“Let me help you,” I said.
He did, allowing his fingers to slide into mine, and then holding onto me like he was trying to ground himself. I didn’t know if it would work, but my theory was that he was still present enough to realize something was changing, so if he could focus on something he cared about he might be able to keep that part of himself closer to the surface for longer.
When we reached the first floor, we stopped at the door so Jim and Jada could look out. Once they had determined that the coast was clear, they turned back to face us.
“Where do we need to go to get a syringe?” Jim asked Helen.
“To the left.” She turned to face Luke. “You need to go right to get out of here. Can you find it?”
“I’ve been studying that map for weeks,” he said. “I can get us out safely.”
“Can you walk on your own?” Al asked Parv.
She nodded, but before he had a chance to let her go she stood up on the tips of her toes and hugged him. It was something I’d never seen before. Al and Parv had known one another for twenty years, were closer than most real families, but my aunt had always put a wall up around herself, one that had only gotten taller and more secure since Joshua’s death.
“Be careful,” she whispered in Al’s ear.
“You too,” my uncle replied.
When they pulled away, Al went to say something to his son while Parv turned to Angus.
“I was right to start callin’ you Rambo,” he said.
“I was wrong to assume a few zombies could take you out. I should have known there was nothing in the world that could take Angus James down.”
He snorted. “Nothin’ but my own fool self.” He kissed her on the forehead before giving her a quick squeeze with one arm. “When this is all over, I wanna sit on a front porch and smoke a pack of cigarettes.”
“It’s a date,” she said before turning away.
We filed out of the stairwell. Luke, Kelly, Tony, and Parv went right while the rest of us veered off to the left. I kept my hand in Donaghy’s, trying to ignore the moisture that collected between our palms and the heat radiating off his skin.
We hadn’t gone far when we turned a corner and found a group of guards waiting. Jim and Jada backpedaled, forcing the rest of us to do the same as shots rang through the air around us. A cry broke out and Britt hit the ground, drawing a round of cursing from Jim.
“Everyone, down!” he called as he and Jada dropped.
We did as we were told. Donaghy and I were at the back of the group, but Jim was at the front. He was on his knees and Jada ended up on her stomach, her head just barely around the corner. She fired, as did Jim, and behind them Angus stood doing the same.
Next to me, Donaghy had his body pressed against the wall and his eyes squeezed shut like he was trying to block everything out, only I didn’t think that was the best way to handle it. Whatever war was raging inside him, the only way to fight it off was to remember why you were trying to win to begin with. To focus on what you had to lose if you gave in.
I pulled my hand out of his and got to my knees in front of him, grabbing his face between my hands. “Donaghy. Open your eyes. Look at me.”
He did, and his blue eyes locked on mine. They looked different though, the irises more muted than usual. It sent a shiver through me, but I forced it away and gripped his face tighter, willing him to hang on.
“We’re almost there. You are going to be okay.”
“I don’t know if I can hang on, Meg,” he said through gritted teeth.
“You can. I know it. You’re stronger than this. Stronger than Jackson. You can win.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed, but he nodded too. He kept his gaze locked on mine while in front of us gunfire burst through the air. I wanted to know what was going on, but I was afraid if I turned my back on Donaghy he would slip away, so I stayed where I was, kneeling in front of him while the battle raged around us.
The gunfire broke off and a second later Jim called out, “Let’s move!”
I stood, pulling Donaghy with me, and turned to find the rest of our group on their feet. Britt was the only causality on our side, and even though I hated to think that we’d gotten lucky, especially with his blank eyes staring up at me as I ran by, I couldn’t help it. It could have been a lot worse.
We continued down the hall, moving past the bodies of the guards. There were only a handful of them, ten at the most, and I knew the loss wouldn’t dwindle their numbers enough to make things even for us. We were still very outnumbered, and all I could hope was that most of the CDC guards had been pulled away to deal with the chaos in the streets and still hadn’t made it back here.
We didn’t stop until we were in front of a sealed door, and just like all the other important rooms in this building, there was a keypad next to it. Helen had it open in seconds though, and then she was rushing inside. There was no reason for all of us to go in, not when all we needed was a syringe, so we stayed where we were, standing in anxious silence. I pulled the vials out of my pocket and found the right one, and then gingerly slipped the bacteria back into its hiding place.
At my side, Donaghy was leaning against the wall with his eyes squeezed shut.
“We’re almost there,” I told him. “Just hang on.”
He nodded, but didn’t open his eyes.
Helen was back in seconds, holding her hand out to me. I was shaking when I dropped the vial into her palm, and once my hands were empty I felt useless. I clutched Donaghy’s hand and whispered to him that it was all going to be okay. Everything was going to work out now.
He flinched when the needle slid into his vein. Helen pushed the plunger and the green liquid rushed into his body. I could see it under his skin for just a moment, bright green as it moved through his vein before mixing with his blood and disappearing.
“That’s it.” Helen dropped the empty vial and syringe, and they clattered against the floor.
“How long?” I asked her.
We had to wait at least an hour to release the bacteria, that much we knew, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take for the symptoms of the virus to ease. Donaghy looked like he was in so much pain, and I hated seeing him like this. Hated knowing that every movement hurt him.
