Alive Like Us

by Hallows, Quinn

  She had to get supplies and get out of here fast.

  She rounded a corner and peered out onto the main street. Groups of people shuffled on either side; their faces thin and lined with exhaustion. It’d been a hard winter for everyone. If it weren’t for Kelsey’s miraculous hunt yesterday, they’d all be facing starvation.

  She drew her hood up and headed for home. Her parents would be gone by now—either looking frantically for her, or at their daily meaning with the Lieutenant. Either way, there’d be enough food and clothes for her and Kai, as well as a stash of weapons in the clammy basement.

  A cold, hard point jammed into her side, drawing blood. She gasped.

  “Hello, Sanna.” Kelsey appeared in her periphery; her eyes strangely flat. The dagger was tucked into her long, plaid sleeve. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Sanna raised her palms. “What do you want?”

  A cruel smile spread across Kelsey’s face. She leaned in, whispering a single word that drove a spike of dread into Sanna’s heart.

  “Justice.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “Hey guys...how’s it going?” Theo boomed from the waiting room. “To what do I owe this pleasure? Wait—you’re not allowed back there without an appointment. Haven? Haven! Some SOLDIERS are COMING.”

  “On the table,” Haven ordered. “Hurry.”

  Boots clunked down the hall. Kai stretched out on the cool metal surface. A white sheet was unfurled over him, smelling of stale sweat. He refused to think of what else the fabric had been in contact with.

  “Try not to breathe,” she whispered, pulling the shroud over his head.

  Fists pounded the door. This was a terrible mistake. Kai never should have agreed to come here in the first place. Haven loathed him. She was going to serve him up on a damn platter, he was certain.

  “Haven? These...um...gentleman would like to search the room.” Theo’s voice was reedy.

  Kai sucked in a deep breath as the door whined open.

  “Dr. Martin,” Haven sniffled. “You’re too late—he’s...gone.”

  “Sorry?”

  “The patient—it was awful. Just awful. I...I couldn’t save him. I tried...everything.” Haven’s sobs became muffled. Kai imagined the nervous doctor patting her back as she drenched his shirt with crocodile tears.

  Theo cleared his throat, sounding painfully guilty. “We...uh...shouldn’t be in here without a mask. It isn’t safe.”

  Kai spotted the worn leather tips of the guards’ boots on his periphery. The silhouette of a hand floated into view, directly over his face. His lungs burned for air. Don’t breathe.

  “What are you doing?” Haven snapped. “Didn’t you hear Dr. Martin? It’s highly contagious!”

  Kai tensed, waiting for the sheet to be ripped off.

  “She’s right,” Theo’s voice cracked. “It’s a new strain of the virus...very virulent. If you touch that sheet, I’ll have to quarantine you indefinitely.”

  The shadow stilled.

  “If it’s so dangerous, then why haven’t you gotten rid of it yet?” One of the guards demanded.

  “Excuse me.” Theo shuffled between the soldiers and Kai. “It’s my job to research the strains in this area. When this unclean arrived at the clinic yesterday fresh from the Deadlands, it was my duty to study him.”

  “So, is he gonna come back to life or something? Infect the whole town? This is a clear violation—I’ve got kids here, man.”

  “Of course not,” Haven said crisply. “I took care of him, myself. His brainstem is completely severed.”

  “C’mon, Dan, you really aren’t buying this are, you?” The other guard asked. “Look, we can’t leave until we see the body.”

  “But...um—” Theo started.

  “Fine,” Haven said. Kai felt as though his lungs were about to explode. “But I hope like the inside of a cell because you’ll have to stay in quarantine for a minimum of eight weeks. This strain may be airborne, and we can’t have it spreading to the whole population.”

  Dan whistled. “Is it really that bad, Dr. Martin?”

  Theo coughed. “The worst.”

  “There’s no way,” the other guard said. “Bea will murder me and the kids if I’m gone that long.”

  “Welp,” Dan clapped his hands. “In that case, I say we search the place and leave the good doctor alone. Raj can quarantine himself if he wants to see it.”

