Ava’s POV
The suspense in the atmosphere was as dense as the blackness all around us. Lucia's motions quickly and deliberately led us down twisting lanes and across abandoned streets. I kept beside Eli, each stride reminding us of how dangerous our circumstances were. Though he had severe bruises, he persisted, his jaw tightened with will.
"Are we almost at it?" I murmured, the quiet of the city weighing down on me.
Lucia said, "Close," with an almost discernible voice. She didn't slow, and I sensed she was testing us—watching our distance before we broke. I resolved not to let her experience of me faltering satisfy her.
At last we came to a generic structure with an uninteresting outside. Lucia keyed in a combination on the corroded keypad, and the door creaked open to see a dimly ill
