The Sky is Everywhere

Chapter Forty-Four

Blood pours out over my hands, horribly wet and warm, and the metallic stink of it makes me retch.

Gavin lets out an awful gurgling noise, and his legs give way. I can't seem to let go of the knife, and he pulls me down to the floor with him. His eyes are locked on mine, wide with shock and pain and disbelief.

I don't gloat or smirk or say anything at all. But I keep looking into his eyes as he dies, and my hand never leaves the knife handle.

Finally he slumps against me, limp and still, and for a moment I can't move at all. His blood is soaking into my clothes, growing cold on my skin, and my hand feels like it's permanently locked into place.

Gavin is dead.

I killed him.

I.

Killed.

Him.

And I know that he was cruel and twisted and he was going to kill us all, and I know that I told myself I would kill to protect my friends, but still . . . now I've actually done it.

I've killed someone and I can never take that back.

A soft noise escapes my lips.

Sonny kneels next to me. His face is a mess of blood, and bruising is already appearing under both eyes.

"Come on," he says softly, and grips Gavin's shoulders, easing him away from me.

He lays Gavin out on the floor, and already Gavin looks so much smaller than he did in life. I've almost forgotten that he's only sixteen.

I don't ever want to touch him again, but the knife is still sticking out of his neck, and I can't leave that behind. The feeling of blood all over my hand makes me want to throw up, but I force myself to grip the knife handle again and pull the blade free.

The feel of it sliding free, the awful noise it makes – this time I can't stop bile filling my mouth.

I hunch over, retching and spitting, and someone rubs my back.

"We need to go," Taffy says, and I manage to look up at her.

Her face is bleak, and splattered with blood, but by the looks of it, the only bit that's hers is trickling from the cut Gavin gave her, just above her collarbone. That means the rest is someone else's, and I think of the Seconds that she escaped the first room with.

Are any of them still alive?

I don't have the heart to ask.

Sonny and Taffy pull me to my feet; Sonny wincing as the motion pulls on his slashed-up arms. Taffy picks up Gavin's knife.

"Follow me," she says. "I know the way out of this maze."

"How?" I ask, hurrying to keep up as she starts moving back the way she came.

She looks at me, and despite the horror of our situation, her eyes are bright and warm with love.

"I came back for you guys. You didn't think I would just leave you, did you?" she says.

"I wanted you to save yourself."

"You would have come back for me, wouldn't you." It's not a question.

"Of course I would, but –"

"Okay then."

"Where are the others? Everyone who left with you?" Sonny asks.

"When we realised there was no way out of this place, I made sure they hid. I couldn't bring them all back with me to find you guys," Taffy says.

"But how do you know your way out of the maze?" Priya hurries to match our longer strides. She takes off her jumper. "Can I borrow the knife?"