After the Ending

by Lindsey Fairleigh

  I was alone again, lying on a hard, cold floor in a blackened room. My body was paralyzed, and I tried to scream, but my mouth was sewn shut.

  I heard Clara’s gloating words before she appeared above me. “I told you I’d get my way.” Her bright blue eyes twinkled with devilish delight, and her mouth curled into a broad smile.

  “What’s wrong—too dead to speak?” she taunted.

  A flood gate opened, and the horrifying reality of my impending death came rushing back to me. My stomach burned, and my mouth watered as I struggled to breathe. Clara stood over me…watching me die.

  Like she’d been summoned by my dying brain, Dani appeared beside me. A look of ferocity hardened her pixie-like features. “You didn’t get me, and you can’t have her!” Dani seethed as she crouched to slice the stitches from my lips with a razor-sharp blade.

  “Dani!” I screamed, surging forward. I grabbed my throat; inside, it felt raw. My chest heaved, and my eyes refocused as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The room was dim and quiet, and I was alone. A single wardrobe stood in front of me, and realistic depictions of seascapes and people decorated the walls—my drawings. I was in my room…at Fort Knox.

  “I’m glad to see you’re awake,” I heard Sanchez say in my head.

  Still in a haze of drowsiness, I looked over to see her standing in the doorway. A care-free, fun image of her flashed through my mind. Sanchez…and Jason.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked quietly as she stepped into my room. I saw something in her eyes I’d never noticed before—a friendly, concerned look that made me feel closer to her. I remembered she’d been shot, but she looked recovered enough.

  “You’re awake!” Sarah exclaimed, her voice bouncing around in my head as she hurried into the room. She set a glass of water on the desk and ran over to me. “How’re you feeling?”

  I tried not to whimper as Sarah wrapped me tightly in her arms, but my body ached all over, and a few small sounds leaked out. Noticing my discomfort, Sarah released me, easing me back down with hands on my shoulders. “I’ll go get the guys and tell them you’re awake. Now we can start!” She abruptly ran out of the room.

  I watched her leave, then looked at Sanchez. “Clara—”

  “—is locked away. Don’t worry about her now. You need to rest,” Sanchez said as she moved closer to my bed, resting her hand on my leg to reassure me. She was studying me like a complex equation was written across my face.

  “She poisoned me,” I recalled aloud. Every word scraped the inside of my throat like a barbed wire, and my head was pounding.

  “I know, but we’ve got her under control, Zoe. You’re safe now. We all are.” I knew that wasn’t exactly true, but I appreciated the sentiment.

  Hearing chatter and footsteps in the hall outside of my room, I let out a deep sigh, leaned back against my pillow, and smiled. It was nice to have so many caring people around. However, a rush of emotions and concern flooded my mind, and my throbbing headache worsened.

  “There’s my girl,” Harper said, a forced smile plastered on his face as he walked through the door.

  Biggs followed, and Dave, Stacey, and Tanya trailed behind him, one-by-one. Their smiling faces were contagious, and I couldn’t help but grin as they all schlepped in to see me. The only person I hadn’t seen was Jake, but I brushed my disappointment away.

  Dave sat on the end of the bed, his hair curling around the edges of his baseball cap. “How’re you feeling?”

  “I’m a little confused,” I admitted. “How long was I asleep?”

  “Three days, but they’ve been taking good care of you.” Dave’s smirk was easy and cocky—the way it used to be.

  “It’s good to see you’re awake,” Stacey sighed. “Harper said you shouldn’t have ma—”

  “Stacey,” Biggs said, cutting her off.

  “But she’s—”

  “She needs rest.” Sanchez’s tone was the only directive Dave, Stacey, and Biggs needed before turning to leave with sullen smiles and dragging feet.

  As they filed out, I glanced at Harper. Our eyes met briefly before he looked away. His avoidance was making me so anxious I was practically jumping out of my skin.

  “Whatever it is, just tell me,” I said.

  “Calm down, Zoe. You’re fine,” Sanchez said in my mind again.

  “It doesn’t seem like it.” I stared at Harper, willing him to tell me what was making everyone act so weird.

