Dispersion

  The sun is slowly going down, ready to rest before another hard day of work tomorrow. We probably only have another ten minutes or so before it gets too dark to play.

  We’re about twenty yards away, the whole group watching us jog back, when a figure walks up behind them.

  It must be someone else wanting to join our game, though I don’t recognize who it is. The teams are even right now so we will need to sit someone out.

  The figure stumbles on something. My stomach churns at the sight of its awkward movements. It’s one of the Letum. Over time, it’s made the long journey, probably searching for some form of sustenance other than its own body, all the way up to this compound.

  I drop the ball and sprint forward—even faster than when I was running to the end zone—and call out, “It’s one of the Letum!”

  Leah, even though she doesn’t understand what’s happening, tries her best to keep up. My legs are much longer than hers and I leave her behind.

  The Letum gets closer to the group as they all stare back at me in confusion—not understanding that their lives are in danger. From a distance, they can’t make out what I’m saying and instead only hear the desperate tone. I’m trying to warn them…and I’m only a distraction that’s keeping their attention focused in the wrong direction.

  “Behind you!” I call out again as I dig my feet into the ground in an attempt to close the gap between the Letum and me as soon as possible.

  Jordan turns his head just as the Letum grabs his arm. He screams while the rest of the group shrinks away. The Letum dips his head down toward Jordan, who tries to pull away.

  It’s like I’m in one of the nightmares where no matter how hard I try to run, I can’t move fast enough, like a month ago with Josie. While it can’t have been more than a few seconds since I spotted the Letum, it feels like it has been much longer. I wish I could teleport these last ten yards so I could stop the infected creature’s desperate attempt at Jordan’s flesh.

  Thomas is the first to react and jumps forward to tackle the Letum from the side. The two of them fall to the ground with Thomas pinning its head forward in the dirt—the only thing fortunate about this situation.

  I finally reach the rest of the group. Through the confusion, everyone is still backing away in terror from the Letum, while Thomas keeps its head in the ground. It’s wearing the white leisure outfit of the territories, though it has long since torn and is smeared with blood and mud.

  “Move your hand, Thomas,” I say.

  “What? No,” he says. “I’m keeping him down until we get someone to take him to the cells to answer for this attack.” He crinkles his nose. “God, he smells horrible. What’s that? He smells like a dead animal.”

  “Move your hand, Thomas,” I repeat.

  This isn’t a conversation we’re going to have. This is something that needs to be done.

  He opens his mouth to respond but closes it again once we make eye contact. Carefully, he moves his hand off of its head.

  It lifts up and moans disgustingly. Like so many of the other Letum, its lower lip is torn away. Its broken, rotting teeth have dirt and grass smeared into them now, along with fresh blood. It looks up at me with an empty, yellowed glance that shows no recognition of anything. The man it used to be is long gone.

  I slam my boot down on the Letum’s decomposing skull, causing its head to explode. Chunks of its scalp, with hair and parts of its brain attached, fly through the air, landing on Thomas and me.

  Leah screams.

  Jordan’s voice trembles as he asks, “What the hell is going on?”

  Now that the threat is removed, I break my attention away from the Letum and Zach’s horrified expression.

  Jordan’s hand clutches his left forearm with blood seeping through his fingers. Everyone is staring from him to the mutilated body of the Letum, eyes all bulging in a similar state of shock.

  I drop my head. I wasn’t quick enough.

  Everyone is looking at me for an explanation. They’re looking at me the way people used to at Dominic. I blink back my surprise.

  I don’t have any answers for them that are going to be satisfactory. Instead, I tell the horrible truth.

  “That thing, the one I called the Letum, is one of the infected creatures from the territories. The virus that caused him to turn took away all of its humanity and it is no longer human.” I take my shirt off and hand it to Jordan. “Put this over your arm and apply pressure.”

  Trembling, Jordan asks, “Why did he bite me?”

  “The Letum need human flesh to survive. When they can’t find any, they consume their own, which is why they smell so terrible. They’re decomposing with every passing moment.”

  When Dominic originally shared that information with Jess and me, our expressions of disgust were likely similar to everyone’s here.

  Thomas has finally gotten back to his feet and wipes his face on the sleeve of his shirt. His eyes are wide in panic. “How is the infection spread, Elliot?”

  “It’s not spread in any way that you were exposed,” I say, not wanting to fully answer and seal Jordan’s fate.

  “What about me?” Jordan asks.

  If I tell him now, he’s going to freak out and that will spread faster than any infection. He should go to an environment where he can be controlled. I need to take him to Dominic.

  “Let’s go inside to the infirmary. We’ll get you some help there, and I’ll go find my brother. He understands this infection a lot more than I do,” I say.

  Jordan’s panic bubbles to the surface. He swallows his fear and nods.

  I make sure I’m the last one in the group as we walk our funeral march back inside. Luckily—if I could call anything about this incident lucky—the Letum traveled alone and no other creatures stalk us through the rapidly diminishing light.

  Even Leah is subdued and doesn’t say anything as we walk back into the compound.

