Chapter 7 - Every Step a Lifetime
The mud sucked at Julian’s feet with every step, pulling him down like quicksand. Cold rain stung his eyes, blinding him as the wind howled through the swaying pines. Beside him, Clara scrambled over wet boulders and thorny undergrowth, her bare hands bleeding from sharp branches, but she never slowed down.
""Ellie, listen to my heartbeat,"" Julian whispered frantically against the girl's wet hair. ""Keep listening to it! It's beating because of you! Do not give up!""
Ellie didn't respond. Her small fingers, curled into his white shirt, were losing their grip. Her chest barely twitched. Cyanosis was spreading rapidly; the lack of oxygen was beginning to shut down her vital organs.
Julian’s own lungs burned. The residual epinephrine that had saved him from his own attack was wearing off, leaving his muscles screaming with fatigue. Every breath tasted like copper and rain. His foot caught a hidden root beneath the mud, and he went down hard on one knee.
He twisted his body violently mid-fall, taking the full impact on his hip and shoulder to prevent Ellie from hitting the rocky ground. Pain shot through his ribs, knocking the wind from his chest.
""Julian!"" Clara screamed, turning back and hauling him by his forearm. ""Get up! Look up there!""
Julian raised his head. Through the dense curtain of rain, halfway up the crest, a warm amber light glowed through a clearing. It was the gate of Dr. Mercer’s estate.
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""Get up, Julian!"" Clara wept, pulling him with all her strength. ""She's stopped breathing! Julian, she's not breathing!""
A surge of pure, primal adrenaline obliterated the pain in Julian's limbs. He pushed himself off the freezing mud, clamped Ellie to his chest, and sprinted upward.
