The machine finishes with a sharp ding. Thirty seconds. I don’t waste time. Pebble is already sprinting faster. I let myself sprint as fast as I can go. I have a few pops, ill be fine, Just focus. “I’ve got him.” I encourage myself. Pebble lunges, fast as ever. I move faster, cutting him off, forcing him to redirect. Every second I keep him on me is another second the others get closer to the elevator. I hear their footsteps fading behind me. Twenty seconds. Pebble snaps his head toward Vee, but I grab an airhorn, drawing him back. My heart is pounding, but I keep my breathing steady. I’ve done this a hundred times. I know how to stall him. Fifteen seconds. I race forward, keeping Pebble’s attention locked on me. He’s too fast — if I slip even once, he’ll be on me. Ten seconds. I turn to sprint toward the elevator. My foot catches on a loose cable. I stumble. I fall. And in that split second, I know I won’t make it. Pebble is already on me — a blur of movement, a rush of air, a shadow swallowing the light. I don’t feel pain, just the sudden, crushing realization: I failed. I hear the elevator timer beeping in the distance. I hope they make it. Everything goes dark. {Shelly} I turn to follow the others. Then I hear it — the sound of Looey’s footsteps shifting, stumbling. I whip around. Pebble is hunched over something on the ground. Something that isn’t moving. My chest tightens. “Looey…?” Pebble lifts his head. There’s ichor smeared around his mouth — not from a machine. From something else. My breath catches. Pebble sees me. He charges. I run. The elevator timer is already counting down — 5 seconds. My legs burn. My lungs ache. Pebble’s footsteps thunder behind me, too fast, too close. The elevator doors are almost shut. I throw myself forward. ...
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