Fractured by N.O Darling

Chapter 302

**|osie’s POV **

“Luke?” | ask again, even though | know he won't hear me

Maybe he is just knocked out and unable to respond, but then why can’t | feel him at all? Usually, | can sense all

of my bonds, even when they're sleeping. | don’t even want to think of what else could have him just gone like

this. “Are you okay?” a shaky voice asks, remindingI'm not alone, and | have stopped searching without

realising.

“Yes, sorry. I'm just... never mind. I'm going to start moving the earth again now,” | say, trying not to let my fear

cthrough in my tone.

Harrison has been through an ordeal and is already shaken up, | need to remain calm for him, and everyone else

I need to find. Luke will be okay. He will be here somewhere, and | will find him. I bet a rock landed on his head,

and he just needsto find him and heal him. | repeat this lie to myself as | work, otherwise, | will break down

and I'll be useless.

| know the rest of my bonds have realised Luke is absent too. The mind link has gone deathly silent and all of our

shields are up, blocking each other out whilst we process.

“Not to rush you or anything, but how long before | run out of oxygen in here? Because it sure is getting difficult

to breathe,” Theo says, breaking the tense silence.

This is the kind of question Luke would know the answer to and it just makes his absence even more evident.

“There was a lot of oxygen in these tunnels, there must have been skind of ventilation down here, and the

earth that collapsed was not tightly packed, so you should be good for a while yet. Just try to relax, we will get to

you soon,” Mason says.

“Is that true?” | ask Mace so only he can hear me.

“I have no fucking idea, but we need to keep him calm, or he will run out faster,” he responds.

“Okay, | must be close. He wasn’t too far ahead of me,” | tell him.

“I'm making my way towards the direction | think you were in. However big you think the original tunnel was,

make the one you are creating twice as big to make sure we don’t miss anyone,” Mason says, and | make a

sound of agreement.

“| feel smovement,” Theo says just as | uncover his feet, and he begins to wiggle.

“I've got you,” | tell him.

“You're my hero,” he says as | quickly uncover the rest of him.

When I finally uncover his head, he sucks in a deep breath and | hold out a hand to help him to his feet. He gets

up and wraps his arms around me, holdingtight for a few moments.

“Babe, | hate to tell you this, but you really should start showering more, you're filthy,” he says as he leans back

to look at me.

Harrison snorts a laugh from behindand Theo introduces himself whilst | get back to moving the dirt. Within

minutes, my newly formed tunnel opens up into a bigger one as it connects with Mason's, and Axel pullsinto

his arms whilst Theo throws himself at Mason.

Mason hugsnext whilst Theo and Axe embrace.

“Let's keep searching, Luke should be...” | try to say, but my emotions chokebefore | can get the whole

sentence out.

No one responds, they know | can’t speak about it right now, that I'm holding myself together by a hair, and we

can’t afford forto lose it right now. Mason gets straight back to work, helpingmove the earth much faster

now.

We uncover two more teens huddled together, and it takes Axel and Theo a few minutes to convince them that

they are alive and that this is not hell. Although it’s starting to feel more and more like hell with every passing

moment. Harrison assures them we are here to help and not the bad guys we had been made out to be.

“I'm coming back now. | have three manipulators ready to start moving the earth from above. Start opening up

the ground above you, so | can get to you,” Deacon says into the mind link.

“Will do,” Mason confirms, before instructing everyone to stand back whilst he moves the earth above us.

| don’t stop my forward motion, moving the earth with purpose. I'm not leaving until | have Luke. I'll dig up the

whole plif | have to. Every t| find something recognisable, like a curtain or blanket, I tell myself I'm on

the right track, he has to be here somewhere.

| hear my guys call my na few times, but | ignore them, too focused on finding my lost bond. Arms wrap

aroundfrom behind, trying to stopand | fight to get out of his hold.

“Get off me. I have to find him,” | shout desperately as Deacon tightens his hold on me.

“Josie, stop, please, just for a moment whilst we cup with a plan. We will find him, | promise, we won't give

up until we do,” Deacon says, his voice far too calm for the situation.

“I can’t lose him, D, | can’t. We have Harper, and now we get to go hand be a family again, but | can’t, not

without Luke!” | cry, my legs giving out.

Deacon liftsand then, in a blink, | am blinded by daylight. He's portedout, and I'm furious about it.

“No,” | scream, attempting to break free from his hold.

“Josie, just stop for a moment and look around you,” D pleads.

I blink a few times, my eyes still trying to adjust to the light. We look to be in the middle of nowhere. | can only

see fields and the odd barn for miles in every direction. A few men, including Mason, are spread out over the

field, and they're moving the earth, creating large hills as they filter the dirt into piles. | jump to my feet to get a

better and Deacon letsgo this time. | peer into the large opening in the ground to see the network of tunnels

being completely uncovered.

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