The Survivor (Book 2)

Chapter 26

Six months had gone by, and we still had no cure to the virus. The humans got antsy, but it’s not like we could pull it out of thin air, and we had to be careful with Jacob being a human and all.

I grew closer to Jacob, but we never slept together. He was sweet to me, doting on me and treating me like royalty. And I let him. But I never moved on from Zack. He was always on my mind–always. Jacob was patient with me.

Zack and I didn’t talk as much as I wanted to, and Eros was happy about that. He was not, however, happy that in three more months, Iris would be a year old. She called both Taylor and Eros “Daddy!” and that got somewhat confusing when they were in the same room and didn’t know who she was talking to. She was starting to learn to talk, and could point out which Being was which by their characteristics.

She loved spending time with me, much to my surprise. I was hardly a baby-whisperer, and I had never had kids of my own. But I loved spending time with her and having almost-conversations with her. She was smart for a nine month-old. Mostly because Eros spent a lot of time talking to her and teaching her things. She liked hearing me sing, as most people did, and she’d tap my mouth anytime she wanted to hear her favorite song, which was one of my favorite songs, much to Eros’s dismay. He was not happy that she’d be a metalhead like me.

I was always checking my phone, and I found that I maybe was addicted to the human-made machine. One morning I woke up to an abundance of text messages and missed calls. It was high noon, and Jacob and Saint were both at work where a chemical leak needed my attention because not only was it chemicals, but it was also the virus.

Eros burst into my room shortly after I woke up, asking if I could look after Iris real quick while he ran to the grocery store. I was the only available candidate since everyone was out doing shit, and I nodded. He set the child on my unmade bed where I could keep an eye on her as I got dressed. My morning shower would have to wait, unfortunately. Iris babbled to me, and I spoke back in English as I rushed about the room.

I picked her up, set her on my hip, and raced off to the Joy building which was recently constructed for the sole purpose of science. Sin loved science, and it didn’t surprise me that he had it built. He was in there every day watching and helping Jacob and Saint.

I stood outside the building, knowing better than to bring a nine month-old baby in there. I bounced her on my hip, humming quietly to her. Jacob ran out coughing violently, I stepped back from him, burying Iris’s face in my neck to prevent her from breathing in whatever was on his skin. “What happened?!”

“Saint and I were arguing over chemicals,” he wheezed. “We ended up spilling three of them…Chlorine, Fluorine, and Radon. And then when Sin was trying to break us up, he accidentally knocked the concealed beaker of virus we had and it shattered.”

I gulped, “Stay back, then. Can’t have her dying.”

Jacob stepped back tremendously. “Why do you have her anyway? Didn’t Eros know about this?”

“He had to go to the grocery store. I don’t know,” I sighed. I looked at Iris, “Are you okay?”

“Yes!” she giggled. Yes was one of her favorite words, and she hated the word no.

“Okay, good,” I nodded. “Daddy’s crazy,” I smiled at her.

“Purple Daddy,” she pointed to her eyes. Eros.

“Yes, Purple Daddy,” I laughed quietly. “Where’s Saint?”

“Back in Hell. Forces that be didn’t hesitate to take him back under,” Jacob had a coughing fit. “I feel like shit now, Jesus Christ.”