laced his lips, and his eyes were blood shot. Suddenly, all I could see was my own reflection in Philippe’s white, glassy eyeballs. I went over all cold and felt unsteady on my feet. He was gone forever. My friend was gone.
“Britannia?” Danny struggled up and edged toward me.
I caught him as he lunged to hug me. My hands grazed his rib cage. How had he gotten so thin so quickly?
John had stood up. Finally, he was participating.
“I know this isn’t something that everyone wants to hear.” He pointed at Danny. “He’s a lovely boy. But out there”—he now pointed to the door—“we need to move quickly.”
“He doesn’t have long left.” Dr. Watts looked down as she said it.
“We should wait then,” Tracy said.
“Yeah, outside isn’t getting any less dangerous. Let’s give it some time,” Josh added.
“Are you kidding? I can’t stand another hour in this place!” John threw his hands in the air.
“Well, you’re welcome to go out on your own anytime you’d like!” Tracy yelled at him.
She moved to intercept John’s line of sight of Danny, who’d now buried himself into the crook of my arm.
“We have to look at the bigger picture here. We can’t put the need of one above the whole group.” Green made a good point, albeit a callous one.
“You’re a bad man!” yelled Rose. Her little voice was high-pitched, and her cheeks ruddy with anger.
The whole room then erupted with voices. I didn’t take in what they were saying. Instead, I picked up Danny and my bag then walked down to the underground red velvet room, Satan limping close behind us. I set him down on the couch and took a breath.
“What’s going to happen?” he asked.
“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” I replied. “I won’t allow it.”
Satan jumped up onto the couch so Danny didn’t have to bend to stroke him.
I took another breath, a long, pointless breath that rubbed against my ribs like barbs laced with acid. I lifted the side of my T-shirt and saw I was still bruised from my fight with Philippe. I must have been hurt bad for it to take this long to heal. I searched in my bag for my spare Rolling Stones last tour T-shirt, and changed. I stuffed the other one into my bag then ran a brush through my knotted hair.
“You should kill me.” Danny looked up at me, lip trembling.
“How old are you?”
“I’m seventeen.”
“I’m not going to kill you. If anyone tries, it’ll be the last thing they do.”
“But the doctor said …”
“To hell with the doctor. It’s her kind that got us into this undead mess in the first place.”
“I don’t want to die, Britannia. The world may be harder now and life less…comfortable, but I don’t want to die yet.”
“I know, Danny. Sometimes we don’t get a choice in what we have to do. We just have to do it.”
I could hear the arguments still raging upstairs. Nicholas was trying to soothe matters in his snake-oil-salesman way, but that wasn’t getting the job done. The humans were scared. They were trying to gain back some precious control, any control over their radically altered existence. They needed a firm hand, not a forked tongue that hid long incisors.
“Can you walk?”
Danny shuffled off the couch and stood up. He wobbled a little, but he held his backbone straight so he stood tall.
“Follow me.” I led him back to the bar.
I pulled a nearby bar stool toward me and jumped onto it, then onto the bar itself. I stamped my foot on the counter, and everyone looked at me.
I was about to speak when I heard a muffled sound. Only now that it was quiet could we all hear it. It was coming from outside. My epic yet ill thought-out speech no longer of consequence, we all crowded round the metal rollers to hear what it was.
“It’s another survivor. We need to open up,” said Tracy.
Nicholas put his ear to the door. “Tracy, my dear, remember what we said before. No letting anyone in. ”
A thump from outside rippled the metal, making
“Britannia?” Danny struggled up and edged toward me.
I caught him as he lunged to hug me. My hands grazed his rib cage. How had he gotten so thin so quickly?
John had stood up. Finally, he was participating.
“I know this isn’t something that everyone wants to hear.” He pointed at Danny. “He’s a lovely boy. But out there”—he now pointed to the door—“we need to move quickly.”
“He doesn’t have long left.” Dr. Watts looked down as she said it.
“We should wait then,” Tracy said.
“Yeah, outside isn’t getting any less dangerous. Let’s give it some time,” Josh added.
“Are you kidding? I can’t stand another hour in this place!” John threw his hands in the air.
“Well, you’re welcome to go out on your own anytime you’d like!” Tracy yelled at him.
She moved to intercept John’s line of sight of Danny, who’d now buried himself into the crook of my arm.
“We have to look at the bigger picture here. We can’t put the need of one above the whole group.” Green made a good point, albeit a callous one.
“You’re a bad man!” yelled Rose. Her little voice was high-pitched, and her cheeks ruddy with anger.
The whole room then erupted with voices. I didn’t take in what they were saying. Instead, I picked up Danny and my bag then walked down to the underground red velvet room, Satan limping close behind us. I set him down on the couch and took a breath.
“What’s going to happen?” he asked.
“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” I replied. “I won’t allow it.”
Satan jumped up onto the couch so Danny didn’t have to bend to stroke him.
I took another breath, a long, pointless breath that rubbed against my ribs like barbs laced with acid. I lifted the side of my T-shirt and saw I was still bruised from my fight with Philippe. I must have been hurt bad for it to take this long to heal. I searched in my bag for my spare Rolling Stones last tour T-shirt, and changed. I stuffed the other one into my bag then ran a brush through my knotted hair.
“You should kill me.” Danny looked up at me, lip trembling.
“How old are you?”
“I’m seventeen.”
“I’m not going to kill you. If anyone tries, it’ll be the last thing they do.”
“But the doctor said …”
“To hell with the doctor. It’s her kind that got us into this undead mess in the first place.”
“I don’t want to die, Britannia. The world may be harder now and life less…comfortable, but I don’t want to die yet.”
“I know, Danny. Sometimes we don’t get a choice in what we have to do. We just have to do it.”
I could hear the arguments still raging upstairs. Nicholas was trying to soothe matters in his snake-oil-salesman way, but that wasn’t getting the job done. The humans were scared. They were trying to gain back some precious control, any control over their radically altered existence. They needed a firm hand, not a forked tongue that hid long incisors.
“Can you walk?”
Danny shuffled off the couch and stood up. He wobbled a little, but he held his backbone straight so he stood tall.
“Follow me.” I led him back to the bar.
I pulled a nearby bar stool toward me and jumped onto it, then onto the bar itself. I stamped my foot on the counter, and everyone looked at me.
I was about to speak when I heard a muffled sound. Only now that it was quiet could we all hear it. It was coming from outside. My epic yet ill thought-out speech no longer of consequence, we all crowded round the metal rollers to hear what it was.
“It’s another survivor. We need to open up,” said Tracy.
Nicholas put his ear to the door. “Tracy, my dear, remember what we said before. No letting anyone in. ”
A thump from outside rippled the metal, making
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