“Mary, add another strap across her legs. I need her still to get the core sample out!” Dr. Neff shouted.
Allison felt leather pulled across the backs of her knees, pressing her further into the table. Her legs continued to spasm as pain overtook her, but the movements were held by the added restraint. The pain swallowed Allison. The surrounding room disappeared as her consciousness retreated into the depths of her being.
Chapter Twenty-Seven Gabby
Lyon perched up in a tree with his sniper rifle. Other armed Resistance members were hiding among the trees surrounding the facility. Morgan stayed hidden in the forest, under a close eye. She was too unpredictable to trust on the front lines.
The compound was surprisingly not well guarded. One Collector walked along the top of the building and two Collectors patrolled the ground along the border of the facility’s fence. Another two Collectors were at the gate monitoring everyone who came and went. They all seemed bored and unworried.
“Where is everyone?” Cassi pressed herself against the ground right outside the fence on the backside of the building.
“I don’t know. But there are a lot fewer vehicles here than they had when they came into town yesterday.” Trevor lay next to her in the dirt, watching the Collectors patrol the compound.
“Maybe they are out causing shit with other people?” Matt wondered.
“Are you sure we can trust your sister?” Gabby asked.
“Even given how she feels about Allison, she would not knowingly put me in danger. I believe her,” Matt said.
“Okay, then let’s do this. But be prepared to hightail it out of here if shit hits the fan,” Cassi said. The guard disappeared around the corner on his patrol and Cassi sprinted through the woods to the other side of the building.
Trevor, Matt, and Gabby positioned themselves at the rear of the building. They waited for the guard to pass and then Matt used wire cutters to clip a hole in the fence big enough for them to slip through. Gabby climbed through first, leading the group to hide behind a large dumpster near a back entrance as they waited for the cue.
Cassi slipped through a cut she made in the fence on the side of the building. Another Collector would be walking this area in less than three minutes, so she had to be quick. She ran across the open yard until she reached the building. She placed an explosive on the lower wall, then another a few feet over from the first one. She pressed buttons on the side of the bundle of C-4, then went to place the last explosive in the alcove of the building as the next Collector passed by the fence line. Gabby kept Cassi in her view since the alcove of the building blocked Lyon’s view and rendered his sniper abilities useless to help her. The Collector strolled by Cassi, scanning the forest with his eyes. Gabby watched in horror as Cassi struggled to attach the explosive to the wall and remained fixated on her task, unaware of the Collector’s presence. Gabby looked around and saw no other Collectors nearby.
“Stay here,” Gabby hissed to the boys and she sprinted toward Cassi.
The Collector turned from the forest and saw Cassi. He raised his gun and started to call out just as Gabby slipped her arm around his neck, cutting off his windpipe and carotid arteries. The Collector’s hands grasped at Gabby’s arm, his nails digging into her, causing red blood to streak her porcelain skin. The Collector tried to scream but couldn’t get enough air to make a noise. Gabby leaned back, pulling back on the Collector’s neck with all her weight. They both fell to the ground with the Collector on top of Gabby, but she never loosened her hold until he stopped struggling and his body lay limp. She pushed him off of her and Cassi helped her drag his body into the corner of the alcove so it wouldn’t be visible when the other guard walked by again.
“Thanks,” Cassi said, her hands shaking. Gabby nodded then sprinted back to the dumpster and Cassi ran across the yard and squeezed back through the fence.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Trevor asked.
“We all have secrets, Marine.” Gabby crouched down, keeping the dumpster between her and the building. She looked at her watch. “Get ready.” Trevor crouched down next to Gabby, pulling Matt down with him.
Allison
Allison sat in the same dining hall as before. White tables bolted to the concrete floor were scattered around her. Allison caught a glimpse of her reflection in the metal cart full of food as her lunch was sat in front of her. Blackened left eye, swollen lower lip, hair in a disheveled ponytail at the nape of her neck. A mess. A train wreck. A broken disaster. She swept loose strands of hair from her face as she picked up the sandwich in front of her. Turkey.
A container of chocolate milk was placed on her tray. The corners of her mouth began to turn up until she looked up. Dr. Neff.
“I heard you enjoy this,” he said.
“And since when do you care what I enjoy?” she asked.
He sat down next to her with his own tray. He ate and motioned for her to join him. She kept her head down
