I needed to make every shot a head shot, or I would just piss them off. That’s what the Guardians taught me: to kill a Florae you have to shoot it in its head or slit its throat, detaching the head from the body. I remembered every training session. Don’t fear Them. I am the one with the gun.
More screams tore into the night from across the Quad. The world was ending again. I fought my urge to run and hide, like I did so many times in the After.
A blur of yellow sped by me, then one of red. I killed the two Floraes following the children, whose jumpsuits reflected the moonlight so they were lit up like beacons. They were running home, to their dorm, but the movement only attracted more Floraes. How are there so many? How long were our defenses down?
I crept along the shadows to the school, where dorms took up the two top floors. Those kids were all sitting ducks, but I didn’t know what I would do when I ran out of bullets. I had no knife; besides, I doubted I could actually kill a Florae with just a blade, even though I’d been training for it.
I reached the school’s main entrance, and from the splintered wood it was clear the Floraes were already inside. My heart stopped. The children in their beds would have nowhere to hide. They would be slaughtered.
I rushed inside and down the hall, keeping as silent as possible. Most of the yellow and orange doors were closed. Upstairs past the red doors, I crossed back to the stairs that led to the dorms. I was in too much of a hurry. I didn’t hear the heavy breathing until it was almost too late. One of Them was nearly upon me when I spun around to fire. Luckily my shot found its forehead. Its yellow eyes, fierce and burning, extinguished as it fell to the floor.
I took the stairs sideways, trying to keep one ear above and one ear below. When I heard whimpers, I burst through a door and skidded into the room, almost falling. When I regained my balance, I realized why the floor was wet; it was slick with blood.
Crazed, I scanned the room, shooting the feeding Floraes one by one. There were no survivors. I wasn’t thinking straight; I should have started at the first room and worked my way down. I stepped back into the hall, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind me. I heard a noise from behind a closed door.
I leaned in, listening. I heard a whimper, then a soft “Shhhhhhh.”
I opened the door and stepped into the room quickly, closing the door behind me with an almost inaudible click. The Floraes would be there soon. If I heard, They did too.
The room looked like a kindergarten classroom: lots of little tables surrounded by small chairs. There was a door at the far end. I listened for noise, breathing, anything to tell me where people were hiding.
Near the far wall I heard a gasp, and when I ducked low, I saw them under a covered table. A Minder and two toddlers in pink stared at me fearfully. I looked under the other tables, where more little children crouched, frightened.
I motioned for the Minder to come out and she crawled forward on her hands and knees, painfully loud. I put my mouth to her ear.
“What’s through that connecting door?” I whispered.
“Class Two dorm room,” she said, her whisper loud with desperation. “There are kids in there now, under the beds. We came from the room next door when we heard the screams outside.”
“Get the kids in there,” I said. She looked at me blankly. “Now. Quickly and quietly,” I ordered in a hushed tone.
The Minder waved the children out from under the tables and herded them into the adjoining room. I helped, but stayed focused on the door. We were making a lot of noise and it was only a matter of time. I searched the small kitchen they used for snack time and found a couple of knives. I shoved one in my waistband and handed the other to the Minder before she left the room.
“Keep silent,” I cautioned. “If one breaks through the door, go for its neck.” She took the knife with trembling hands. “And turn off the lights.”
She nodded once and quietly closed the door. It was silent as a graveyard, but the Floraes knew we were there. Within seconds there was a scratching at the door, then a frenzied panting. With the sonic emitters back up and running, They were agitated. There was nowhere to hide from the noise.
In a few short moments, the creatures were almost through the door. I didn’t know how many there were, but I was guessing more than I had bullets for. I took a deep breath. I’d hold them off for as long as I could. If I wounded a few, They would start feeding on each other. I could buy some time.