  “Make sure I’m there before you tell him. I wanna see what shape your face gets punched into.”

  Kai winced. He knew firsthand the power of Raj’s fists.

  “Follow me, then,” Theo said eagerly. The door whined open. “Right this way, gentleman. Oh, and Haven? Why don’t you finish taking samples? I’d like to get them sent to the CVC by tomorrow.”

  “Yes, doctor.”

  Heavy footsteps followed Theo out into the hall.

  Kai gasped, yanking off the blanket. Haven swung to him; her face swallowed by a giant gas mask. She held a finger to the respirator. They weren’t in the clear yet.

  “Everything looks good, Doc,” Dan’s voice trailed to the lobby. “Sorry to bother you. Raj was in rare form when we found him. Thinks Sanna was the one who pummeled him, even though he didn’t see her face.”

  “Of course, it was her,” his friend said. “Remember how she bested Carlo? And that kid was huge. No one else could’ve done it, except Iron Tooth himself.”

  “Okay, okay.” Theo laughed nervously. “See you later, gentlemen. Actually—no stay away. We’re extremely busy.”

  “Oh, hey doc, do you think you could look at a mole for me before I leave?”

  “You’ll have to make an appointment with Haven. Bye, now,” the front door whined open. “And remember, don’t come back until you’ve scheduled with her!”

  Moments later, Theo burst into the small room. “They’re gone,” he pressed his spine to the wall and dragged a hand down his face. “That was close.”

  Haven tugged off her gas mask and glared at him. “Quit telling people to make your appointments with me. I’m not your secretary. And you’re lucky those guys have two brain cells to share. If it were anyone else, they’d have torn this place apart.”

  “You’re right.” Theo gulped and straightened. “I’m not very good at lying.”

  “Well, get better at it. And get out there. You have another appointment, remember—Dammit!” Haven stomped her foot with a frustrated squeal. “I shouldn’t have to remind you. I’m not your secretary.”

  “This is crazy. We’re all crazy.” Theo shook his head, his eyes wide as he headed for the waiting room. His voice drifted down the hall. “We could be hanged—all of us.”

  Haven closed her eyes, inhaling a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll do your stitches now, while we have a minute. Raj really did a number on you, didn’t he? And I thought Inferno knew how to fight.”

  “It’s a bit harder when you’re in a cage,” Kai bit off.

  “I deserved that.” Haven shut the door and locked it. She turned to the cabinet and started collecting an assortment of bottles, pausing to double-check each label before she set them down on the counter.

  “What are you waiting for?” Her gaze flicked to Kai, then the gurney. “Sit.”

  Kai did, his body aching. The knot of flesh above his eye throbbed like a second heart. “Thanks, for handling those guards. If it was up to Theo—"

  “You’d both be arrested.” Haven set the tray on the small table next to the gurney and wheeled over a stool. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Sanna. I should have told her a long time ago about her blood. Her mother wanted to find answers first. She said we were protecting her. But now Sanna is blaming herself for every bad thing that’s ever happened.”

  “You care about her?” Kai flinched as she probed his split nose.

  “I owe her. I basically barged in on her life five years ago and she just...accepted me. No questions. Not many people would do that.” Haven reached into a jar and smeared
some sour-smelling paste over the wound with surprising gentleness. She threaded a needle next, bringing it to the cut above his swollen eye. “Hold still.”

  Kai dug his fingers into his thighs, bracing for pain, but felt only a dull tug. Her movements were smooth and efficient. Within moments, she’d snipped the thread. “All done.”

  “Thanks.”

  Haven doused a cloth with liquid, filling the air with the sharp scent of alcohol, and pressed it to his freshly closed wound.

  Kai hissed, jerking away. “Now, that burns like hell.”

  “I thought the Inferno liked burning things. Or was that just people?”

  “I never meant to hurt anyone.”

  She moved on to another cut. “Tell that to the village of Broken Creek. I was nearby when it happened. I saw the smoke. I thought the whole forest was going to burn.”

  Broken Creek. The name sent him spiraling inward. He stared down at the knots in the pine floorboards, while the screams from that horrible night rose up and wrapped around him, dragging him down into a slew of dark memories.

