her esophagus. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Grandma did.”
“Hey .” Hunter took her hand and shook it. “The captain said they’re working on a cure. They might be able to save her.”
She swiped at a stray tear. “I knew I didn’t trust that booster! I told you they couldn’t possibly be ready that quickly.”
He nodded, eyes anxiously darting around them. “Yeah, you were right. Now, keep it down!” He leaned in closer still, green eyes hard with tension. “Do you remember Mr. Flitcher?”
Scarlett frowned as her mind flipped through faces. “Livestock, right?”
His head bobbed. “He said some stuff to the captain about the boosters. About how he didn’t trust them , or her, and didn’t believe there even was a planet. You know how he was, always with the conspiracies…” He paused to pick at his cuticle again, unease wrinkling his forehead.
“What?” she prompted.
He wiped the spittle off his thumb onto his pants, licked his lips and replied, “The captain had the marshals take him from the room.” He lowered his voice even more until she nearly couldn’t hear him at all. “He was screaming, Red, and then … he wasn’t .”
Scarlett jerked back. “What?”
The chair squeaked beneath him as he shifted closer. “He was screaming,” he repeated very slowly, eyes drilling into hers fiercely, willing her to put two and two together. “Then. He. Wasn’t!”
She shook her head, brain still too fuzzy from the drugs to pick up what he was trying to explain to her. “I don’t—”
“Damn it, Red!” he hissed under his breath. “I think she killed him … shhh!” he hissed when she gasped loudly.
She slapped her palms over her mouth.
“I can’t be sure, but there was screaming, a crack like an enforcer zap, and then a thud,” he went on, panic lacing every word.
“But … but why would—”
“Oh you’re awake!” Dr. Ora appeared at the foot of Scarlett’s hover platform , her usual sweet smile in place. “How are you feeling?”
So many answers jumped to mind; scared; really scared; horrified; confused. But one subtle shake from Hunter’s head and she replied, “Fine.”
Dr. Ora squeezed between Scarlett’s platform and the one on her other side to check her wrap. She lifted a corner, peeked under, clicked her tongue, punched something into her data port and wiggled out again.
“The flesh tabs seem to be holding nicely. So long as you don’t do anything too rigorous, they should heal within the next couple of days. Are you feeling anymore pain? I can give you something if it’s bothering you.”
Scarlett shook her head, not sure she wanted to be drugged up at a time like th is. Something told her she would need all her wits about her.
“No , thank you.”
“Doctor,” Hunter called before Dr. Ora could hop off to the next patient. “She’s not going to get whatever is … going around, is she?”
Dr. Ora blinked her big, blue eyes, reminding Scarlett a little too much of Kiera. “Oh no! No, no, no! She’ll be fine.”
Scarlett exchanged a glance with Hunter, but when they looked back, Dr. Ora was gone, already several beds down.
“That was weird,” Hunter remarked, frowning.
“She’s busy,” Scarlett replied, watching the doctor. “She can’t stay and chat with us when all these people were…” She trailed off as she spotted one person, three beds down, missing an entire leg. The stump was hanging out from beneath his blankets, cupped in gauze stained crimson. “How many people were hurt, Hunter?”
He sighed, running a hand over his face. “Just what you see here.”
Scarlett counted about twenty beds, hers included. She looked over the crowd, a sick feeling twisting the pit of her stomach. “Where…” She really didn’t want to ask.
“Most of them are infected or put into quarantine containers in the boiler room. The other half is dead,” he waved a hand over everyone else. “This is all that remains.”
“Dead?”
“Grandma did.”
“Hey .” Hunter took her hand and shook it. “The captain said they’re working on a cure. They might be able to save her.”
She swiped at a stray tear. “I knew I didn’t trust that booster! I told you they couldn’t possibly be ready that quickly.”
He nodded, eyes anxiously darting around them. “Yeah, you were right. Now, keep it down!” He leaned in closer still, green eyes hard with tension. “Do you remember Mr. Flitcher?”
Scarlett frowned as her mind flipped through faces. “Livestock, right?”
His head bobbed. “He said some stuff to the captain about the boosters. About how he didn’t trust them , or her, and didn’t believe there even was a planet. You know how he was, always with the conspiracies…” He paused to pick at his cuticle again, unease wrinkling his forehead.
“What?” she prompted.
He wiped the spittle off his thumb onto his pants, licked his lips and replied, “The captain had the marshals take him from the room.” He lowered his voice even more until she nearly couldn’t hear him at all. “He was screaming, Red, and then … he wasn’t .”
Scarlett jerked back. “What?”
The chair squeaked beneath him as he shifted closer. “He was screaming,” he repeated very slowly, eyes drilling into hers fiercely, willing her to put two and two together. “Then. He. Wasn’t!”
She shook her head, brain still too fuzzy from the drugs to pick up what he was trying to explain to her. “I don’t—”
“Damn it, Red!” he hissed under his breath. “I think she killed him … shhh!” he hissed when she gasped loudly.
She slapped her palms over her mouth.
“I can’t be sure, but there was screaming, a crack like an enforcer zap, and then a thud,” he went on, panic lacing every word.
“But … but why would—”
“Oh you’re awake!” Dr. Ora appeared at the foot of Scarlett’s hover platform , her usual sweet smile in place. “How are you feeling?”
So many answers jumped to mind; scared; really scared; horrified; confused. But one subtle shake from Hunter’s head and she replied, “Fine.”
Dr. Ora squeezed between Scarlett’s platform and the one on her other side to check her wrap. She lifted a corner, peeked under, clicked her tongue, punched something into her data port and wiggled out again.
“The flesh tabs seem to be holding nicely. So long as you don’t do anything too rigorous, they should heal within the next couple of days. Are you feeling anymore pain? I can give you something if it’s bothering you.”
Scarlett shook her head, not sure she wanted to be drugged up at a time like th is. Something told her she would need all her wits about her.
“No , thank you.”
“Doctor,” Hunter called before Dr. Ora could hop off to the next patient. “She’s not going to get whatever is … going around, is she?”
Dr. Ora blinked her big, blue eyes, reminding Scarlett a little too much of Kiera. “Oh no! No, no, no! She’ll be fine.”
Scarlett exchanged a glance with Hunter, but when they looked back, Dr. Ora was gone, already several beds down.
“That was weird,” Hunter remarked, frowning.
“She’s busy,” Scarlett replied, watching the doctor. “She can’t stay and chat with us when all these people were…” She trailed off as she spotted one person, three beds down, missing an entire leg. The stump was hanging out from beneath his blankets, cupped in gauze stained crimson. “How many people were hurt, Hunter?”
He sighed, running a hand over his face. “Just what you see here.”
Scarlett counted about twenty beds, hers included. She looked over the crowd, a sick feeling twisting the pit of her stomach. “Where…” She really didn’t want to ask.
“Most of them are infected or put into quarantine containers in the boiler room. The other half is dead,” he waved a hand over everyone else. “This is all that remains.”
“Dead?”
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