Paroxysm (Book 2): Paroxysm Aftermath

by Ashleigh Reynolds

  The beeping on the monitor sped up. It was an overwhelming sound to her already overloaded senses. Her brain begged for sleep, but somewhere deep down she knew that wasn’t a good idea.

  Dr. Askel read her mind, “Hey, you still with me?”

  “Mmm.” She forced her eyelids open so he didn’t shake her. She didn’t need the room to move any more than it already was.

  The door banged open and Jaxton stepped inside carrying the limp form of Allon. A well-aimed bullet hole produced an alarming amount of blood. His shirt was tacky, no longer the light tan it once had been as it clung to his chest. His eyes met hers and he went rigid. Heavy footfalls filled the room as he moved, his face going blank, a mask of the person she knew. One she had become accustomed to when he tried to hide his emotions.

  He set Allon down on the only other bed and stepped to her side. His fingers twisted with hers. The warmth of his hand was soothing even if it was bathed in blood. To most the situation would be cringeworthy. But considering everything they had been through, it had become normal. Which should have been more concerning.

  “We lost another one, I see,” Dr. Askel said, motioning toward Allon’s body.

  “Yeah.” Jaxton squeezed her hand and turned his attention to the doctor. “Let’s not let the body count rise to three today.”

  “You don’t say…”

  Gemi let her eyes droop as their words faded around her. It was as if they were talking from a distance. Muffled, but echoing at the same time. The doctor had done something to her injured arm so that she no longer felt it. It was the strangest sensation to know there was a limb there that you no longer had control over. In reality, she had no real control over anything in that moment.

  Now that the men in the room focused on something other than keeping her attention, she felt the darkness creeping in. It pulled at her consciousness, beckoning her to be surrounded. To let go of control and let whatever was going to happen, happen. Her presence hardly made their whole situation any easier.

  She let go.

  It was one of the easiest choices she had made in a long time.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Pain radiating from her arm was the first thing to welcome her back to a reality she wasn’t ready to face—before she opened her eyes or even had the chance to celebrate that she was alive. It was something she should have grown accustomed to, but in reality, it had been a while since she had any remotely serious injuries.

  Reluctantly she pried her eyes open. She was surprised to discover they had moved her to her room instead of keeping her in the medical wing. She rolled onto her side, struggling to move under the weight of the blankets. It was as if ten were piled on top of her and tucked underneath the mattress. Seemed like overkill in her current state, but who knew how she had been faring after passing out.

  She blinked hard and rubbed the back of her hand into her eyes, forcing the last bit of fogginess out. The room was dark except for the soft glow from the lantern on the bedside table. Judging by the way the light waned, it was either half-dead when they placed it in her room, or she had been out for a while.

  Gemi stretched her fingers on her bad arm and winced at the searing pain it caused. She was just thankful they didn’t have to amputate. Then again, the night was young and infection was still possible.

  Someone cleared their throat close to her causing a smile to tug at her lips. He was never one to leave her hanging when something bad happened.

  “How long have I been out?” she asked.

  “Through the night and into midday.”

  Gemi jumped at the voice. It wasn’t who she expected.

  “What are you doing here, Sann?”

  “Oh, good morning. Nice to see you too.”

  She rotated onto her opposite side, burying her face in the blankets and scowling at him even though she knew he couldn’t see it. With any luck, and if he knew her at all, he would feel it and hightail it out of there before he pissed her off. She wasn’t in the mood.

  Sann sighed. He definitely knew her.

  “Jaxton said he had something to do, but threatened me with bodily harm if I didn’t remain rooted to this spot until you woke up. Which you are, so I’m out of here. Unless…” Sann reached out and dragged his fingers up her bare shoulder causing goose bumps and a myriad of violent images to overtake her.

  She jerked her arm away and struggled to a seated position. “What is this important thing?”

  “Who knows with him? He stormed out of here the second Doc finished with you. Said he would be back and threatened me with the whole violence thing.”

  “And he’s not back yet?” A hollow pit at the center of her stomach formed. If he believed she was in danger, there was no doubt in her mind that he would attempt to find a way out to get medical supplies or anything else he thought she might need. It was one of the only times he took action.

  “On the plus, we have some alone time. And now that you’re awake…”

  “Get out.”

  Sann leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, the light bathing his features in eerie shadows. Gemi leaned away, mildly astonished to see that he seemed concerned.

  “Did you not hear the whole maiming thing?”

  “Of course I did. That’s simply a bonus to you leaving.”

  Sann rested his chin on his cupped hands and grinned. He was trying desperately to release all of his alluring charm on her. In some point in the past it might have worked, but in the present, it just made her want to punch him. Hard.

  “Get. Out.”

  Sann rolled his eyes and pushed out of the chair. “I’ll get you a new light. It’s dreary as fuck in here. There are pain pills on the table. Use sparingly. They are the last two we have.”

  The door closed behind him leaving her once again surrounded by silence. Her arm throbbed, but she wasn’t about to use the last of the medicine when it could go to someone else in need. She’d been through worse and, one way or another, would pull through just fine.