  “Done.” Haven scooted away on her stool, taking the tray of used gauze and bottles with her. “I know that table isn’t very comfortable, but you should get some rest until Sanna comes back.”

  Kai blinked away the dark thoughts. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll bring you some tea to take the edge off. And some food, if there is any. I’m pretty sure Theo derives his sustenance from reading.” Haven crossed to the door, pausing at the threshold. “I know Sanna thinks you saved her, but she save me. No one else would’ve jumped into that lake. And if you do anything to hurt her, I swear, I’ll find you and make you wish Raj had finished the job.”

  Haven’s tone was soft and sweet, but there was a steeliness underneath that told Kai she meant it. She left him without a second glance, sliding the lock back into place.

  Kai laid out on the gurney, using his arm as a pillow, and stared at the blue patch of sky shining through the crude skylight.

  I was nearby when it happened.

  Haven’s words haunted him more than her threats. He’d done the scouting for Broken Creek, along with a few other Inferno members. The only thing near the research outpost was a government-run iron mine and an illegal flesh market. All three were places where human spirits were broken long before their bodies gave out.

  No wonder Haven was tough. She’d have to be that and more just to survive.

  Kai pocketed the gold bracelets he’d managed to slip from her wrist unawares and wondered if he’d just made a powerful ally, or a very dangerous enemy.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Sanna climbed the watchtower’s ladder, bracing herself for what might be waiting inside. Kelsey had referred to him like a god on their way there.

  Sanna had a hunch it was actually the embodiment of the voice that had been tormenting her since Nico died. Whatever it was, perhaps the Infected gathering in the forest would disperse if she managed to destroy it.

  “Keep moving!” Kelsey shouted from down below.

  Sanna pushed open the heavy wooden hatch and crawled inside. It was empty. “I thought you said he was up here.”

  Cool metal snapped around her wrists. Handcuffs, strung over an exposed rafter. She caught a glimpse of Simon and tried to spin around, but the chain resisted. “What are you doing?”

  “Saving Erling,” Simon answered smugly.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “He promised the horde will move on once the Alpha kills you.” Kelsey emerged from the trap door. “I told him we’d finish you off ourselves, but he wants to see what you’re made of. Literally.”

  “You’re both crazy. Let me go!” Sanna surged forward as far as the chains would allow.

  Kelsey jumped out of reach. “I saw what he could do. His Infected ran down some deer and then he called them off like that.” She snapped her fingers. “He said you could’ve done the same last summer but instead you let everyone die.”

  “Just like what happened at the lake. Jace and Trevor are dead because of you,” Simon snarled into her ear.

  Sanna rocked her head back, colliding with his nose. Bone and cartilage crunched. He moaned, doubling over, and Sanna landed a sharp kick to his stomach.

  “Stop it!” A dagger bit into Sanna’s throat, drawing blood. Kelsey stood in her periphery; her lips pressed into a trembling frown. She looked young, scared, and so much like her older sister, Tess. “Once you’re gone, we’ll all be safe. The horde will go away.”

  “He’s lying,” Sanna tried to face her, but the chains were too taut.

  “Tess told me everything before she turned.” The dagger disappeared from Sanna’s throat. Blood trickled down her neck. Kelsey moved in front of her, well out of reach. She peeled off her glove and pressed her finger to the dagger’s edge. “That mutant Alpha—or whatever it was—tasted you, then bit her instead. Infected her. You should’ve been infected too, yet here you are. Unscathed. Like always.” She squeezed a few drops onto the floor. “This is how the Alpha will find you. She knows my scent.”

  Simon pressed a stinking cloth to Sanna’s lips. She gritted her teeth, thrashing her head. His fist slammed into her side. She gasped. The cloth jammed into her mouth like a horse's bit.

  “Just think of it in terms of numbers,” Simon said, his voice nasally thanks to his busted nose. “You in exchange for everyone else. Whelp,” he finished tying the gag and clapped her shoulder. “It’s been nice knowing you.”

  He strode over to the trapdoor and winked at Sanna before starting down the ladder, blood streaming down his nostrils. Kelsey followed.

