The Ruins Of Tomorrow

23. Lost

Benjamin can't get better.

I felt my stomach drop when he said those words. I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to think he was lying, or that it was joke. But I felt my chest aching because all I was thinking about was Lia and how much she cared for her brother.

A bite was all it took to get infected. You can't get better or recover from it. It was the hurtful truth and many people in the beginning refused to believe it and tried everything they could to get well. But the truth burned you whole, melting away the hope you had.

I didn't know how much time he had. It varied between people and age. I didn't want to think about it, but I had to because this was Lia's brother and Thomas's friend. The little kid who had shorts on while it was freezing and raining the day I took him to the clinic.

Thomas cried silently in front of me. He had covered his face with his hands and I could feel my eyes watering as my vision became blurry.

This wasn't what I wanted for him.

His voice was hoarse, and I felt the pain in my chest when he looked up with puffy eyes. "Benjamin doesn't have a lot of time left, right Scarlet?"

I had to shut my eyes and look away for a minute, before I got the courage to answer him. My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding and it was becoming hard to breathe. "Most people have a few days before they show symptoms, but you know we can't be certain," I said, hearing my voice break a little.

The military camp and Hunter taught us that much. The infection silently invades your body until you show mild symptoms hours or days later, then they get worse by time. Most people had 3 days before they turned. Some had less than that. Some people couldn't make it past 24 hours.

"I'm sorry," Thomas choked out. "It's my fault! I should have stopped him  sooner, then maybe this wouldn't have happened the way it did. Lia found us in the back of the building and she panicked when she saw how much blood Ben was losing. There was so... much blood."

"Thomas..." I said. "This is not your fault—"

"It is!" he yelled out. "I'm not strong like you, Scarlet. I couldn't help Benjamin. I remember how Lia looked when she carried Ben in her arms and she told me to not say anything just yet to anyone. I just stood there and watched him hurting. I didn't know what to do! I should have—"

"Stop," I said. "You can't blame yourself for something that you couldn't control. Benjamin knew the risks, but whoever created the little escape route is the one to blame. They're probably the ones also stealing supplies from our storage units."

Thomas just looked at me in defeat. He sat on the bench and tried to hold himself together. I saw a bit of blood on his soft hands and jacket. And the way he was shaking, as he was probably remembering how Benjamin looked and screamed from the pain.

As if my feet moved all on their own I found myself walking towards the complex, looking for Lia. I hurried up the stairs until I reached her floor and stood outside the door. I had to knock twice before I finally heard footsteps approach from the other side, and the door cracked open.

I saw her emerald eyes peek through as they appeared swollen and her face looked drained. There was little color on her cheeks, as her complexion had gone pale. I saw her right-hand tremble as she held the door, before stepping out.

I swallowed and tried to meet her eyes, but she only looked away. "Lia, listen," I said.

"Shut up," she snapped, dropping her hand to her side. "You don't need to say it as if I don't already know. Just keep your mouth shut and don't tell anyone yet, Scarlet. Please."