A man’s voice broke through the blackness. “It’s dislocated.”
“But she’s going to be okay, right?” Daisy asked.
“We need to get it back in and then we can check her over for any other injuries.”
Someone grabbed my arm and I cried out.
“She’s waking up,” another man said.
“I know, but I still have to do it.” The voice coming through sounded vaguely familiar, but with the darkness covering me and the pain throbbing through my body, I couldn’t make my mind conjure up a face to match it.
“Hold on, Diana,” Daisy said.
Then another voice whispered in my ear. “I’m here. I have you.”
Bryan.
I had to be dreaming. There was no way he’d found us in the middle of nowhere.
“Bryan,” I whispered anyway, reaching for him.
A hand closed over mine that was strong and firm and calloused from work. “I’m here.”
“This is going to hurt.”
I sucked in a breath, knowing that whoever this man was, he was telling the truth. My bad arm was stretched out and the throbbing increased, then all at once he moved it and a blinding pain shot through my shoulder. I screamed and clenched Bryan’s hand so tight I was sure I’d break his fingers, but when my arm was back in place the ache eased until it was nothing more than a throb. It was a relief after all these hours of agony.
“We need to get you a sling. Don’t lift it, not for a while. It could pop back out.”
My eyes fluttered open and the room came into view. Someone had lit a few lanterns and the flames flickered across the room, highlighting the scene around me. Daisy was at my side and next to her Bryan stood holding my hand. There were other people in the distance, soldiers I recognized and some I didn’t.
And at my other side stood Alex, his expression tense but caring. “How are you doing?”
“Awful.” I slipped my hand from Bryan’s so I could cradle my still aching arm against my side. “But better.”
Alex ran his hand over my head. “Good.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He nodded.
I turned back to Bryan, desperate to see him again and convince myself that this was real. “How did you find us?”
He knelt down so we were eye level, giving me a better view of the building we were in. It was the lobby of what looked like a doctor’s office. That was a lucky break.
“We were headed to the hive when we heard Daisy yelling your name,” Bryan said. “It was pure luck. That’s all.”
“More than luck,” said Daisy. “I don’t know how I would have gotten you inside if they hadn’t shown up.”
“You were coming for me?” It was the only thing I could grasp onto at that moment, the knowledge that Bryan had been on the way to the hive to get me.
“Of course.”
“Not just you,” Tyler said from behind Daisy. I hadn’t even noticed him standing there, probably because I’d been too focused on Bryan. “A shit ton of people went missing.”
Daisy scowled his way and he shot her a smile. “You know I was coming for you.”
“You better say that,” she muttered.
“Did Daisy tell you that we were the only ones left who hadn’t been impregnated or whatever you call it?”
“She did,” Bryan said, his tone somber. “She also told us how you got out. You’re a genius.”
“We never thought of using the claws like that before.” Anderson stood at the foot of the table I was stretched out on, holding one of the claws Daisy and I had hacked off the bug’s body. “But we should have.”
“It’s not like we’ve had a lot of chances to hack the assholes’ arms off,” Alex said.
“No, but we never even tried. We were too focused on trying to figure out how to make our weapons work against them.” Anderson swiped the talon through the air. “This could make a huge difference.”
“Only if we can get more,” Tyler pointed out. “And get close to them.”
“We can get close if we have these,” Daisy said. “They cut through the vines no problem. And we already know they penetrate the trees. We’ve all seen the bugs climb those things.”
I tried to sit up and winced when the throbbing in my arm increased. Shit. I’d had no clue a dislocated shoulder was such a major injury. On TV and in movies they’d always made it look like it was no big deal. It hurt, but once it was back in the socket you were good. Not true. The pain may have improved, but the ache left over was intense and it spread all the way down to my elbow.
“Easy,” Alex said, reaching out for me. “You’re going to be in pain for awhile.”
I waved him off with my good arm, and then used it to push myself up again, keeping my injured arm tight against my body. “I’m okay. I have to be.”
Alex frowned. “You’re going to have to take it easy. It’s going to take weeks, maybe longer, to heal.”
I didn’t have weeks.
Once I was up, I let out a deep breath. “The flowers.”
Everyone turned to look at me.
“There were no flowers inside the hive and when we passed a few down in the tunnel, the bug holding me steered clear of them. I think the pollen affects them the same way it affects us.”
Anderson pressed his lips together. “Could be useful.”
“And dangerous,” Tyler pointed out.
“We have masks, though,” Bryan said. “If this is true, we can harvest flowers and use them somehow.”
“How?” Daisy asked.
Bryan shook his head, but I could see the wheels turning. “A bomb or something. Fill something with the flowers and blow it up when the bugs are close.” He looked around. “It wouldn’t have to be a direct hit if we did that. If the explosion didn’t take out all the bugs, the pollen released by it hopefully would.”
Anderson scratched at his shaggy beard. “It’s an idea. When we get back we can search the streets for any remains. Maybe some of the assholes left claws behind when they got blown to bits.”
“It’s a better plan than any we’ve had over the last five years,” Tyler spit out almost bitterly.