  The football remains behind on the field—forgotten.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jess’s eyes widen when she sees me. The scar on my chest shines brightly, a stark contrast to the blood and gore on my arms and face.

  “Elliot, what happ—” she starts.

  Thomas walks through the door with his arm around his younger brother, who is getting paler—probably from the combined blood loss and shock.

  “He was bitten,” I say.

  Her eyes dart to my bloody shirt on Jordan’s arm. The understanding filters through her face, causing it to go neutral.

  An older woman peeks around the corner. “Do you need any help? Should I send for—”

  Jess cuts her off. “No, that isn’t necessary. Tend to your patients. I’ll handle this one.”

  “I don’t think it’s serious,” Jordan says, the panic rising in his voice. “It isn’t too bad.”

  “Come sit down,” Jess says as she gestures toward a patient table.

  “He’s going to be okay, right?” Thomas asks, gathering her attention.

  Jess stares at the gore on his person before looking at me. “Elliot, go get Dominic,” she says.

  I don’t wait on her to say anything else and push back through the door. Everyone from the football field is waiting outside. While their faces are all so diverse, they all have similar furrowed expressions.

  “What’d they say?” Zach asks.

  I don’t answer and push past them.

  “Where are you going?” Leah calls out.

  I ignore the question and continue on. Once I am through, I start jogging down the hallway. My brother is probably at the gym right now. He likes to do that in the evenings. If not, he’ll be in his room.

  Footsteps are following me, a lighter echo than my own, keeping pace with my jogging.

  “Eli, stop,” Leah says.

  The terror in her voice causes me to stop and wait for her to catch up.

  “Where are you going?”

  Keeping my back to her, I say, “I need to find my brother and bring him to Jor
dan.”

  “Why?”

  There’s nothing I can say to reassure her now. Anything I could say would be a lie. I take a step forward, but Leah’s touch on my bare back stops me again.

  “Talk to me,” she begs. “What’s going on?”

  The desperation in her tone reminds me of my attempts to get Jess to let me in, though not as extreme. Knowing the information I’m about to share is only going to make it worse, I turn around.

  Leah takes in my expression, closes her eyes, and lowers her head. When she reopens them, she whispers, “Why are you looking like he is about to die?”

  “Leah, when someone is bitten, they turn into one of those creatures. Jordan is infected now.”

  “He’s a kid,” she says. “He’s only sixteen.”

  I shake my head, wanting to rewind and stop these fifteen minutes from ever happening. Why were we so naïve to think we would be safe from the Letum here?

  “It doesn’t matter,” I say.

  Leah runs her hands through her dark hair in thought. “Why are you getting your brother? Do you think he can help?”

  While he may have been able to make a difference if we were in Potentia, he doesn’t have what he would need here. When he turned Matt back, he used all of the cancerous cells he brought with him.

  I want to give in to her hope, but I can’t pretend it’s there. “He can’t save Jordan. I’m getting him because he understands it better than any of us. He…” I catch myself right before I admit he was a genetic engineer and keep up the façade of our lie. “He overheard genetic engineers discussing the virus. He needs to be there.”

  She narrows her eyes and looks like she’s about to question me further. Before she can, I turn and head back down the hallway in a run. This time, she doesn’t stop me.

  I ignore all the questioning looks as I run through the compound in a desperate search for my brother.

  I push through the gym doors and scan the room. Some of the other men who work security are here. I recognize the oldest, though we’ve never spoken. Dominic has pointed him out to me before as someone working with him. They laugh at my entrance but stop once they see my expression and the blood covering my arms and face.

  “Dominic?” I ask, slightly out of breath.

  The man closest to me gestures toward the back corner where my brother is lifting weights. “He’s over there.”

  I rush toward him, and he looks away from his weights to study my appearance. “Who?” he asks.

  “A sixteen-year-old,” I say.

  Dominic keeps staring at my chest—at the scar he put there when we were younger.

  “Where?”

  “We were in the field on the west side of the compound,” I reply and cross my arms over my chest, blocking his view and bringing his attention back to my face.

  “How many were there?” he asks.

  “Only one,” I say.

  He stands up and wipes the sweat off his face with a small towel. “How long ago did this happen?”

  I take a deep breath and try to get all the information he’s going to want in one answer. “It happened about ten minutes ago. He was bitten in the arm before I could take care of the Letum. He’s with Jess in the infirmary. She asked me to come get you.”

  His eyebrows flicker upward. “Lead the way, little brother.”

  We leave the other men staring stupidly at us.

  While I may have been quick compared to everyone else I was playing football with earlier, Dominic has no problem keeping up with my hurried pace. With him on my heels, I push myself to run even faster, almost knocking an old man down when I pass the last corner. His frustrated yells weakly follow me but not for long.

  Leah is waiting with the rest of the football group right outside the doors. Most of their eyes widen at the sight of us. While I have lean muscle, it’s nothing compared to the physical aspect of Dominic in his workout tank top. If they thought I was tall and athletic earlier, they’re probably rethinking that assessment.

  They break away and let us enter without any questions, which surprises me. They must be itching for information right now. Their faces indicate Leah must have told them Jordan’s fate.