  He eyed me warily, probably wondering what I’d been talking about when I’d responded to Sanchez. “You shouldn’t have survived,” he finally confessed.

  I shook my head in confusion. “I don’t get it. Is it a bad thing that I did?”

  He began to pace in the cramped space. “No, Zoe, of course not! It’s just that…by the time we finished, you weren’t even breathing. Your heart stopped…your kidneys and liver shut down before I…Jake pushed me to keep going and…he was right.” Harper was beside himself. He looked at me, mystified. “We did the transfusion, and it worked. Miraculously, it worked,” he said in awe, like he was still trying to figure how I’d survived.

  “Transfusion? You had to give me a blood transfusion?”

  “Yeah, you were so far gone…your body shouldn’t have accepted it, whether he has type O or not, but it was the only option we had left.”

  He? My heartbeat quickened. “Whose blood?” I asked, already assuming it was Jake.

  Harper ignored my question and continued berating himself. “I thought you were too far gone for it to work,” Harper repeated. “But…” The sorrow in his eyes was nothing compared to the remorse I knew he felt. “I wasn’t going to continue. If I hadn’t listened to Jake…”

  “But you did. You saved my life, H. If it weren’t for you and Jake, I would be dead.” I swallowed painfully. “I can’t imagine how to thank you for what you did.”

  Stopping at my bedside and looking down at me, Harper let a gracious, authentic smile transform his face. He sat on the bed and pulled me into his arms. “You scared the shit out of me, Baby Girl.”

  I grimaced as Harper’s hold tightened around me, but relief at being alive trumped my discomfort.

  “I just don’t get it,” Harper whispered.

  “It was Jake’s blood,” I said, my eyes meeting Sanchez’s. They didn’t know about Jake’s remarkable ability to heal. “You haven’t talked to him about any of this?”

  Harper loosened his embrace and pulled away. “What do you mean?” Both he and Sanchez were looking at me, bemused.

  I shook my head, not feeling completely comfortable with sharing someone else’s secret. “You haven’t talked to him about this?” I repeated.

  “No, I just thought…” Harper looked back at Sanchez who stood at the foot of my bed. “I don’t know what I thought.”

  I watched Sanchez and Harper a while, waiting for them to fit the puzzle pieces together.

  “You think it’s Jake’s blood,” Sanchez eventually said. “You think his blood healed you.”

  I nodded.

  Harper watched me closely. “What do you know, Zoe?”

  I looked over at Sanchez, who turned away quietly, gazing out the window into the darkness.

  “Tell him, whatever it is,” Sanchez said. “It’s time to figure this shit out.”

  Given the green light, I told Harper everything I knew. I told him about Jake’s injuries and how they’d healed too quickly, and that at one point both Taylor and Johnson had thought he was dead. And I told him about Sanchez’s voice in my head. I knew that between Jake, Sanchez, and me, we weren’t just freaks—we were part of something bigger.

  “Where was I during all of this?” Harper asked in disbelief. He glanced back and forth between Sanchez and me.

  “Around.” I waved a hand in Sanchez’s direction. “I don’t know why she didn’t tell you about her thing, but I never told you about Jake because…well, I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right. And obviously Jake hasn’t been very for
thcoming with any information, so I wouldn’t expect him to tell you.” How’s Jake going to react to them knowing?

  “He had to know we’d figure it out,” Sanchez said, deep in thought.

  “He knew it was the only way to save you.” Harper shook his head, seemingly unsurprised. “Is there anyone else you know about? Anything you’ve seen that might help us understand what others might be capable of…or dealing with?”

  I shook my head, completely forgetting about Dani’s people, and downed another glass of water, thinking about Jake. The immensity of what he’d done—saved my life again—weighed heavily on my mind. I didn’t know what the hell to do about it. Thanking him was like extracting teeth from the back of a bear’s mouth—intimidating and dangerous. I figured he would play it off like it was nothing more than the right thing to do, infuriating me in the process.

  “Stop worrying, Zoe,” Sanchez told me as she turned to leave. “We’ll figure all this out together…later.” My head was pounding, and my eyelids were drooping.