“What else did you see inside the hive?” Anderson asked, ignoring Tyler.
I swallowed when I thought about the bodies, a few of whom I’d recognized. Their hollowed out stomachs, their mouths open wide. It made my stomach churn but I knew I had to share my suspicions with the rest of the group.
“I was able to get a close look at the bodies.” Silence stretched across the room. “Bryan was right. They are definitely using us as cocoons or something like that. What I’m not sure about is the red vine.” I paused long enough to exchange a look with Daisy. “I don’t think they’re vines.”
“What are they then?” a guy I didn’t know asked.
“I think they may be part of an organism we haven’t seen. A tentacle or something like that. It didn’t look like a vine up close, and Daisy said that when they dragged the other people out of the cell, she never saw any of them get impregnated.” I cringed at the grotesque image my words conjured up, but kept going. “It made me think that the red vine is what implants the embryo. Like it’s attached to something we’ve never seen.”
“You’re talking a queen or something?” Alex said.
I shrugged and it made my bad shoulder throb. “Maybe. We’ve always called these things bugs because that’s how they act, so why wouldn’t they all be drones who were out collecting bodies for their queen?”
“It makes sense,” Bryan muttered, “but I don’t like it. If there is a queen that means we’re going to have to get inside the damn hive to get rid of her.”
“Exactly,” I said. “But we might be able to use the craters. The one at the end of our street is connected to the hive by an underground tunnel, and there are hardly any flowers down there. It could be a way for us to get to the bugs without having to go through or over the vines around the hive.”
“It’s more than we�
��ve ever had before,” Tyler mumbled.
“A hell of a lot more,” Anderson agreed.
“That’s all well and good,” Alex piped in, “but what do we do in the meantime? I mean, those things could be headed here now. Do we wait around and see what happens or head out?”
Silence stretched across the room. I could tell that no one wanted to be the one to make the call. If we stayed and got attacked we’d always think things would have been better if we’d moved on, but if we got hit on the way back we’d find ourselves wishing we’d stayed put. It was a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type of situation, but that didn’t mean we didn’t have to make a choice. We did.
“We should go,” I said as I scooted myself across the table I’d been stretched out on. “The sooner we get back the better.”
When I eased myself off the table both Bryan and Alex reached for me at the same time.
“Easy,” Alex warned just as Bryan said, “Careful.”
“You sure you’re good to travel?” Anderson asked.
“I’m fine.” I hugged my arm close to my body and ground my teeth together so I didn’t wince from the pain. “Just get me a sling and I’ll be good.”
It turned out that the doctor’s office we’d found ourselves in had been an ear, nose, and throat specialist, meaning they didn’t have anything useful to me. But Alex did manage to find a couple cardigans that must have been left behind by the employees. He used one to make a sling that would do until we got home where we had a stockpile of stuff like that in the infirmary. With my arm immobilized the pain was less intense, but based on all the warnings Alex was throwing my way, I got the impression that it was going to be a long time before I was back to normal. Not to mention the fact that I was now at higher risk of having this happen again, which was something I didn’t even want to have to think about going through right now.
The rain was steady and the ground slick when we headed out, which only made the trek more treacherous. Every time I put my foot down I worried that I would slip and fall and hurt myself again. Add the constant desire to look over my shoulder to that and I felt jumpy as hell. The sooner we got home, the better.
Bryan stuck by my side. He didn’t touch me but I had a feeling it was only because he could tell I was hurting and he didn’t want to make it worse. He did reach out every time I wobbled even a little, as if ready to stop me from falling. It was a relief to know that he was here to back me up, and it helped me relax after a couple hours.
There was no sign of the bugs. No movement above us, and no buzz from their wings or click from their claws. The talons Daisy and I sawed off were currently in the possession of Anderson and Tyler, which made Daisy scowl. If I hadn’t been feeling so awful I would have clued him in to the fact that she wasn’t a damsel in distress and she didn’t need a big strong man to take care of her, she only needed one to warm her bed when the sun went down.
The further we went the thinner the vegetation became, and I began to recognize the landscape more. Not because I’d been out here any time recently, but because Daisy and I had been up on the roof enough for me to have memorized what everything close to our settlement looked like. Even the new growth couldn’t conceal some of the sights I’d grown accustomed to seeing over the last five years.
“How are you doing?” Bryan asked as we crossed the bridge that led over the Miami River and into downtown.
“Fine,” I lied. “I’ll be fine.”
“Alex seems to think you won’t be.”
“He’s being cautious,” I replied.
“He’s a doctor,” Bryan pointed out. “You should probably listen to him.”
I didn’t respond because there was no way to argue with that.
We walked a little further in silence. It suddenly hit me that I’d been awake for over a day—with the exception of when I was passed out. I was feeling it too; the heaviness in my legs when I took a step, the extra energy it took to put one foot in front of the other. I couldn’t wait to get back and get some sleep, but I was starting to wonder if the pain in my shoulder would prevent me from being able to rest. It seemed to get more intense as the minutes passed.
