Chapter 77

Carl and I didn't let Cayden go immediately after we hung up. Instead, we waited until it was nearly midnight, at which point Yelena called Carl again. We hurried out of the chemical plant only after she told us the whereabouts of the hospital Tyler had been put up at and confirmed that they were safe and hadn't been followed. Apparently, Cayden had pretended to be asleep for the past hour or so, probably out of fear that he'd get beaten up again. He panicked right away when he realized Carl and I were leaving without him. "Hey, guys, don't leave me here! Don't go!" he begged. Carl and I ignored Cayden's pleas, but did him a favor by sending Tommy a text from his phone to inform him of his current location. Then, we tossed the phone away and hurried out of the chemical plant. "But I'm scared of the dark!" It was already dark when we left, and all that followed us were Cayden's helpless, fearful cries that rang through the night. As if in sync with one another, Carl and I cursed,