Page 157 of Us Defiant Few

Even though Alan was faster, Takeshi fought with an untamed fury the machine had never seen in its three hundred years of existence.

Takeshi bellowed as he punched him repeatedly, his fists a conduit of rage. But the Governor suddenly gripped Takeshi by his collar and hurled him overhead.

Takeshi scrambled to his feet, his clothing disheveled, sporting numerous cuts on his face. But they rushed at each other, colliding like titans.

Something flew out of Alan’s pocket and landed on the grass.

Her eyes centered on it. The button to activate Project Helix.

She stumbled forward, her steps uneven as she hobbled over the bushes, still clutching the knife handle jutting out from her abdomen. She tripped and fell a few feet away from the gleaming button.

When she looked back up, the Governor was laying deadly punches into Takeshi’s body, not holding back anymore.

Khalani tried to rise to her feet, but her legs could no longer move. She crawled on the ground, pulling the blades of grass, dragging herself inch by agonizing inch.

Half a foot away, she reached for the device just as the Governor moved behind Takeshi and wrapped his arms around his head.

About to break his neck.

She stretched her arm as far as she could, crying out as the blade twisted deeper into her stomach, her vision nearly black. Any second, she would pass out, but her fingertips brushed metal.

The Governor twisted his arms across Takeshi’s neck.

And Khalani pushed the button.

38

Love destroyed and saved me in the same breath.

There once was a girl who dreamed of the sun.

When she closed her eyes at night, warmth coated her fingertips. It coiled up the lengths of her arms. Kissed her collarbone. She parted her lips, and the softest smile graced her face as she walked through an impossibly gorgeous flower field.

She felt alive.

Like God had opened His palms and crafted a world specifically for her.

A love that could only be described as pure swept around her. She raised her head, the thank-you never leaving her lips, but it poured through the layers of her soul. The gift of being alive made her lift her hands far above her head, reaching toward white clouds that gently smiled back at her.

And when she twirled, the wind danced in celebration.

Khalani’s head rested in soft grass as she gazed up at the sky, smiling as the heavenly vision lingered. The sun bathed her in its glory, and the distant sounds of fighting faded.

She couldn’t move anymore.

But that was okay.

All she had to do was lie back and let the earth carry her to a realm of peace, where her parents were waiting.

A tall figure entered her line of sight, blocking the sun.

He looked like a dark angel, waiting to take her home.

He had gossamer, unruly jet-black hair. Sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw made his face even more striking. But his obsidian eyes—what she imagined space might look like—stole her breath away.

His mouth opened, shouting something, but it all registered as a faint ring. She smiled, happy that she could look at someone so beautiful at the very end.

“Khalani!”