The door creaked and pressed inward. I aimed, ready to shoot as soon as it broke open, as soon as I saw the green gleam of a Florae’s head. My heart thudded, but my hands didn’t shake. I knew I could kill Them. They’d bottleneck through the door, and a bullet was still faster than a Florae.
Then, abruptly, it stopped. No more noise, no more scraping, no more snarls. I stepped back cautiously, keeping my gun raised. Then the door began to open.
“Amy!” Gareth yanked off his hood, shocked. “What the hell are you doing in here?”
“There’s a bunch of Class Twos in the other room.” I motioned over my shoulder.
“Stay here with them while we clean up. We think we got them all, but the Elite Eight are still on the prowl outside.”
I nodded, weak with relief, too exhausted to speak. He looked at me. “Those dead Floraes in the other room . . .?”
“I took care of them, but I couldn’t save the chil—” I didn’t want to cry. Not there. Not yet.
“You did a good job,” Gareth told me. He pulled his hood back up and stepped lightly out of the room.
I backed against the door, slid down, and collapsed in a heap. I began to shake as the adrenaline left my body. I wondered how many people were dead. I hugged my knees and waited for Gareth to come back and tell us it was all over.
• • •
“Is it over?” I ask Dr. Thorpe.
She leans over my bed. “Is what over?”
“The attack.” I look up at her.
“That was months ago,” she tells me. “You’re in the Ward now.”
I close my eyes. “My mind is full of holes,” I say.
“I’m sorry for that. It’s partially an adverse reaction to your shock treatments and partially the medication that you’re on.” I can feel her hovering over me. “Amy, I’m going to untie your arms now. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” I open my eyes. There are several other people in my room. A nurse and a couple of orderlies.
Dr. Thorpe follows my gaze. “They’re only here as a precaution,” she explains as she frees my wrists from the restraints.
I flex my hands. “Thank you, Dr. Thorpe.”
“You’re welcome, Amy.” She turns to the orderlies. “Would you mind standing outside? I think Ms. Harris will be more comfortable if it’s less crowded.” As they leave she calls after them, “Stay close, though.”
The nurse stands near Dr. Thorpe as they look over my chart. “I just don’t understand,” Dr. Thorpe mutters. “The medication that Dr. Reynolds prescribed doesn’t seem to be helping her. She continues to be confused and unresponsive.”
“Do you think Dr. Reynolds’s diagnosis was wrong?” the nurse asks doubtfully.
“No, of course not,” Dr. Thorpe says hurriedly. “I just fear that Dr. Reynolds may be a little too liberal with the medication. Keep her on the restricted dosage for now. We’ll see how she does.”
“And her other restrictions?”
“Let’s leave her to her room for today. If there are no problems she can begin to mingle with the other patients tomorrow. Make sure she’s escorted by an orderly at all times. We don’t want Ms. Harris to become overwhelmed.”
Before she leaves, I ask Dr. Thorpe again about the attack. “Why does it feel like it was only yesterday?”
“It’s part of your condition, Amy. Unfortunately for you, the electroshock treatments only made things worse.”
“Will my memories come back?” I ask, my voice betraying my anxiety.
“I don’t know for certain,�
�� she admits. “But maybe if you focus on what you do remember, it will help to fill in the blanks.”
I take her advice and think back to the night of the attack, trying to remember.
• • •
It was an hour before the Guardians were sure New Hope was secure. When I got home, my mother was waiting for me, cradling Adam in her arms. “Amy,” she cried, making a strangled noise.
“Mom! Are you okay?” I ran to her and hugged her and Adam at the same time. I reached for Baby as well, squishing her to us.
“Amy, what possessed you to run off like that? You could have been killed!” My mother pulled away and peered into my face, gripping my arms tightly. “Are you hurt? Did one bite you?”
“No, I’m fine.” I didn’t know how to explain. “Mom . . . I had to help.” The more Floraes I killed, the fewer people they could slaughter. “They don’t know how to deal with them. No one here . . . Rice—is he okay?”
