Chapter 34 · Disposable Pieces

"Don't touch that door!" Lila slapped Cain's hand away just as the metal panel flashed red.

The warning came a second too late.

A white beam sliced across the corridor and burned a smoking line through the wall beside his head. Cain caught Lila around the waist and dragged her backward. Her shoulder hit his chest. His arm locked tight against her ribs while another beam cut through the space where she had been standing.

"You said the dead zone killed the security grid," he growled.

"It killed the old grid. This isn't old." She twisted in his grip and shoved at his forearm. "Let go. I can move faster without you hauling me around."

"You can move faster into a wall."

"Then stop blocking me."

A soft laugh rolled through the corridor.

Every screen along the walls lit at once. Silas appeared on them in perfect blue light, smiling like he had been waiting for the argument.

"Still fighting over who gets to die first?" he asked.

Cain stepped in front of Lila. His shoulders filled the narrow passage.