swallowing her entire hand. “They’re going to fix this,” he promised, curling his fingers around hers.
“Where is she now?” Scarlett asked.
“All those infected have been taken to quarantine and are awaiting the cure serum,” he said.
“She’s down there with the others? What if they hurt her, or—”
Rolf shook his head. “So far there’s no indication that they go after other infected. She’s safe there.”
She had to take a breath, several, in fact. No matter how reassuring he was trying to be, all she could see was her grandmother’s warped and demonic face, stained with blood. Her shoulder gave a twang in reminder. She opted to change the topic.
“How are you?” She looked him over. “Are you okay?”
His nostrils flared as he sucked in a sharp breath. “Yes. I was in my compartment when it started.”
“I’m glad,” she murmured.
Warm, brown eyes met hers, dark with an unspoken question Scarlett wasn’t sure she wanted to answer.
“Scarlett—”
“Best friend coming through!” Hunter pushed his way to her side, a tray balanced between his hands.
Scarlett kept her gaze on Rolf, waiting for him to finish. Instead, she saw him draw back.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he mumbled, before turning on his heels and walking away.
Hunter snorted, placing the tray beside her on the bed. “He left in a hurry.”
Scarlett said nothing as she watched Rolf amble back to his pack, back to the pretty girl waiting for him, never once glancing back.
Chapter Nine
Time dragged after Scarlett was unhooked from her IV and told she needed to vacate the hover platform by a sour faced novice nurse. She wasn’t given any change of clothes and her old things, she was told, were tossed into the incinerator. Thankfully, she wasn’t the only one there wearing a hospital gown.
“How much longer do you think they’re going to keep us here?” she asked Hunter, cradling her throbbing arm; she should have accepted the drugs when she’d had the chance, she thought.
Sitting at a table with his head down on his folded arms, Hunter grumbled, “Dunno. Until they catch all the infected, I guess.”
“I thought they already got them all.”
He sat up, eyes half closed. “Maybe they’re checking for any they missed. I don’t know, Red!” he dropped his head back down. “I just want to go to bed.”
“Attention please!” Cindy stood at the head of the room, arms waving over her head. She lowered them once all eyes were on her. “Our search has been successful. All the infected have been isolated. You are free to return to your quarters.”
“Thank God!” Hunter lunged to his feet, sending his chair sliding across the linoleum. Luckily, his enthusiasm was drowned by all the other sounds of clutter, raised voices, and scuffling feet.
Scarlett wasn’t nearly as excited to get back, not to that place, not with the memory of her grandmother still so fresh in her mind. But where else was there to go? She couldn’t stay with anyone else and leave Hunter there alone.
“Red?”
She forced a twisted smile on her face. “Coming.”
They didn’t speak another word all the way up to deck thirteen. They walked into the apartment and Hunter went straight for her grandmother’s bedroom. He quickly shut the door, blocking the sight of the rumpled, bloodstained bed. But he couldn’t hide the trail of blood that paved the way across the sitting area to the door.
“Don’t look,” he said, motioning her over to him. “She’ll be okay,” he promised, pulling her into the folds of his arms.
She fell asleep wanting to believe him, but then the alarms sounded.
It was well after midnight when Scarlett was plucked out of visions of yellow eyes and bloodstained teeth and pitched into a whole other set of nightmares. Her eyes shot open, her heart a pasty mess in her throat. She bolted upright and reached for Hunter’s bare arm across the expense of her bed.
“Hunter!”
He was awake
“Where is she now?” Scarlett asked.
“All those infected have been taken to quarantine and are awaiting the cure serum,” he said.
“She’s down there with the others? What if they hurt her, or—”
Rolf shook his head. “So far there’s no indication that they go after other infected. She’s safe there.”
She had to take a breath, several, in fact. No matter how reassuring he was trying to be, all she could see was her grandmother’s warped and demonic face, stained with blood. Her shoulder gave a twang in reminder. She opted to change the topic.
“How are you?” She looked him over. “Are you okay?”
His nostrils flared as he sucked in a sharp breath. “Yes. I was in my compartment when it started.”
“I’m glad,” she murmured.
Warm, brown eyes met hers, dark with an unspoken question Scarlett wasn’t sure she wanted to answer.
“Scarlett—”
“Best friend coming through!” Hunter pushed his way to her side, a tray balanced between his hands.
Scarlett kept her gaze on Rolf, waiting for him to finish. Instead, she saw him draw back.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he mumbled, before turning on his heels and walking away.
Hunter snorted, placing the tray beside her on the bed. “He left in a hurry.”
Scarlett said nothing as she watched Rolf amble back to his pack, back to the pretty girl waiting for him, never once glancing back.
Chapter Nine
Time dragged after Scarlett was unhooked from her IV and told she needed to vacate the hover platform by a sour faced novice nurse. She wasn’t given any change of clothes and her old things, she was told, were tossed into the incinerator. Thankfully, she wasn’t the only one there wearing a hospital gown.
“How much longer do you think they’re going to keep us here?” she asked Hunter, cradling her throbbing arm; she should have accepted the drugs when she’d had the chance, she thought.
Sitting at a table with his head down on his folded arms, Hunter grumbled, “Dunno. Until they catch all the infected, I guess.”
“I thought they already got them all.”
He sat up, eyes half closed. “Maybe they’re checking for any they missed. I don’t know, Red!” he dropped his head back down. “I just want to go to bed.”
“Attention please!” Cindy stood at the head of the room, arms waving over her head. She lowered them once all eyes were on her. “Our search has been successful. All the infected have been isolated. You are free to return to your quarters.”
“Thank God!” Hunter lunged to his feet, sending his chair sliding across the linoleum. Luckily, his enthusiasm was drowned by all the other sounds of clutter, raised voices, and scuffling feet.
Scarlett wasn’t nearly as excited to get back, not to that place, not with the memory of her grandmother still so fresh in her mind. But where else was there to go? She couldn’t stay with anyone else and leave Hunter there alone.
“Red?”
She forced a twisted smile on her face. “Coming.”
They didn’t speak another word all the way up to deck thirteen. They walked into the apartment and Hunter went straight for her grandmother’s bedroom. He quickly shut the door, blocking the sight of the rumpled, bloodstained bed. But he couldn’t hide the trail of blood that paved the way across the sitting area to the door.
“Don’t look,” he said, motioning her over to him. “She’ll be okay,” he promised, pulling her into the folds of his arms.
She fell asleep wanting to believe him, but then the alarms sounded.
It was well after midnight when Scarlett was plucked out of visions of yellow eyes and bloodstained teeth and pitched into a whole other set of nightmares. Her eyes shot open, her heart a pasty mess in her throat. She bolted upright and reached for Hunter’s bare arm across the expense of her bed.
“Hunter!”
He was awake
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