“A few hours,” Helen said. “It’s different for everyone, but the symptoms should start to ease soon and disappear completely within five hours max.”
“Fuck,” Donaghy muttered under his breath.
“We ready?” Jim called.
I hooked my arm through Donaghy’s and helped him move down the hall to join the others. Jada, Jim, Al, and Angus stood like sentries, keeping watch. Only there was no one around. No one to stop us and no guards charging us. It didn’t feel right. None of this felt right.
“Where is everyone?” I asked when we’d stopped next to the others. “Why haven’t we met more resistance?”
“I don’t know,” Jim breathed out.
“They’re waiting for us somewhere.” Jada shoved a few loose dreads out of her face. “Star won’t let us just walk out of here.”
“Good.” Angus pulled the magazine out of his gun and checked his ammo before slapping it back in. “I wanna see that prick. The son too.”
“I know you probably have a deep, burning desire for revenge,” I said, “but I just want to get the hell out of here in one piece.”
“No time like the present,” Jim muttered.
We continued our trek through the CDC, moving slower this time. None of us said the words out loud, but I knew that like me they were waiting for an ambush. It wouldn’t be long now. I could feel it.
We managed to make it all the way to the lobby before it happened.
“This leads to the exit,” Helen called, rushing past Jim and Jada.
She was just a few steps ahead of us when she shoved the door open. It swung forward and Helen stepped out, freedom suddenly in her sights. Before I’d even had the chance to get a glimpse of the lobby a
gunshot thundered through the air and Helen went down.
Chapter Twenty
Donaghy
It seemed to happen in slow motion, but I wasn’t sure if it was the virus moving through my veins that made it seem that way or if time had actually slowed. A crack echoed through the building and Helen’s head jerked back. I caught a glimpse of a hole no bigger than the tip of my thumb in the center of her forehead and a trickle of blood. Then she dropped.
The thud of her body hitting the floor made my whole body jerk, and I tried to pull Meg back, to turn and go the other way, but guards came out of nowhere. They were behind us, waving guns and forcing us to move forward. We were pushed out into the lobby, stumbling over Helen’s now lifeless body, where more guards stood waiting. It took a matter of seconds for them to disarm us, and then we were all shoved to our knees. The yelling was so loud that it seemed to echo in my ears, making my already pounding head hurt even more.
I found it difficult to think. Difficult to focus on what was going on around me, but not on what was happening inside me. My stomach growled with a hunger I’d never felt before. It was overwhelming, threatening to consume me.
When had I eaten last? I couldn’t remember, I just knew that I needed to eat now. My stomach rumbled nonstop, drowning out the words the guards screamed at us. The pang in my gut was so intense it almost made me double over, but it was different than the usual hunger pains. The need wasn’t just concentrated in my stomach; it was also deep in my bones.
I blinked and tried to bring the world into focus, but it was difficult. Between the pain and the hunger and the yelling, I couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t think. I looked around, barely recognizing my surroundings, but when my gaze landed on the woman at my side, things began to clear. I stared at her, focusing, trying to ground myself. Meg. This was Meg. She was why I was here; she was what I was fighting for.
The realization helped, but the hunger didn’t ease. It gnawed at my insides. Begged for relief. But I kept my gaze on Meg, knowing that she was the only thing that would bring me out of this.
Chapter Twenty-One
Meg
The guards were still screaming even though we’d followed their orders and were all on the ground, our hands behind our heads. I flinched every time one came near me even though I knew they’d been ordered to keep us alive. I wasn’t dumb. I knew Jackson wouldn’t allow us an easy death.
To my left Angus swore, but to my right Donaghy was silent. He looked around like he wasn’t sure what was happening, but when his eyes landed on me they seemed to focus a little more. The color was still muted, but just like I’d thought, looking at me seemed to ground him in reality.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth. “Just focus on me.”
As if trying to defy my words, the guards parted and Jackson appeared in front of us.
“Meg.” His sick smile seemed to stretch across the entire room, going from wall to wall and threatening to swallow us all. “So glad you made it.”
I wanted to cover the vial in my pocket with my hand, but I resisted the urge. We had no clue if Jackson or his father were even aware of our real reasons for coming here. As far as anyone knew, Star was oblivious to the relationship Angus and Jane had shared, so from his point of view, there was no way we knew about the failsafe he’d created. Still, I wasn’t willing to put anything past him or his son.
Jackson’s gaze moved past us, back to Helen’s now lifeless body. His smile faltered just a little when he shook his head. “Helen. I knew that piece of trash was in on this. Dad always did have a soft side.”
He shrugged and turned his gaze back to us. I could tell when he recognized Angus, because his body jerked, but he recovered quickly and once again pasted a smile on his face.
“So glad you could rejoin us.” He stepped closer to us, and at my side Angus flinched. “Did you miss your old room? Wanted to do the full twenty?”
“Fuck you,” my uncle growled.
Jackson rolled his eyes. “I knew not to expect an intelligent conversation from a pin cushion, but I thought you could do better than that.”
Angus stiffened.