Even worse, I was afraid it would prevent me from being in on the fight. Getting hurt right when the tide might be shifting was bad timing, but I was tough and determined, and I had no doubt in my mind that I could get through it.
The street looked totally different than it had before I’d been dragged away. The vines had covered more of our building, snaking over the front and around the sides and coming dangerously close to covering the door. Before we had the claws in our possession the sight of those vines so close to our only exit would have scared the shit out of me, but now I thought it might be a stroke of luck. We wouldn’t be trapped and it would make it more difficult for the aliens to get inside. Assuming they didn’t just rip their way in through the wall, which was always a possibility.
Bryan was still at my side, just as he’d been the entire way back. My shoulder still ached, but it was a dull pain that I was certain I could handle. Nothing like how it had felt before Alex had popped my shoulder back into the socket.
“You should get up to your room and rest,” Bryan said as we neared our building.
“What are you going to do?”
Bryan nodded to the street at our backs and I noticed that nearly everyone else had stopped. Only Alex, Daisy, Bryan, and I had continued to the building.
“We’re going to search the city and see if any of the aliens we blew up left a claw or two behind,” Bryan reminded me.
In my exhaustion I’d forgotten the plan, but I now remembered what Anderson had said back at the doctor’s office. I knew Bryan was right and I needed the rest, but I hated to miss out. I also hated thinking that I wasn’t pulling my weight.
As if reading my mind, Alex shook his head. “You need to take it easy or you won’t heal.”
The urge to tell him to mind his own business had me biting down on my lip. He was right, but damn I hated thinking that they were going to be out here scavenging for something that could be the turning point in this war while I was laying in bed. Especially after the last four years of me hiding in this building instead of being out with the militia. What if I’d stayed all those years ago? Would I have had this idea sooner?
Of course, if I didn’t heal I’d be stuck inside for a hell of a lot longer.
“Okay,” I said reluctantly.
“And remember,” Alex said firmly. “Keep the sling on and no lifting that arm higher than your shoulder. Having an injury like this once makes you more susceptible to it happening again. Is that something you want?” He arched his brows as he looked at me.
I shuddered, remembering the pain. I’d been through a lot, labor and having those damn claws in me, but the agony of having my shoulder out of its socket stuck out in a horrible way.
“No,” I said firmly.
“Then do what the doctor tells you,” Alex replied, in a tone that was somehow firm and teasing at the same time.
Daisy rolled her eyes and joined him when he headed to the building ahead of Bryan and me. I was used to bossy, know-it-all Alex, but most of his instructions were ones that could be ignored. I had a feeling this was something I was going to actually have to listen to.
Bryan walked me to the building even though he was heading out with the others. I could hear them behind us, discussing their plans. They were trying to decide how to gather the flowers and get an estimate of how many claws we would need to properly arm ourselves. I itched to join them, but the throb in my arm reminded me that I had limitations.
When we stopped in front of the entrance, I grabbed Bryan’s hand. “Be careful?”
“Always,” he said, smiling down at me.
I wanted to say more. To tell him how glad I’d been to see him when I woke up, and how much he was starting to mean to me. But I hadn’t sorted through all these feelings yet and until I did, I wanted to rein in my emotions. I also didn’t wan
t to be that blubbering girl he’d complained about when we’d first met, acting like we were soul mates and I was sending him off to war.
I took a step back, his hand still in mine. “See you when you get back?”
“I’ll try not to wake you.”
I grinned up at him. “Or maybe you should wake me.”
“That I can do.”
His hand slipped from mine, but before he turned to leave he leaned down and planted a kiss on the side of my head. Then he jogged back to join the others. I turned to find Daisy and Alex waiting for me, both of them giving me knowing looks that made my face heat up.
“God, I need a shower,” Daisy said as we headed to the door.
“That makes two of us.”
“Count me out if that’s the plan,” Alex said dramatically.
“Not together,” Daisy said with a groan.
“Honestly,” I said, “as long as I get clean I’d be willing to shower with one of the bugs.”
Daisy’s face scrunched up and she yanked the front door open so hard that it nearly slammed into Alex. “No way. I’ll be fine if I never see one of those ugly assholes again for the rest of my life.”
The shower would have made me feel more like myself if I hadn’t still been in so much pain. Dragging myself up the dark stairwell was more hazardous than usual, and traversing the third floor without jostling my injured arm ended up being quite the challenge. It seemed like the more time that stretched out, the more aware I became of just how much my damn shoulder hurt. At first it hadn’t been that bad, but I now realized that it had been an illusion. I’d been too relieved that the agony of having my shoulder out of the socket was gone to realize how bad it actually throbbed. But it hurt a lot.
In fact, it hurt so much that I found sleep nearly impossible. I lay on my back in the darkness of my room, exhausted but unable to find a position that was comfortable. Lying on my left side was out of the question, but being on my right side or my back seemed to put an insane amount pressure on my injured shoulder. I shifted, but no matter how I angled my body the throbbing never seemed to ease, and the next few hours were spent drifting in and out of a restless sleep.
The Blood Will Dry Page 18