  I felt Harper’s hand on my forehead and slowly opened my eyes.

  He smiled his warm, Harper smile. “Get some rest, Baby Girl.” A peaceful calm spread over me, relaxing the tension in my body. My cluttered thoughts dispersed like waves receding from the shore. He was calming me through his thoughts.

  I smiled up at him. “How do you do that?” I whispered.

  With a faint shrug, he said, “I’m glad it’s been working.” The warmth of his palm on my forehead soothed me, and I felt sleep pulling me under.

  Heavy footfalls broke the silence, and I heard the deep, muted rumble of Jake’s surly voice. “How is she?”

  “She’s tired, but perfectly fine,” Sanchez reassured him.

  My eyelids flew open again, though I could barely keep them that way. My body felt light, and sleep tugged persistently at my consciousness. “Jake,” I whispered, trying to stop myself from falling asleep mid-word.

  Harper lifted his hand from my forehead, his body no longer shielding me from Jake’s penetrating gaze. Each of Jake’s cautious steps brought the handsome, frustrating, confusing man closer to me. Too exhausted to overthink things, I could only smile. “Thank you.”

  The wrinkled brow shadowing his dark eyes softened. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  Satisfied that he hadn’t completely dismissed my gratitude, I let my eyelids close and fell asleep.

  I woke the next afternoon feeling almost completely rejuvenated. Although I was still tired, my body felt strong and healthy. Even more surprising, I was starving. Shuffling into the hallway, I found Cooper curled up protectively outside my door. I called him to come along as I headed for the mess hall.

  I ran into Sarah along the way, and after eating an early dinner, she and I took Cooper for a walk. Luckily, the sun was still shining, welcoming me to my second chance at life. As we walked, Sarah kicked the occasional pebble, and I repeatedly threw a stick for Cooper to retrieve. Sarah spewed all the gushy details about her and Biggs after filling me in on what had happened while I was asleep. She giggled and gossiped, explaining in detail what had taken place after Tanya found me unconscious. Her nonchalance made it seem less real, which I strangely appreciated.

  “What about Clara? What happened to her?” I asked.

  “Jake tore the place apart looking for her. Sanchez had Dave and Biggs put her in a holding cell because she’s obviously insane. Not to mention they were worried Jake might kill her…he was really angry. Only Harper, Biggs, and Sanchez know where she is—just in case. I think they’re worried about Tanya, to be honest.” Sarah features pinched in confusion. “But she’s the one who told them about you and she’s sick, so…”

  Shuffling steps interrupted our conversation, and we turned to see Stacey coming up behind us, her shoulder-length, dirty-blonde hair pulled back into a stubby ponytail. She looked at me sympathetically. “How are you feeling?”

  “Much better, thanks. Sarah’s just filling me in on what I missed while I was…out. How are you?”

  “Oh, fine. Well, that’s not true, actually. I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened to you, and I feel horrible about it.”

  I looked at her, baffled. “Why?”

  “It’s just that I feel like I should’ve caught on to all this a lot sooner. I should’ve said something to you.”

  “What do you mean?” Sarah piped in.

  “It was obvious Clara didn’t like you, even though she never went so far as to say she was going to try to physically harm you. I just feel like I should’ve seen the signs or something.”

  “Stacey, I appreciate your apology, really, but if we’re placing blame, I’m just as guilty,” I said, trying to reassure her. “I knew Clara didn’t like me, and I would’ve been able to see it coming if I’d paid closer attention.”

  “I guess, but I was with her in the gym the whole time you were dying. I feel really shitty about it. I just hope you don’t think I had anything to do with it.”

  Knowing she was sincere, I nudged her shoulder. “Of course I don’t. Clara’s a psycho. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d escaped from a mental institution or something.”

  “Well…that may be closer to the truth than you think.”

  “What?” Sarah and I asked in unison.

  “Keep in mind that I don’t know her much better than you do. She was only here about a week before you all arrived,” Stacey disclaimed. “But, she tells Tanya a lot, and I’ve overheard some conversations that make me think you might be onto something.”

