door. Sorry. Old habits and all that.”
The bright sun hit Rhys the second he stepped out. The metre-high wall around the outer edge of the car park blocked the wind and turned the place into a suntrap. Black asphalt coated the ground.
Rhys walked to the edge and peered over. When he saw ten or so diseased below them, he drew a sharp intake of breath and pulled back.
When Vicky looked at him, he shrugged. “There’s some of them down there. I think we should wait it out up here for a while to give them a chance to clear out.”
“But what if they don’t?”
“Then we’ll be in no worse a situation than we’re currently in. What do we have to lose?”
After a pause, Vicky’s face softened and she finally nodded. “Okay.”
The wall on the opposite side of the car park created the only shade on the entire floor. Rhys moved over to it at a crouched run and sat down with his back against it.
Despite her obvious reluctance with every step of Rhys’ plan, Vicky followed and sat down next to him.
“The first thing we need to do is to get out of this city,” Rhys said. “Then I’m going to get Flynn. Whatever happens, I’m going to get to him. I know you say you won’t come with me, but please reconsider.”
Vicky turned away from him.
“You find that works for you?”
Vicky continued to look away.
“The whole ice queen thing; that sees you right in your life, does it? Shut everyone and everything out and make sure Vicky’s okay?”
“What do you want from me, Rhys? I’ve already saved your life.”
“But my life’s nothing without Flynn.”
“Have you considered that Flynn might be,”—she paused—”gone when you get there?”
Of course, he’d thought about it. He couldn’t think about anything else. Still, her words drove a knife into his heart. “I have to go to his school. All I have are hopes and prayers. I’ll ride their vapours if I need to, but I have to get to his school. Nothing’s lost until it’s lost.”
Vicky didn’t reply.
“Come on, Vicky, there’s a heart in there somewhere. He’s six years old. I need to get to him because God knows I can’t rely on his mother. Besides,”—Rhys looked at the buildings that surrounded them; all of which were locked down with steel shutters—“she’s locked in Building Seventy-Two. I need you, Vicky. You know how to fight these things.”
Although she still had her back to him, Rhys saw her grind her jaw.
Rhys retrieved the photo of his boy from his pocket and reached around to hold it in front of her. “This is him.”
She knocked his arm away.
“Go on,” Rhys said, “look at him. Look into the warm eyes of my innocent boy and tell me you won’t help me save his life. If you can do that, I’ll stop hassling you.”
When she snatched the photo from Rhys, he flinched.
As she stared down at it, she spoke in monotone. “I don’t want to help you save him.”
The reply nearly winded Rhys, who took the photo back and looked at his little boy. “You must have been really fucking lonely in your life before this happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“To be so switched off. To care so little about anyone but yourself.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is.”
A shake of his head, and Rhys turned his back on her. “Wow.”
Chapter Sixteen
As they sat in the shade, the heat of the day inescapable, Rhys listened. He had nothing more to say to Vicky. It had been a while since they’d heard the call of the diseased, but Rhys didn’t want to look over the wall. If the crowd below had grown, they’d be fucked. But if he didn’t look, they could end up waiting all day. The longer he waited the less chance Flynn had of survival.
Just as he moved to stand up, Vicky spoke. “You don’t want me with you anyway.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t want me with you. I can’t be trusted. I act in my own self-interest. I’m not like you. I don’t do the right thing.”
Rhys waited for her
The bright sun hit Rhys the second he stepped out. The metre-high wall around the outer edge of the car park blocked the wind and turned the place into a suntrap. Black asphalt coated the ground.
Rhys walked to the edge and peered over. When he saw ten or so diseased below them, he drew a sharp intake of breath and pulled back.
When Vicky looked at him, he shrugged. “There’s some of them down there. I think we should wait it out up here for a while to give them a chance to clear out.”
“But what if they don’t?”
“Then we’ll be in no worse a situation than we’re currently in. What do we have to lose?”
After a pause, Vicky’s face softened and she finally nodded. “Okay.”
The wall on the opposite side of the car park created the only shade on the entire floor. Rhys moved over to it at a crouched run and sat down with his back against it.
Despite her obvious reluctance with every step of Rhys’ plan, Vicky followed and sat down next to him.
“The first thing we need to do is to get out of this city,” Rhys said. “Then I’m going to get Flynn. Whatever happens, I’m going to get to him. I know you say you won’t come with me, but please reconsider.”
Vicky turned away from him.
“You find that works for you?”
Vicky continued to look away.
“The whole ice queen thing; that sees you right in your life, does it? Shut everyone and everything out and make sure Vicky’s okay?”
“What do you want from me, Rhys? I’ve already saved your life.”
“But my life’s nothing without Flynn.”
“Have you considered that Flynn might be,”—she paused—”gone when you get there?”
Of course, he’d thought about it. He couldn’t think about anything else. Still, her words drove a knife into his heart. “I have to go to his school. All I have are hopes and prayers. I’ll ride their vapours if I need to, but I have to get to his school. Nothing’s lost until it’s lost.”
Vicky didn’t reply.
“Come on, Vicky, there’s a heart in there somewhere. He’s six years old. I need to get to him because God knows I can’t rely on his mother. Besides,”—Rhys looked at the buildings that surrounded them; all of which were locked down with steel shutters—“she’s locked in Building Seventy-Two. I need you, Vicky. You know how to fight these things.”
Although she still had her back to him, Rhys saw her grind her jaw.
Rhys retrieved the photo of his boy from his pocket and reached around to hold it in front of her. “This is him.”
She knocked his arm away.
“Go on,” Rhys said, “look at him. Look into the warm eyes of my innocent boy and tell me you won’t help me save his life. If you can do that, I’ll stop hassling you.”
When she snatched the photo from Rhys, he flinched.
As she stared down at it, she spoke in monotone. “I don’t want to help you save him.”
The reply nearly winded Rhys, who took the photo back and looked at his little boy. “You must have been really fucking lonely in your life before this happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“To be so switched off. To care so little about anyone but yourself.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is.”
A shake of his head, and Rhys turned his back on her. “Wow.”
Chapter Sixteen
As they sat in the shade, the heat of the day inescapable, Rhys listened. He had nothing more to say to Vicky. It had been a while since they’d heard the call of the diseased, but Rhys didn’t want to look over the wall. If the crowd below had grown, they’d be fucked. But if he didn’t look, they could end up waiting all day. The longer he waited the less chance Flynn had of survival.
Just as he moved to stand up, Vicky spoke. “You don’t want me with you anyway.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t want me with you. I can’t be trusted. I act in my own self-interest. I’m not like you. I don’t do the right thing.”
Rhys waited for her
Similar Books