  “I am Dominic, Elliot’s brother,” he says to introduce himself.

  Thomas returns his attention to his brother, who is now violently throwing up in a bucket and hasn’t noticed our entrance yet.

  “Step outside while I examine your brother,” Dominic says.

  “No, I should stay here,” Thomas replies.

  “This room is small and getting crowded. It will only take a moment.”

  Thomas looks at me.

  “It won’t take long. Go outside with the others. I’ll come get you when we’re done,” I say.

  Though he looks like he doesn’t want to listen, he leaves the room with one last peek over his shoulder.

  Dominic continues to stare at me. “How long have you known him?”

  “Just met. Why?”

  Dominic frowns. “He was looking at you to lead him.”

  I shrug, not wanting to think too much on the change in dynamic. It’s a lot of responsibility to take on, and I’m obviously not doing a good job at it—look where we are.

  “Come on,” I say, and we walk back to Jordan.

  Jordan has regained some control and now leans back. Jess, holding a needle in her hand, swoops in and gives him some medication through the IV she’s placed in his arm.

  “What are you giving him?” Dominic asks.

  Jess tenses at his question, but when she answers, her voice is calm enough. “Some anti-nausea mediation.”

  His eyes flicker on her briefly before focusing his attention on Jordan. He walks closer to him and examines the bite mark on his arm.

  “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” Jordan asks, his lower lip trembling as he tries to fight through his fear, though he’s doing a poor job of it.

  Dominic nods. “If I had some medicine and technology from the territories, I would be able to give you more time. However, I do not have what I need with me here. There is nothing that I can do to fight off your infection. Do you understand?”

  Jordan’s hands shake. “What’s going to happen to me?”

  “Do you remember the creature that bit you?” Dominic asks. His voice is surprisingly patient.

  “Yes.”

  “After you die, you will turn into one of those creatures,” Dominic says.

  Jordan looks between all three of us with a desperate hope that one of us will say something else. He gasps and Jess steadies the bucket for him to throw up again. The sound of his dry heaving fills the room. Unable to watch, I turn my head and try to escape—at least mentally—from the situation.

  However, the noises he’s making are too similar to when Matt was sick and turning that fateful night. It’s all too easy to imagine I’m back in that cramped bathroom with Matt, oblivious to what’s about to happen.

  Jordan lets out a long sigh. From the corner of my eye, I see Jess move his bucket back to the floor. I return my attention to the doomed teenager.

  “How long?” he asks, voice hoarse from the straining.

  Dominic stares down at him, his mask hiding all of his thoughts. “You are turning now. I do not anticipate you making it through the night.”

  Jordan looks up at the ceiling as he struggles with his emotions. Still not making eye contact with any of us, he whispers, “There’s so much more I was planning on doing.” He turns his gaze to me. “You have to tell my brother and bring him back in with me. I don’t want to be alone.”

  I place my hand on his shoulder and squeeze. “Of course. I’ll be right back,” I say.

  Looking so young and afraid, he stares back at the ceiling. Dominic takes a seat next to him and waits.

  “I’ll go with you,” Jess mutters as she follows me out of the room.

  We open the door to find Thomas sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. At our entrance, he jerks to his feet. His attention
is focused on the closed door behind us.

  Jess says, “You should get your parents.”

  “They died when we were little,” he mutters, still looking past Jess’s shoulder toward his brother.

  “Any other family here?”

  Still distracted, he responds, “It’s the two of us. Why are you asking?”

  “Thomas…” I start and place my hand on his shoulder.

  Thomas jerks at my touch. He shakes his head in disbelief. “No…No…No…”

  “I’m so sorry,” Jess says.

  “No, you’re wrong. Stop looking and acting like he’s going to die. Some crazy person bit him in the arm. That’s all.”

  “That’s how the infection spreads. What attacked him wasn’t a person anymore. If we don’t do anything, that’s what’s going to happen to your brother,” Jess says.

  Thomas’s panicked eyes dart between the two of us. “What do we have to do?”

  “He’s dying,” I tell him. “When he does, he’s going to turn into one of the Letum. We can’t let that happen.”

  He chokes back his emotion while his voice cracks. “He isn’t dying. We were playing football and having fun. There has to be something we can do.”

  “There’s nothing we can do,” I say, although there might be something if we had access to all of the medicine and technology in Potentia. It would be a temporary fix, but it would at least buy them more time.

  “Can’t we clean it?” Thomas asks.

  “The infection has already spread,” Jess says.

  “Then cut off his arm. Stop the infection,” Thomas says in absolute desperation, his voice rising.

  “That won’t work,” Jess says and places her hand on his forearm. “You need to go spend what time you have left with your brother and say goodbye.”

  He shakes his head. “I’m supposed to protect him. This isn’t happening. This is a nightmare.”

  “This is what life is,” Jess says.

  Thomas clenches his jaw and shakes his head again.

  “Go be with him while you can,” I say.

  Though it’s clear he doesn’t agree with our assessment—at least not yet—he walks past us and into the small patient room.