“Yes. Rice was working late in the lab.” She paused. “Oh, Amy honey, I know that you survived out there with the Floraes, but you’re not a Guardian. You don’t have the proper training, the right equipment.” She sighed heavily. “I’m assuming you’re the one who took the gun from my room?”
“I had to,” I say, unable to meet her gaze. “The Guardians took it from me, but I’ll get it back.”
“I’ll take care of it.” My mother rubbed her forehead with her palm and I could see the strain and guilt etched on her face. “Now that you’re here, I’m sorry, but I have to go. We’re in a state of emergency . . . I can’t believe this happened.”
“I understand, Mom. It’s all right.” I reached for Adam. “You can go. I’ll stay put.”
“Okay.” She placed Adam in my arms and kissed his head. He was awake but subdued. She leaned in to kiss the top of my head as well. “Amy, I’m proud of you for trying to help,” she told me. “But I’m more grateful that you’re safe.”
I grimaced. I didn’t even think of my mother when I went to fight the Floraes. I didn’t wonder if she was okay or how she would feel if I died; it was like I was back in the After, with no one but Baby.
My mother gathered her computer bag and looked at me with a sad smile. She kissed Adam again, then me, before heading to the door.
“I love you.” I needed her to know it.
“I love you too, Amy.” She stopped at the door. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” she told me without turning around.
I didn’t know if she meant tonight or three years ago. It didn’t matter. The nightmares of Them had returned and I wondered if they had ever really left.
• • •
“Frank, you know you have to take your meds.” Dr. Thorpe is talking to someone in the hall. I peek out my door to get a good look at him. He’s about my age, maybe a few years older. He has dark skin with curly brown hair.
Later, in the common room, I sit across from him, staring. Trying to remember. Dr. Thorpe was right. If I focus long enough on a memory, the rest comes to me. Sometimes slowly, sometimes in a flash. It took me all afternoon to piece together what happened after the attack, but I remembered my time in the Ward in a rush, the parts I was conscious for anyway.
Suddenly it hits me, who the young man is.
“You’re Frank?” I ask.
He looks at me, his dark eyes dull.
“I heard about a Frank who was in my Advanced Theory class.”
A spark of understanding glints in his eyes and he speaks without turning toward me. “I’m not crazy. I’m in here because of what I learned about the Floraes.”
“What did you learn?” I whisper, my chest tight.
He turns to me. “You don’t want to know.”
“I do . . . I do want to know. Tell me,” I plead.
“You don’t.” He raises his voice. “You don’t want to know.” He was yelling now, and the orderly who escorted me from my room rushes over and tries to calm him. I sit in my chair, concentrating, wanting desperately to understand.
“Amy, you’re sweating. Did Frank upset you?” a nurse asks.
I nod vaguely and she leads me to my room, where I’m left to wonder what Frank discovered about the Floraes, what he’s afraid to say out loud.
• • •
School was canceled the next morning while New Hope recovered. We weren’t supposed to leave our apartments. I tried to call Vivian, but a voice kept prompting me for an emergency access code. All the lines were being held for official use.
I watched the news for a while, but I couldn’t stand hearing the names of the dead read over and over, each time with new additions. They announced them alphabetically, so Vivian would be near the front. After they skipped over Alvarez for the third time, I flipped to cartoons for Baby.
There was a knock at the door and I yelled, “Come in.” Rice appeared in the living room. “Rice!” I was so happy to see him I jumped off the couch. I ran at him, nearly knocking him off his feet with a leap of a hug.
“I’m so glad you’re here. My mom told me that you were okay. I thought we weren’t supposed to leave our homes,” I said, giving him an extra squeeze.
“The director’s assistant gets special privileges.” He was holding me tight and kissed my head. “I had to stop by, especially after I heard about what you did last night.”
“My mother told you?” I asked, breaking away.
“Haven’t you been watching the news?”