  “Please, don’t do this,” Sanna begged, her words muffled.

  Kelsey paused at the threshold, a sad smile flickering across her face. “Tess was so excited to go on her first mission. She really believed in you. They all did.”

  She climbed down the ladder, closing the trap door shut behind her. A padlock slipped into place on the other side. Sanna screamed into the rag, struggling against the chains until her throat was raw and sweat dripped from her brow. It was no use. No one would hear her. And even if they did, she doubted they’d come to her rescue.

  The whole village hated her. Blamed her. And they had every reason to.

  Her knees buckled. She hung by her arms, her toes scraping the floor. Perhaps Kelsey was right. Maybe the Alpha should kill her, if it would keep Erling safe.

  She could still see their faces. Carlo. Lia. Zeke. Tess. Ghosts now, summoned thanks to Kelsey’s damning words. They’d spent their childhood training together, becoming the perfect team, only to have it end in a single, blood-soaked weekend.

  She could still hear Carlo’s deep, easy laugh. Lia’s war cry as she charged a horde. Zeke had been new to their team. Quiet. Thoughtful. And Tess...A hard lump formed in Sanna’s throat. Tess had been her best friend and so very brave. Even in the end.

  And Sanna hadn't been able to save any of them.

  Tess was in the raving, early stage of the infection by the time they made it home. She’d had told everyone that Sanna had drawn the mutant horde to them. That she was one of those creatures in disguise.

  The Lieutenant had dismissed the girl’s ramblings, but the other villagers had never looked at Sanna the same way again.

  And they were right.

  First Sanna endangered her team, and now a whole horde was gathering to attack Erling. All because of her. She wasn’t a hero. She was a murderer. A coward.

  And she deserved to die.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO consent?” Kai asked, his quiet voice masking his inner rage. His shirt sleeve was hiked up, exposing the white bandage around the crux of his elbow. “I thought I had to agree to this.”

  “You avoided it long enough,” Theo muttered, peering into his microscope. “Besides, you were asleep.”

  “Because of whatever crap that witch put into that tea she gave me! My head feels like it's stuffed w
ith feathers or something.”

  “Hmmm.” Theo leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. “Are you sure this is a new feeling for you?”

  Kai balled his fists at his side, wanting nothing more than to punch the doctor in his dumb face. “How long was I out, anyway?”

  “About...oh, I don’t know. Eight hours. I’d say. It’s dusk, now.”

  He already knew that. The darkness spreading across the skylight had filled him with a terrible dread the moment he woke up. “Where’s Sanna? Why isn’t she back yet?”

  Theo switched the slides. “I don’t know. I guess she must’ve gotten caught up in something. Haven and I have been swamped.”

  “This is insane,” Kai headed for the front door. “I’m gonna go find her.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Theo said, rearing up from the scope. “Haven is with a patient in the lobby.”

  Kai pivoted. “Then I’ll go out the back.”

  “They’ll find you, Kai, and all four of us will end up in the dungeon. Just stay put. Haven or I will go and find her after the clinic closes. If anything, she’s locked in her bedroom or something. Nobody will hurt her. They probably couldn’t even if they wanted to.”

  “I hate this.” Kai sighed and slumped into the nearest chair.

  “Patience isn’t something the Inferno’s known for, is it?” Theo returned to his work. “There’s some food on the table, help yourself.”

  Kai tore off a chunk of bread and stuffed it into his mouth, then cut a wedge of cheese. “We were pretty good at waiting for the right moment. You have to if you’re outnumbered and outgunned.”

  “Oh, that reminds me,” Theo said suddenly. “Haven grabbed your pack from the Tavern. It should be under the table. Don’t ask me how she did it. That girl is a bigger mystery than Sanna’s blood.”

  Kai glanced under him and spotted the familiar army-green canvas, which made him feel slightly better. He finished his meal in silence, while Theo shuffled the slides under his scope and scribbled into a leather-bound notebook. Occasionally he mumbled to himself about “breakthroughs” and “discoveries,” but never elaborated as to what that might be.