  She let the blankets fall to her waist and lifted her arms to examine the damage. She was surprised to see her clothes had been changed. Her everyday uniform was replaced with a simple gray tank top and instead of her camo pants to cover her legs, she wore a pair of underwear. Heat crept up her cheeks as she imagined anyone, including Jaxton, redressing her unconscious form. It was beyond humiliating.

  Her forearm was wrapped in a dingy bandage and secured at her elbow. Spots of fresh blood seeped through, leaving her wondering if it was causing more harm than good being on her wound. The last thing she needed was gangrene.

  Faint bruises littered her other arm, spreading up to her chest. She kicked down the blanket and saw a deep purple mark on her thigh. She traced it with a finger, wincing at the slightest touch. It was would be wicked as it healed.

  She slid out of bed, ignoring the way her body protested. Now that she was on her feet, her body ached all over forming into one giant entity. She hobbled over to her dresser, making a mental note to avoid situations where death by bleeding out was involved. Because almost bleeding out was just as bad. Using the wooden top as support, she dug around inside, pulling out a pair of loose cotton pants and a less revealing top. It wasn’t her normal uniform, but it would have to do and would be less restrictive.

  Gemi moved to the bed and tossed the clothes on the blankets. Using the bed for balance, she slipped her legs into the pants, tying them in a loose knot before grabbing the shirt. It was a funny thing, how much little movements became noticeable when injured.

  She slipped her injured arm through the sleeve first, biting down on her lip as a wave of pain rolled through her. Once the sensation settled, she pulled the rest of the shirt on and collapsed onto the bed. She had hardly moved, but felt like she had just run up a flight of stairs.

  A knock on the door echoed through the room. Gemi propped herself up on her good elbow as the door swung open.

  “Oh, good you’re awake—” Dr. Askel stepped inside, letting his gaze
slide over her body. “What are you doing up?”

  “I was getting ready.”

  “For?”

  “The day…” Gemi pushed up farther and stifled a laugh. He was staring at her as if she had grown three heads.

  “I don’t think so. You almost died. You need rest.”

  “I’ve died plenty of times.”

  Dr. Askel stepped to her side and fluffed the pillows behind her. “Yes, well, you almost died for real.” He covered her up with the heap of blankets and stared at her until she relented and leaned back. “We got blood in you at the last possible moment. Be thankful Sann was here.”

  “Oh, so thankful,” Gemi murmured.

  “You’re mean to that boy, but he cares about you as much as the rest of us.”

  Gemi snorted and flattened out the blanket over her legs. “How long will I be locked away here?” she asked, hoping to change the subject.

  “I mean it. You need to forgive him for whatever grudge you’ve been holding against him.” He sat on the edge of the bed, his hand covering hers to stop the fidgeting. “None of us are perfect. We’ve all done horrible things.” He held up a finger when she opened her mouth to respond. “Some of us worse than others. But I remember the three of you clearly. And I mean the three of you before all of this shit.” He waved his hand motioning around the room and let it drop back to hers. “We all need each other.”

  “That’s rich coming from a man who’s been avoiding us since the moment things got bad.”

  Gemi saw the hurt register on his face. He bowed his head and remained quiet. She should have felt bad but, with everything bubbling under the surface and in her current state, she didn’t care.

  “Where’d Jaxton go?” she asked when the awkward silence began to eat at her and before she apologized.

  His muscles went rigid and he readjusted in his seat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t lie, old man. He tells you everything.”

  “Used to tell me everything.” He shifted on the bed and released her hand, letting his face fall into them instead. “As you so aptly put, I’ve been avoiding everyone.”

  Gemi groaned and leaned forward, ignoring the pain it caused, and patted his shoulder. He didn’t shy away, but his muscles tensed under her touch.

  “I just thought it would be easier…”

  “Nothing will make this easier. It sucks and I hate it. And what’s worse is I know it’s all my fault. But…” Gemi rubbed her hands across her face and leaned her chin on her fists. “As much as I resent the situation and as much as I take my frustration out on you guys, nothing is going to get better if we just sit here. Last night should have been proof of that.”

  Dr. Askel met her gaze, a small smile pulling on his lips. “You never change. You’ve always been the heart of this group.”

  Gemi met him with a weak smile. “As soon as you give me the green light to be up and about, and let’s make it clear, I’d rather that be sooner rather than later, I’m going to call a meeting. We need to come up with a plan. And I’d like your support on the matter. Whatever my choice is. I want you to have my back.”

  “He won’t go for it if it involves you leaving.”

  “I know.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared past him into the dark. “But this isn’t his call.”

  “Okay.” He stood up and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. “You scared me last night. Don’t do that again.”

  He slipped out of her room leaving her alone once again. She leaned her head on the soft pillows and let out a sigh. She had a few days at most to formulate a plan. One that would hopefully ensure their survival. Getting Dagmar would just be a bonus.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The second the doctor gave her the nod of approval to be up she called a meeting. There were only four of them left now, and together they needed to figure out a way to right everything that they wronged. The world was where it was because of them. People had died because of them. And now it seemed they had a lot smaller of a window than originally anticipated.

