With a click the locks on the cages opened.
“Run!” I screamed.
The Weepers pushed each other, yowling and sniffing, as they rushed out of their cages.
We stumbled toward the elevator. Claws scratched over the floor, metal clanked. I didn’t dare look back. The goods elevator opened and we burst into it. Joshua slammed his fist against the close-button but the doors stayed open.
A wall of Weepers stalked toward us. We were trapped.
I pressed against the wall, wanting to make myself as small as possible. Joshua was right beside me. He pulled his gun while Tyler kept punching the button. Suddenly, the Weepers catapulted themselves toward us with a roar. Joshua fired.
Two Weepers had almost reached us when the shots brought them down. They fell into the elevator, shaking it. Their lifeless bodies pressed against my legs, wiry fur brushing my skin, secretion sticking to my clothes. Their stench – like blood and waste - was all I could smell. Their empty milky eyes and sharp claws were all I could see. But I had no time for that. More Weepers were closing in. My ears were deaf from the gun shots. Several Weepers reached the elevator. Bullets hit them and they crashed to the ground on top of the others.
Pain suddenly burned through my ankle and up my leg. I glanced down. A bite wound on my calf oozed blood. One of the Weepers had bitten me. I gasped for breath.
Joshua and Tyler fired their last bullets at the approaching Weepers. By now six dead bodies piled on the floor of the elevator, serving as a barrier between us and them. A beep sounded and the doors started to shut but the legs of two dead Weepers were in the way. Joshua and Tyler pulled them inside and the doors closed with a clank. I couldn’t move. I could only stare at the bite wound.
The elevator started moving.
Joshua squeezed my hand but I didn’t return the gesture. My muscles were frozen. The light went out in the elevator as we started our ascent. The collars of the dead Weepers were still blinking.
Seconds trickled by and the air became unbearably stuffy.
I blinked against the blackness, and tried to remain calm. We had the cure. It had to work. It had to!
I closed my eyes. Numbness claimed my legs and arms as if my body was shutting off. I actually welcomed the sensation.
White light pressed against my eyelids but I didn’t look to see what it was. A breeze tugged at my hair bringing with it cool air. I gulped it down.
I squirmed against the daylight but Joshua didn’t give me time to adjust to the glare. He dragged me out of the elevator and away from the dead Weepers. I followed him blindly, blinking away tears that stung my eyes. I heard the elevator close. We didn’t have much time.
I ran, ignoring the jabbing pain in my ankle and calf.
My vision was blurry but I could make out a parking lot in the distance. Joshua sprinted up to the closest military car, pushing me onto the front seat, while Tyler leaped in the back. Joshua turned the key from Mr. Bender in the ignition and the engine revved to life with a roar.
I looked out of the windshield. Weepers were storming in our direction. Joshua wrenched the steering wheel around. The car did a 180 and shot forward.
“Heads down!” Joshua screamed. I ducked, pressing my chest against my legs a moment before bullets burst through the windows.
Glass hit my back, shoulders and head. I smashed into the door when Joshua turned the car. My head rang from the impact.
With a crack we went through the fence, completely shattering the windshield. I threw my arms over my head. Wind lashed into the car, tearing at my hair and hissing in my ears.
I looked at the backpack between Tyler’s feet, hoping the vials would survive this crazy ride. If they were destroyed, everything would have been for nothing. And unless I was immune, I’d be sure to catch the virus.
Tyler cowered on the backseat, his eyes closed. Blood drenched the back of his shirt. I touched his shoulder. “You alright?”
“Yeah.” He grimaced. “I was just hit by a few shards, that’s all”
Sirens wailed in the distance and dark shadows flashed between the trees around us.
“They’ve sent Weepers after us,” I said, my voice hollow.
“Good chance to test their army,” Joshua said.
We tore through bushes, the massive car taking down anything that was in its path. A few times we almost hit trees. My ankle and calf had started throbbing. What if the virus was already spreading? Eight days, Mr. Bender had said.
