad?" I ask, afraid for the answer.

Max glances my way as we cross into a big medical wing that is already buzzing with people, a couple bleeding out like Raven, and a few covered in red stained sheets like Serge. It makes me feel sick to my stomach. "It's not great." He says softly. "The bullet didn't come out clean. It's lodged in his shoulder."

A woman in a long white coat swoops in, pushing a long steel table and Maxum helps her get him onto it while telling her what he'd just told me.

"Can you help him?" I ask her and she turns to look at me with red eyes like Brynlynn's.

"I'm going to try." She says, pushing the table up the long hallway while others come to her, helping to push the table into a back room.

I go to follow but Maxum pulls me back.

"They won't let you in." He explains. "They're going to have to do surgery to get it out."

"Surgery?" I shake my head.

"They'll do the best they can to fix him, Mal." Maxum pats my shoulder, only rubbing more blood on me. At this point I'm not sure whose is whose. "We have some of the best docs and nurses here. Try not to worry."

"What about the others?" I ask, just steering my worry into a different direction to not sit and obsess over Raven. "Did you see who all got out?"

"I was close to the exit, so I got out and then I decided to go back in." He tells me. "I saw Opall and Bryn in the hall. They weren't inside when it happened. J-jackson is dead. I saw him go down, and Roslyn too. No one from our team was hit. Jackson and Roslyn were with Raven's team. They've really taken a hit." He looks down and I know he's thinking about Iris. I'm not usually the touchy feely type, but when a friend needs it I can be. I lean in and wrap my arms around his freakishly huge body. He hugs me back, resting his head on top of mine. "I don't know who else was lost."

"We're still here." I whisper and he nods over me.

"For now." He says. "Did you hear what they were telling people?"

I step back to look up at him. "The shooters? About the lies?"

"Yes." He looks up the hall. "I can't...I can't believe that's all true."