  “What?” I scoffed. “Like she was really in a mental institution?”

  “Maybe. I know Jake found her in a hospital. She told us as much herself. I overheard her telling Tanya she couldn’t really relate to losing a sister. She told us she hated her own family…that they might as well’ve locked her away in a dungeon. She made it very clear she’d never forgive them.”

  “You think they put her in a hospital?” I asked.

  Stacey shrugged. “It’s possible. She said she hadn’t seen them in seven years and that her best friend was someone named Jenson. They were very close until he did something to piss her off, so she said she taught him a lesson. Knowing what she did to you, she probably killed the poor bastard.”

  “But why would Jake rescue her if she was locked away in a crazy ward? Why was he even in a crazy ward?” Sarah wondered.

  I thought about the dream I’d had of Jake and Clara when they were in the hospital, and it all started to make sense. “I think she reminds him of his sister,” I said. “So he felt like he had to help her.”

  “His sister? How would you know that?” Sarah asked. “You guys are barely around each other—except for when he’s saving your life,” Sarah joked. She nudged me and giggled. “Have you two been spending secret time together?” I gave her a flat look, and she cleared her throat. “Or not.”

  “Oh!” Stacey chirped. “I forgot the whole reason for coming out here. Harper wants you back at the barracks.”

  The sun was setting, and I was getting tired, so I conceded. We made it back to the barracks just as Dave and Biggs were exiting with blankets and steaming mugs.

  “There they are,” Dave said, smiling at us. “Here.” He handed me a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket. “You’re gonna need these.”

  “Um, thanks,” I said. “What are we doing?” I asked as they ushered us around the corner of the barracks to an open field between the pond and our building. I wondered why bench seats—presumably from a van—were aligned end-to-end on the dead grass.

  Sanchez strode around the corner of an empty building. “It’s about time,” she said dryly. “The show’s about to start.”

  “The show? But it’s dark.” My question was ignored, again, leaving me both curious and confused.

  The night was chilly, and I was glad to have a blanket to wrap around me as I situated myself on one of the seats.

  “I’m so excited!” Sarah squealed as she cuddled up next to me.


  “I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but what are we doing?” I asked…again.

  “You’ll see,” was all Sanchez said as she sat down beside Sarah.

  “We were going to do this when you woke up last night, but you needed more sleep,” Sarah explained.

  “Well, sorry to ruin your plans, but no one told me we were having a show,” I said.

  Just then a muffled thump sounded in the distance. A dimly glowing rocket whistled as it soared high above us. With a thunderous boom, it exploded—brilliant red embers burst forth and illuminated the sky. Another bang followed, and I saw a second rocket fly skyward. It blossomed in the darkness, and glittering shades of purple and green rained down, leaving a smoky impression in their wake.

  I had tears in my eyes before I could fully understand the implications of the fireworks show. My heart caught as I realized it was for me.

  “Isn’t this great?” Stacey screeched. “It’s just like at home, right?”

  “It’s beautiful,” I said, wiping my eyes. “I can’t believe Harper did this.”

  As the sky flashed red and orange, Stacey’s face angled toward me with a look of surprise. “Harper didn’t do this.”

  Looking at her, I waited for confirmation, but somewhere deep inside I knew—it was Jake. His quiet façade was just that. He was an observer; he’d showed me that himself.

  As the fireworks continued above us, I struggled to understand the feelings that were swirling inside me. I was confused and surprisingly happy, and I had so many questions. I suddenly felt sick with nervousness.

  “Are you alright?” Stacey asked, leaning in as I brushed away another tear.

  “I told you I liked fireworks,” I said, and she and Sarah giggled. We sat, mesmerized, until the final twinkling colors had faded from the sky and the last of the smoke had been carried off by the breeze.

  We all started clapping. “Bravo!” Sarah shouted before reaching out to grab my wrist. “Come on, it’s freezing. Let’s go inside.” She let go of me, stood, and wrapped her blanket around her shoulders. I’d been so enthralled by the show that, for once in my life, I hadn’t really noticed the cold.