“We can’t just drive through the gate!” Grayson whispered. “They’ll shoot!”

“We’ll be fine,” Devi said, and I almost choked on shock when I realized she was truly trying to be nice. “Two lanes, one incoming, one outgoing. The guards are armed, but they won’t be expecting us to try something so brash. All we have to do is make enough noise to bring everyone running, then head out into the badlands. Grace, you duck down on the floorboard and stay there.”

“Don’t worry, Nina.” Maddock leaned past Devi so he could see me, his hands still clenching the wheel. “We got this. Go get your sister.”

I stepped away from the vehicle, and he backed out of the parking space, then burned rubber on his way out of the lot, already drawing attention to give my sister her best shot at survival.

The streets were mostly dark and completely deserted, thanks to the lockdown, but I’d only run a couple of blocks before I heard the first sirens. A second after that, a pair of police cars raced toward me, red and blue lights flashing, and I ducked behind a parked car as they zoomed past, headed toward the town’s south gate.

“This is too slow,” I whispered, jogging through the shadows. “They’ll already be through the gate or captured long before I get to the courthouse.” I couldn’t see or hear Finn, so I had no idea whether or not he’d heard me, and after spending the last couple of days with Anathema, being alone felt strange.

Lonely.

I’d gone four more blocks, avoiding both gravel and streetlights, when a soft whirring sound made me draw to a skittish stop. I twisted, looking for the source, and froze when a boy on a bicycle turned the corner I’d just passed, pedaling my way.

Heart thumping, I glanced around for somewhere to hide, praying he hadn’t seen me. Then he rode through the light from a streetlamp and I realized his chest was bare. As were his feet. He was riding a bike in his pajamas, during a lockdown.

Wait a minute….

“Nina!” the boy shout-whispered, and I exhaled in relief. I was starting to catch on to Finn’s MO.

“Where did you get this?” I asked as he rolled the bike to a stop on the shadowed sidewalk next to me, and I wasn’t sure if I was asking about the bike or the boy riding it.

“From a house a couple of blocks away. Here.” He climbed down and leaned in for a quick kiss with unfamiliar, full lips that were cold from the night air. “Go. I’ll catch up after I put him back to bed.”

“Thanks. And hurry!” I climbed onto the bike as Finn jogged back the way he’d come, and then I took off on my new wheels.

I flew down darkened streets and through deserted shortcuts, while in the distance, wailing sirens were punctuated by gunshots and shouts. As grateful as I was for the distraction, fear for the other members of Anathema lurked at the back of my mind, eclipsed only by the more immediate fear for my sister as I sped toward her.