Virus

Eleven

Up above, the sky was gray with a brewing storm. Gunshots echoed through the air.

Amberley took me back to the top level of the parking garage. Dharma had set up the sniper rifle here.

I winced and Amberley gingerly pulled my shirt up just enough to reveal the bloody wound on my shoulder.

"Ouch," she murmured.

The rest of the Runners arrived shortly after six rebel trucks surrounded the camp.

Sara knelt down beside me. "Oh my God!" She exclaimed.

Kelso pulled out a a roll of bandages and wrapped then tightly around my stab wound.

"Let's get the Hell out of here," Simon said, pressing the elevator buttons and rushing us all in.

The other Runners greeted us with silence. Max was the first to speak. "Where's Nina?"

The one I recognized as Regina answered him. "She's dead."

Max and the others looked blatantly appalled. I bit my lip hard to keep from screaming. My shoulder was beginning to sting like Hell.

"Cyrus, take her to the infirmary," Kelso said.

I small black kid, about seventeen or eighteen, let me wrap my good arm around him so her could assist me to a pristine white, sterile room across the cavern. Doctors swarmed me, unwrapping the gauze, cleaning out the cut, and rewrapping it.

After they were done addressing my shoulder, they sent Sara and I to Nita.

Nita met in in the main cavern. The activity was low at this hour.

"Hello ladies," Nita said. She wore jeans with a simple pink blouse.

"Mayor," Sara greeted.

"Given the recent covertness of the Runners, I have decided to give you a week leave. They'll be set straight within the week, but i think you deserve to stay out of harms way."

"No. I need to be on next weeks run," Sara said. "I can't be cooped up in here all the time. I need the fresh air every once in a while-."

"Sara," I said, cutting her off. "We need to be spending time with Jasmine. We haven't seen her in a while."

Sara sighed in surrender. "Fine."

Nita nodded and showed us where our room was. It was down the tunnel across the room from the tunnel that led to the Runners chambers.

The room was small, but much bigger than our room in Montana.

How are Travis and Hal? Are they still alive?

I pushed the though the the back of my mind. The dorm had two bedrooms, a small living room and one bathroom with running water and a shower.

I went into my bedroom to take a nap while Sara picked up JasmineHn from the nursery. I decided then tha$' tonight would be the night when I asked about Sharon.

About an hour later, I heard Sara come through the door. I got up expecting to see Jasmine, but Sara's arms were empty.

"Kelly, you need to come to the nursery. Now."

"Ella caught a fiebre," Yerlin said, dapping a damp towel on Jasmine's forehead.

"How bad is it?" I asked.

"Malo."

"Look, Yerlin, I don't speak Spanish!" I yelled. That was way harsher than I'd intended.

"It's bad, cariño," Yerlin said, ignoring my outburst.

I placed the back of my hand on Jasmine's forehead. It was scaling.

"Ella is very weak. She won't be able to stay with you tonight," Yerlin said. "I called the médico from the infirmary. They'll be here soon to pick her up. You should get home and rest."

"Where's Nita?" Sara demanded?

"Juanita in in the Runners chamber, talking to them about today."

Sara rushed out of the nursery. I followed her out into the hall. "What's going on?"

"Nita knew that Jasmine had a fever. That fever couldn't have just spiked like that in ten minutes."

We rushed down the hallway, passing three doctors heading for Jasmine.

We rushed into the Runners chambers.

Nita looked at us shocked.

"May we speak to you privately, Mayor?" Sara asked, spitting the words out as if they were venom.

"Sure," Nita said, puzzled.

Sara went all the way into the elevator room. Opened the door and pressed the button. "You don't want anyone in your city hearing this."

Nita obediently got on, she knew what was coming. I quickly followed.

Sara slammed the door shut and we both turned to Nita.

"You knew Jasmine was sick!" Sara screamed as the elevator began moving.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jasmine has a really bad fever, Nita! You knew this whole time and didn't tell me or Sara!" I screamed, matching her volume.

"Okay, fine. I thought that if you knew, you wouldn't go on the outing. So I thought you'd find out on your own after the mission."

Sara slapped her hard. Nita stood there and took it. She was obviously ashamed.

The elevator stopped and Sara slapped the down button.

"If this ever happens again," Sara snarls, "you've lost two Runners."