“Do you see them?” he shouted over the wind.
I turned and perched on the seat. A few shards dug themselves into my skin and sent a jolt of pain through my knees. The effort of suddenly sitting up flooded my whole body with nausea and I struggled to stay focused. I searched the forest behind us but the shadows were gone. To our left a lake spread out. Mist hung over it and its shores.
Tyler let out an involuntary groan. Blood was streaming out of his arm where he’d been cut by the flying glass.
“Sherry, can you take care of his wounds? I don’t want to stop yet.”
“I — I can’t.”
“What’s the matter?” Confusion rang in Joshua’s words.
I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see his face when I told him the truth. “I was bitten.”
The car swerved and I was thrown against the door once again. My words were met with silence. After a moment I couldn’t take it anymore and looked at Joshua.
He stared straight ahead, lips tight and face paler than I’d ever seen it before. “Tyler, are you okay back there? Can you prepare a syringe? We need to inject Sherry with the cure.”
Tyler rummaged in the backpack but when he looked up I knew something was wrong. “We don’t have any syringes.”
Joshua slammed the breaks and took the backpack from Tyler. He searched the contents and removed the camera equipment. Then he slumped against the seat. “Shit.”
My heart fluttered with fear.
Joshua touched my cheek. His palm felt cold against my skin. “We’ll just have to hurry. The Undergrounders can help us. They’ll have medical equipment. I won’t let it get you. I —”
He swallowed and without a word started the car again.
2 hours and 43 minutes since I’d been bitten.
It was getting colder as the day drew to its end, but sweat clung in small droplets to my skin. It trickled into my ear and dripped from my lashes. I wiped it off with the hem of my shirt, which was soaked and bloodied. Worry clenched my stomach into a tight ball. The sweating, the exhaustion, it was the virus spreading in my body. Would I even notice if I crossed the border between being human and being Weeper?
Joshua’s expression was distant, his lips tightening. Tyler sat in the backseat, his t-shirt ripped where he’d used a strip to make a dressing for his arm.
“What do you think they’ll do to your dad if they find out he helped us?” Tyler asked.
Joshua’s eyes darted to him. “I don’t care. Just like he didn’t care when he abandoned me.” But I noticed the slight tremor in his voice revealing the lie.
“What if they really tricked him? Don’t you think he would have come back if he hadn’t thought you were dead?” Tyler asked.
His jaw clenched. “If he really cared, he would have checked on us. He wouldn’t have given us up like that. He wouldn’t have moved on to a new family.” His voice was clipped. Tyler glanced at me, but he stayed silent.
3 hours 58 minutes.
My skin was sickly pale, like the reflection of a ghost.
I must have fallen asleep because the next time I opened my eyes darkness had fallen over us and our surroundings had changed to desert.
I struggled into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from my eyes but my vision stayed blurry.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“We’re almost there,” Joshua said.
Tyler was fast asleep on the backseat, his head pressed against the window.
We passed the Lost Vegas sign.
&
nbsp; Tyler jerked awake. “How long have I been asleep?”
“A few hours.”
Tyler shook his head like he couldn’t believe he’d zoned out. He shifted in his seat. “You don’t look good,” he said.
“Yeah, I feel like shit.”
He touched my forehead. “And you’re burning up. Don’t worry. The Undergrounders should have the medical stuff you need.”
After a few minutes we pulled into the junkyard and got out of the car. The familiar stench of sulfur carried in the night air. We crept into the darkness of the drains, guided by the small flashlight Tyler had taken from the car. Keeping our balance on the narrow sidewalks was difficult. I pressed my hand against the slimy walls of the tunnel to steady myself and Joshua stayed close behind me, to catch me if I fell. Small dots like hundreds of flashlights flitted in and out of my vision and I stumbled, suddenly overcome with the desire to just forget about everything.
“Please be strong, Sherry. We’re almost there,” Joshua said, holding me gently.
“Hello?” Tyler called out, the word echoing in the drain. “Is there someone there?”