“I needed a break from the death toll and I didn’t think it was good for Baby.”
“Here.” Rice took the remote and switched the channel. Baby was watching us, grinning.
I’m happy you’re here, Rice.
To my surprise, he replied, Hello, Baby. I show Amy television.
“Rice, I didn’t know you were learning our sign language.” I was impressed. I realized I’d have to watch what I said to Baby around him.
“. . . she saved us,” the TV blared and I recognized the Minder from last night. “If it wasn’t for her all those children would have been killed. I would have died.” The Minder was crying and someone handed her a tissue. “She’s a hero.”
“That’s not what happened,” I started to say, but then the newswoman continued.
“There are rumors that Amy Harris plans to take the Guardian test after she classes out. The director has no comment at this time.”
I turned to Rice. “Did you mention to anyone that I wanted to be a Guardian? Like maybe Dr. Reynolds?” Dr. Reynolds saw me leave the Rumble Room, but what good would announcing it do? I was sure he would have control over what was said on the news. Wouldn’t he rather no one knew I was breaking the rules?
Rice shook his head. “No . . . I knew you were up to something with Kay, and after all of your Guardian questions at the party, I’d have to be pretty dense not to figure it out. I haven’t told anyone, though.”
“You don’t think Vivian said something, do you? She’s the only other person I told.” I couldn’t imagine Vivian gossiping after she promised she wouldn’t.
“I don’t think she said anything, but Amy, I have to tell you something. It’s why I came over.” His face turned dark as he took my hand, squeezing it softly.
“What?” I asked, even though I got the feeling that I didn’t want to know. “What is it?”
“Amy, I’m so sorry. It’s Vivian,” he said, looking into my eyes. “She’s on the list of the dead.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Amy.” Rice takes a seat next to me in the common room. He looks at me with a kind smile. “It’s me, Rice.”
“I know.” I smile back and my heart pounds loudly. “How are you?” I try not to sound too excited.
“Good. I just came from visiting Baby. . . .”
“Baby! How is she?” I ask desperately, any pretense of composure discarded. I haven’t seen her for a while, not since her visit with Dr. Reynolds. And how long ago was that?
“She’s fine. I promised I would help her.”
“You
promised to protect her,” I say quietly. I focus on the memory, but it eludes me. Why does Baby need protection? I try hard to concentrate. “You told me something. . . .”
“Shhhh.” Rice motions with his eyes to the corner of the room and I follow his gaze to the camera mounted in the corner. Standing underneath it, an orderly watches us. I nod, understanding that I need to be careful.
I lick my lips and choose my words cautiously. “There was a medicine that I was given; it was very effective. It improved my condition.”
Rice turns his blue eyes on me again. “I’ll speak with Dr. Reynolds about your treatment options.” He puts his hand in mine and signs, Be patient and play nice.
I take a deep breath, trying not to react. I will, I promise him. He must have learned our secret signing from Baby. How much does he know?
“I just get confused sometimes. I have trouble remembering everything. There are huge gaps in my memories. I don’t even know how long I’ve been in here.”
“Nearly two months.”
I stare at the floor warily. How long will they keep me here? More drugs? I ask, but he doesn’t understand, so I try again. Send Kay with good things?
Hard to get lots. He squeezes my hand. Help soon. Be strong.
I nod with a frown. I’m weak and tired. I don’t know if I can last much longer. “I remembered,” I tell him sadly. “About Vivian. And everything else.”
“I’m sorry, Amy.” He continues to hold my hand as I cry softly. “Just trust Dr. Reynolds. He only wants to help you.” He leans in and hugs me. I breathe in deeply, remembering his warm, soapy smell—comforting. “Take your medicine and let Dr. Thorpe know if your depression worsens. They can prescribe you something for it.”
I know he’s only saying it for the cameras and whoever else may be watching. With his hand he tells me, We love you. I lo—He pauses for a split second. Just hang on.
In the After Page 21