But you haven’t taken any medicine.
Those words pop into my head and nerves hit me. How am I still exhausted and not on pills? I think back to the last dosage I had and when I asked Noah about them.
She never told me if she asked around.
We finally arrive at a darkened door. Another handprint scanner of some sort. Bridger scans and it chirps, unlocking.
When we get inside, there are several vehicles. He goes for a hearse rather than a nice and fast car, shocking the hell out of me. My chest pinches and I force myself to breathe more regularly.
Bending and placing my hands on my upper thighs, I feel nauseous. I haven’t eaten today and I definitely haven’t had a drop of water.
After all, he literally interrupted me getting ready for my last day of this shithole.
“Are we trying to give my Corpse nickname some real facts to back it up?” I pant, and again, he doesn’t smile or offer a smirk. His eyes are shooting around us and he waves me over.
“Hurry.”
I jog to the car and he shakes his head when I go to open the door. “I’m sorry, you have to get inside the coffin in the back.”
“No fucking way,” I hiss. My skin flares to life, thinking of a closed place. A coffin, no less. My breaths become even more labored and my anxiety skyrockets.
“Nononono,” I repeat over and over, feeling a panic attack rising. He rushes to me and holds my face.
“I know, baby, I know.” He said baby and I can’t even focus on it over the rampant beat of my heart. “You’ve got to breathe. I know you’re scared. I know small spaces scare you. I know the fear of suffocation is strong. But I promise there’s a huge hole for oxygen. If your life wasn’t in danger, I wouldn’t ever suggest it.”
“I-I can’t,” I cry. “P-please don’t make me.” My jaw chatters, hurting my teeth with how badly I’m shaking.
“Don’t make me knock you out, I will if I have to,” he promises. Shaking my head, I try to control my breathing. “Please, Colt. I need you to calm down.”
Nodding as best as I can, I focus on the things I can hear. My breath being labored is one. His breath being erratic is two. The buzzing of the lights above us is three. The sound of cars driving by has me calming. We’re somewhere close enough to traffic…
“Let’s do this before I panic again.”
He leads me to the back, pulling out the coffin. I get inside and close my eyes, pretending I’m going to sleep. What I’d do for a joint. It’s been weeks and it seems to be the only anxiety reducer I’ve ever enjoyed.
When he maneuvers me in the back, I shake again and think of all the positive things I can.
He’ll let me out.
I can breathe.
He’ll let me out.
I can breathe.
He’ll let me out… right?
Closing my eyes, I try to force sleep. It shouldn’t be hard, I haven’t had a lot of time to sleep since being at the Estate. The constant worry of what the Emeralds have planned terrifies me.
The things I learned in this place has me shivering.
Basically, women are tools, that’s it. Our rights aren’t real. We’re meant to bear children, clean the home, and bring men pleasure. Our voices aren’t heard, our silence is promised, our place is beneath a man.
It took me all of five seconds to realize the Vestige is literally a misogynist paradise.
By the time I try to rifle through all the things I’d learned, I’ve fallen asleep.
Chapter Four
Bridger
My heart thumps, and it’s almost a thrilling experience. Adrenaline comes less and less as I get older. I’m not sure if it’s the detachment from humanity or if it’s more of a physical reaction to my brain.
Either way, it’s thrilling to feel my hands shake, my heart race, and my skin clammy with nervousness.
I’d planned this really well, there shouldn’t be an issue of being caught, but Colt delayed three minutes and twenty-two seconds which could easily bring us closer to failure.
Once I drive out of the underground garage the Grims created for moments like the one I’ve just experienced, I smile. They thought of everything.
I’ve also been taught that they’re not as gone as one would think. Then, as if they knew, they contacted me, one of them in particular, making sure to let me know how to set up my handprint for the scanner they’ve created. They explained the tunnels once, and with my ability to embed every detail to my brain, it was an easy feat.
They are also the ones who forced the move today, getting word that Colt was in danger. The plan was always to save her, but we weren’t supposed to do it until a week or two later when we were back at Arcadia. Plans changed when people never intended for her to make it back there.
Unlike what Colt, Lux, and the others were told, Elijah had no intentions of letting her go. Not after signing her life to Lux. Marrying him wasn’t the saving grace they all hoped for. What did they expect? They put two of the biggest families in a fight all over a girl.
Just like back then.
And the generation before.
For lifetimes, these families spilled blood over a girl.
The girl always paid the price in the end.
No one ever wondered why the Hudson line was nearly wiped clean. It’s a result of greedy men and their inability to be decent human beings and a woman wanting to rise above the patriarchy.
I hit the gate at the back, where emergency vehicles go. This underground tunnel only barely gets us off the property. It doesn’t get us out of the entirety of the gated compound, though.
“Name?”
“Remy Denning,” I immediately lie, not feeling a single ounce of nerves. It’s easy to lie when you don’t care about the person you’re speaking with.
“Ah, funeral director.”
“No, mortician,” I correct. Not sure if he was testing me or mistaking me for someone else. He nods.
“My bad, yeah. Here you go.”
Giving him a two-finger salute, he allows me through the gate. Peering at the watch on my wrist, that little tingle of adrenaline hits again. Seven minutes. We have seven minutes to get to the platform.
As soon as we hit the large driveway, leading to the main road, I floor it. The drive is fast but a little suspicious to any camera.
Checking my watch again, my gut churns. Five minutes.
Taking a right—I memorized this route by heart—I use the hearse to its best capability. Rushing to the airstrip that the Grims claim is abandoned, I hope for the best.