Chapter 8 · Phase Three

The key was already cutting into my palm when the first door slammed shut behind me.

"Mika, stop." Cade’s boots hammered the floor behind me. "You don’t know what’s past that door."

I kept running. "Ethan died so I could get here. I’m not stopping because you’re scared."

He caught my elbow and spun me around. His chest nearly hit mine. Heat rolled off him, and his breath scraped through his teeth.

"I’m not scared." His grip tightened. "I’m telling you we won’t make the next checkpoint alone. Let me go first."

"No."

"Mika—"

"Every second we waste, she stays down there." I ripped my arm free. "You want to help? Keep up."

The far door dropped before he could answer. Steel crashed into the floor, and the impact punched cold air against my face.

Red emergency light spilled across the corridor.

Cade looked at the sealed door, then at the ceiling. "She’s routing the whole level."

The speaker crackled.

Anna’s voice slid through it, calm and sharp. "You should’ve stayed at the academy, Mika."

"Open the door," Cade said.

"That’s not how this works."

"Anna. Open it."

A short laugh broke through the static. "Or what?