  Gemi threw on a new uniform, one that wasn’t caked in her own blood, although not exactly clean, and tried to do something presentable with her hair. If there was one thing that would have been nice while being sequestered, it would be a shower and laundry room. Somehow running clothes under a sink and using rags to wipe yourself clean didn’t do the trick.

  Especially once you’d been covered in blood.

  Gemi made her way down the far hallway to a back room. It was seldom inhabited by the other residence because of its proximity to the tunnel. There were rumblings that some believed it was haunted by their fallen companions. But really, Gemi just figured it brought back too many emotions. Survivor guilt was a real thing and most of them suffered from it. Including her.

  The room was lit up by several lamps. It wasn’t enough to blind her, but it did produced enough light so that she could clearly see the men inside. Jaxton and the doctor sat in two of the four chairs arranged in a semicircle and Sann hovered in the corner, one foot propped against the wall.

  The looks on their faces almost made her laugh. They were all so predictable. The doctor wore his permanently worried expression. Sann just smiled and gave her an aggravating wink. And Jaxton, well he just looked pissed. He disagreed that she should be up and about so soon after her injury, but after the doctor told him he didn’t care what he thought, it effectively closed the line for further communication on the matter.

  Gemi took a seat in an open chair and took a deep breath, steadying herself for the fight that was inevitable.

  “So,” she spoke slowly and calmly hoping to make it clear she meant business. “After the events of the other night, I think we can all agree that we need to come up with a better plan than just sitting around here.”

  All three nodded, but said nothing. It was a marvelous sight.

  “Well during our time here, I did some research in some old texts and blueprints I found. I know I’ve mentioned it once before, but I think it’s time for some serious discussion on the matter.”

  “And what matter is that?” the doctor asked.

  The poor man looked beat to hell as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. Worse than the other night. Not sleeping was one way to keep the visions away, but it was definitely taking a toll.

  “The original mainframe. The one that was used to control the chips before relocating here.”

  Jaxton rolled his shoulders and leaned forward, saying, “Don’t you think that the anti-chippers would have taken that one down too?”

  He was already going into defense mode. It was the signal that the conversation would go downhill fast. She would need to flex some serious muscle if she was going to win, which meant only one thing. Pulling the boss card at the perfect time.

  “Not if they didn’t know about it. Most people don’t. Hell, I was in charge of the whole damn project and I didn’t know. What I do know is while we’ve been holing up here we’ve let things rage out there. On top of it, we let ourselves become vulnerable. There are other people in play here besides us. People who have no clue what’s going on. It’s selfish.”

  “What do you propose we do?” the doctor asked.

  Gemi’s eyes flickered to him. He was helping her steer the conversation in the direction she wanted it to go. Keeping good on his word to have her back.

  “We need to find a way out of here. I don’t care if we have to scale the wall.”

  “Your idea is asinine. It’s not like the damn mainframe will make that much of a difference at this point.” Jaxton was staring at her with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

  “I don’t think that’s true.”

  “You never do!” he snapped back.

  Gemi bit the inside of her lip and tried her best to repress the anger that was bubbling up. Yelling would get them nowhere.

  “Before the whole craziness of the other night, I was on the roof. I watched a fire break out and the loopy on
es throw anti-chippers into the fire. I think at this point their numbers are dwindling. If we turn the chips back on we have a fighting chance.”

  “Well, I’m glad a few psychos outside is enough evidence for you, but it sure as hell isn’t enough for me.”

  Gemi glared at Jaxton. The other two had fallen silent making the whole situation that much more aggravating.

  “Well, sounds like you have a great plan then?” She took the same stance he was, crossing her arms over her chest in a mocking manner. “One that won’t leave us rotting. Or, you know, murdering the other innocent people here? I’d love to hear it.”

  Jaxton’s jaw flexed, and she knew she had won. For the moment.

  “As I was saying, we need to find a way out. It doesn’t have to be all of us. I can go alone, but it’s worth checking. If it fails, it fails and we go on living the last few weeks we have left until we run out of food.”

  “And if you die out there?” the doc asked.

  It was a question they must have all been thinking. It had passed through her head more than once since she came up with the idea. All things considered, she should be scared to die. Most people were. They beg and bargain. They pray. They go through the stages of grief. But those people hadn’t already experienced death nearly a hundred times. To Gemi, the idea of not existing for real was a rush. She had made peace with her death the day she woke up and realized her life was a lie. That everything she had worked toward since she was an innocent teenager ripped away from her family’s side was nothing more than propaganda. Something that benefited one person. A person she would go down fighting.

  “If I die then at least it was while I was trying to do something instead of being scared and hiding.”

  “You can’t go alone,” Sann chimed in.

  For someone who loved to talk, he sure was quiet when there was a serious discussion to be had.

  “Well I don’t see anyone else volunteering,” Gemi said. “And I’d like to keep it between us. No need to drag the others into our mess.”