A voice in my head warned me. Calling was dangerous. It would draw attention. What if someone outside heard? But I couldn’t move.
“Stop shouting!” someone hissed. I knew the voice.
When I opened my eyes, a face swam in my vision. It was Alexis. “What’s the matter with her?” she asked.
“She was bitten,” Joshua said. “I think her body’s shutting down from shock.”
Alexis stumbled back. “Why did you bring her if she’s infected?”
“We’ve got the cure, but we need your help. Have you got syringes so we can inject it?” Tyler asked.
Alexis and Joshua helped me to my feet. “How the hell did you get bitten?” she hissed.
“Long story,” I got out.
Quentin was already waiting for us when we entered the sleeping quarters of the Undergrounders.
I sank down on the bed. My arms and legs felt too heavy to move. Joshua stayed beside me.
Voices echoed in the chamber as more and more kids gathered around us. Quentin shooed them out and disappeared for a few minutes, only to come back with a makeshift first-aid kit. He perched on the edge of the bed.
“I didn’t think you’d get out of the lab alive,” he said. “What if it isn’t the cure?”
“It is,” Joshua said firmly. He perched on my other side and took my hand. It was the first time that I noticed the gash on his eyebrow and the scratches all over the left half of his face. His shoulder wound had bled a lot too.
Tyler held out one of the vials he’d taken from the backpack but before Quentin could take it, Joshua snatched it out of his hand. Quentin gave him a syringe. Joshua’s hand shook as he pushed the needle through the sealed opening of the vial and drew up the liquid.
“How do you know how much you need?” Alexis asked. She was leaning against the wall a good distance away, as though she was worried I’d attack her. I didn’t think I even had the strength to lift my head.
“We’ll just have to guess,” Joshua said.
Quentin shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like the best plan.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Tyler said curtly.
I struggled into a sitting position and thrust my arm out quickly. “Just do it.”
Joshua’s eyes never left mine as he pushed the syringe into my arm. I bit my lip as the needle pierced my skin. The liquid burned like cold fire as it spread in my veins. I steadied myself with a hand on the bed and wheezed. This was far more painful than I’d imagined. I sagged forwards.
Joshua’s arm came around my waist. “Sherry?” I could hear the concern in his voice and forced myself to straighten.
“I’m fine.”
His eyes searched my face.
Quentin put a bottle with peroxide, dressing material and strips to close a wound on the bed. “We need to stitch you up, and Tyler could use some tending too.”
“I’ll do it,” Joshua said.
Alexis nodded toward Tyler. “I’ll take care of you.” She turned to Joshua. “What about your shoulder?”
Joshua glanced down briefly. “It’s nothing.”
I stretched on the bed and let Joshua take a closer look at my bite wound. The peroxide burned like hell when he cleaned it but I forced back any sounds trying to escape. He closed my wound with a few stitches.
The area around my ankle was red and tender but the stitches stopped the bleeding. Joshua wrapped the dressing around my calf. He was taking care of me again; no matter what happened I knew I could always count on him.
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry for our fight in the woods. You’re right, I don’t know what you’re going through.” I didn’t want the others to overhear our conversation.
Joshua looked up. “No, Sherry. I was acting stupid and defensive. And afterwards I was too proud to admit that I’d behaved like a jerk.”
“You aren’t a jerk. A bit stubborn maybe.” I managed a smile.
He stopped wrapping the dressing and pressed a hand to my cheek. “I was so terrified I was going to lose you. Next time I push you away, remind me of that, okay?”
He leaned in toward me, and laid a soft kiss on my lips. It was only when he pulled away that I noticed Quentin hovering beside our bed.
“Sorry for interrupting, guys, but we need to discuss what happened,” he said. Alexis and Tyler looked up. “I need details. Did you manage to get any footage?”
Joshua’s face fell. “Shit. No. We got nothing. It was terrible. But then we’re lucky we got out of there alive.”
Quentin sank down on the bed across from mine while Alexis leaned against the walls of the duct. “So?”