Jackson let out a chuckle and waved his hand at the guards. “Kill the man with one arm and the zombie slayer—” Jackson’s gaze slid from Jim to Jada, and he paused. “Save the blonde. I can use someone who obviously enjoys pain as much as she does.”
Jim growled and started to get to his feet, but was knocked down when the butt of a rifle slammed into his head.
“No,” Jada gasped and reached for him only to be knocked aside by another guard.
Jackson ignored them both and looked the rest of us over, his gaze stopping on Donaghy. “The virus hasn’t turned you yet. I’m surprised.” He pressed his lips together for a second before saying, “Put the convict back in his cell. I can use a strong zombie like him.” Then his gaze moved to me and I shivered. “The test subject goes back where he came from, but Meg is mine. I’ll take care of her right now.”
He moved without warning, pushing through the people kneeling around me and grabbing my arm. His grip was so strong when he jerked me to my feet that it felt like my arm was being ripped from its socket. I cried out, and even though I wanted to fight I knew it was useless. I had no choice but to move.
“I was hoping your parents would be here to see this,” Jackson said when we had taken the spot he’d just vacated. “But this is better than nothing.”
He grabbed my shirt and pulled, ripping it down the front. My hand went to the pocket where the vial was tucked away, trying to get it free before anything else happened. There was no way I could stop this thing he had planned for me from happening, but there had to be a way to save the vial, to make sure the bacteria was still released.
He mistook the gesture for modesty and laughed. “Go ahead and fight. I actually like that.”
A shiver ran through me that only got worse when he managed to yank my shirt off completely. He tossed it aside and I dropped to the ground, scrambling for it. My heart was pounding and my head was screaming for me to fight him off, only I knew I couldn’t focus on my own safety, not when I needed to protect the vial.
My fingers had just gripped my shirt when Jackson was on me. His hands were on my hips, already pulling at my pants, and I let out an involuntary scream. I kicked back, fighting on instinct even though I knew I had to focus on the vial.
His fingers curled around the waistband of my pants as he leaned forward, pressing his lips against my ear and hissing, “I’ve been fantasizing about your screams for years.”
I squeezed my eyes shut when his warm breath brushed against my face, and it was at that exact moment that the world exploded.
A blast rocked the room and the windowed wall that looked out onto the courtyard shattered in a burst that sent shards of glass raining down on the lobby. All around me cries and yells and gunshots broke out, barely audible over the ringing in my ears. I couldn’t figure out what was happening, and Jackson still had a grip on me, still had me pressed against the floor with his full weight. But he was distracted too, doing his best to call out orders to his guards as chaos filled the lobby.
I took the opportunity to pull my shirt closer, my hand digging in the fabric until I was able to locate the vial. It was cold against my skin when I closed my fingers around it, and I pulled it close to my body, doing my best to keep it out of sight. I had to get out. I had to break the vial in the streets where the horde of zombies we’d drawn into the city were no doubt still wreaking havoc on the citizens.
“Get them!” Jackson yelled.
His hold temporarily loosened on me and I took the opportunity to try and crawl away. He let out a growl of frustration and grabbed my hips, his fingers digging into my skin. I screamed and kicked and clawed at the floor, trying to pull myself free, but I was on my stomach and he had the advantage both in size and position.
Donaghy came out of nowhere, pouncing like a wild animal and knocking J
ackson off me. They rolled across the floor in a tangle of limbs, and when I flipped onto my back the vial was still clutched against my chest. Donaghy had Jackson on the ground. The asshole was still struggling, but he was at a huge disadvantage with the bigger man on top of him. Then, out of nowhere, Donaghy let out a snarl that didn’t sound the least bit human, and I watched in frozen horror as he bared his teeth only seconds before sinking them into Jackson’s neck.
The scream that broke out of my former friend was nothing compared to the blood that sprayed from the wound. It splashed across Donaghy’s face and neck and chest, and saturated Jackson’s shirt in seconds before spreading out beneath them, creating a pool under their still tangled bodies. At first I couldn’t move, too transfixed by what was happening to remember that I had a job to do. Donaghy hadn’t turned, not completely, but he was like a man possessed as he tore a chunk out of Jackson’s throat. Or like a zombie.
“Megan!”
I ripped my gaze from the sight in front of me to find my Uncle Al struggling with a guard, his eyes on me. All around me there was fighting, and dozens of people had flooded the building. They fought with guards as the group I’d come here with did the same, but at first I had no clue where they’d all come from. Then I caught sight of the High Priestess by the door and it dawned on me what had happened. Her followers weren’t wearing their usual red robes, but she’d still brought The Church to our rescue.
“Go!” someone shouted, and then Jada was next to me, pulling me to my feet. She paused just long enough to pull off her leather jacket and fling it at me. “Get outside, release the bacteria!”
My heart was pounding as I pulled the jacket on, covering myself before scrambling toward the door with Jada at my side. Once or twice a guard lunged for me, but she took them out every time, her swift movements and exact aim seeming unreal even in the middle of everything else that was happening. The atmosphere surrounding us was loud and out of control, but I focused on the front door as I ran, putting every ounce of energy into it.
Twisted World Series Box Set | Books 1-3 & Novella Page 89