They listened intently as Joshua told them about our journey to the lab, describing how we were brought down with tranquilizers and attacked by Weepers, explaining how we escaped.
Quentin almost looked impressed. “I didn’t think you’d come back.”
“We almost didn’t,” I said, trying not to think about the bite wound.
“So what now? Are you heading back with the cure? Or are you still planning on taking down this sorry-ass government?”
Joshua didn’t look at me. He twisted his hands in his lap. I hesitated. It had been six days since Dad had left Safe-haven. By the time we got back to the Void it might already be too late for him, and besides, it would only help people who had been bitten already. It wouldn’t change anything in the long-term. Exposing the government was the only way to save the country.
I looked up. “Yes.”
Joshua took my hand and stroked it. He was there for me.
Quentin got up. “Why don’t you film the rest of the ducts? I could lead you around. That’ll be impressive on film.”
“I’ll do it,” Tyler said. He took our camcorder from the backpack beside Joshua and followed Quentin.
Joshua nodded. “I’ll be there in a minute. I’ll wait until Sherry’s asleep.” He brushed a few strands from my forehead. “We’ll start out tomorrow, Sherry. For now, you should try to get some sleep.”
I stretched out on the bed.
I wanted to protest but I didn’t have the energy. I closed my eyes, my veins throbbing with heat, and hoped that I’d wake up again.
Snow crunched under my feet and small clouds of breath escaped my lips with every exhale. The firs swayed gently in the wind, dusting us with powdery snow. Their crowns were white and reached up into the night sky.
Sherry, come on,” Grandpa said. I tore my eyes from the sparkling stars above and hurried after him and Bobby.
The axe resting on Grandpa’s shoulder gleamed silver. He whistled the tune of Jingle Bells and I hummed along. We’d been driving for ages to reach a forest where we could chop down our Christmas tree.
“I want this one!” Bobby pointed at a fir of at least eight feet.
“It won’t fit into the living room,” I said.
Grandpa tousled Bobby?
??s hair. “I think Sherry’s right. What do you say to that one?” He touched a tree that was smaller than the one before but even wider.
“I like it!” I agreed.
Bobby lost his pout and nodded. Grandpa smiled and set the axe down. “Keep your distance.”
I held Bobby’s hand and took a few steps back. Grandpa swung the axe around and after a few hits the tree went down and we had our Christmas tree. Bobby and I dragged it back to our car, singing Christmas songs at the top of our lungs.
Chapter 12
Whatever I’d been given, it seemed to be helping.
Three hours and 12 minutes later, I no longer felt like I was about to puke all over the bed and the sweating had stopped. That was a good sign, I guessed. But despite the tiredness in my body, I couldn’t sleep. Rhythmic breathing surrounded me. Everyone was asleep, even Joshua.
Suddenly, there was a noise; distant, almost unnoticeable beyond the sounds of sleep around me. I propped myself up on my elbows. Joshua tightened his hold around my ribcage but didn’t wake.
What was it?
A whooshing. It grew louder. Tilting my head, I tried to find out where exactly it came from but it seemed to surround us.
Something was wrong. The hairs on my arms rose. A vibration shook the crates keeping our beds from the damp floor. I untangled myself from Joshua’s grip and got up. The floor vibrated under my feet. Slowly I walked toward the wall of the chamber and put my palm against it. It trembled against my hand. The first kids stirred in their beds but they didn’t wake.
The whooshing was closer. It sounded like water.
Oh god.
I shook Joshua.
“What’s up, Sherry?” he asked groggily, eyes half closed.
“Something’s —”
Alexis stormed into the chamber. “They’re flooding the drains!”
Within seconds everyone had jumped out of their beds. People were screaming and crying. Quentin raised his arms to get their attention but they rushed through the chamber in panic. Joshua took my hand and Tyler supported me on my other side. People pushed us as they ran. If it wasn’t for Joshua and Tyler, I would’ve lost my balance. My head began ringing.