The Day Earth Died

30. Love Is a Jerk

"Stay there and hold onto this. Apply some pressure, alright?" I said and approached the door.

Amell sat on his bunk as he used one of his shirts to press on his gun wound and soak up the blood that oozed out of it.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll get you some medicine and bandages at the infirmary. I might take a minute to discuss the second wave with Fidre and the others too."

"Okay."

"Rest for a bit. I'll be back." I left, closing the door behind me.

I winced and took a deep breath to shake the pain away. The graze wound on my knee was not bleeding a lot, yet it felt like molten metal was bubbling under my skin. I kept walking. In the corridor, officers guarded the two extremities of the dorm area. Some people were sent to notify workers in the machinery room of the situation and ask them to join. There were no complications. I headed to the cafeteria first, where I demanded for unharmed officers to assemble. Again, officers had been tasked with surveying the area near the entrance of the room. There were significantly fewer people inside the cafeteria. The 4 remaining opening officers sat around the table I stood on earlier, the blueprint spread out. Somehow, they grew to be natural leaders for other officers. I liked that it removed some of the weight on my shoulders—I didn't have to be the only one making harsh decisions anymore. Fidre was there too, at the end of the table. I settled parallel to them.

"What do you think we should do next, Malory?" Fidre asked and the others insistently rested their gazes on me.

"We need to make the most of the surprise element. I say we take an hour or two to collect ourselves, no more. It wouldn't be wise to extend our inactivity further."

Mumbles followed my statement though I couldn't pinpoint if they were mostly of approval or disapproval.

"That's a bit bold," a woman sitting at the table commented.

I glanced at her. A stripe of dried blood dashed across her left cheekbone. Her face was lined with age and wisdom; her expression severe. I didn't let myself fray under the sharpness of her ice blue eyes.

"I know. It sounds rough but it's the best way to reduce casualties."

"I agree," Fidre hopped on the table and sat next to the blueprint. "We planned to take the dorms and then loop around, to the entertainment halls, one by one."

"Do you think Yin, Major and Wester are hiding in a Common Room?" I asked with little consideration for the other people in the room.

I assumed Fidre would brief them after I left. I needed to tend to Amell quickly.

"They might. I know the location of 7 of them, there could be more."

"We'll need to search them. You'll need to search them."

We can't forget that the handprint of an allowed member is required.

"Right."

"How do you know so much about the governors?" someone asked from the crowd.

"I'm one of them." Fidre's declaration was greeted by silence.

My watch read 2:16 AM. I pushed myself up, hands on the table, gathering the attention once again.

"I'm leaving. I need to take care of my... partner." And with that, I exited the room.

It was the first time I called Amell that. My partner. The word tasted weird on my tongue—but it felt right in my heart. I entered the hectic infirmary. All the beds were occupied; some wounded officers were even piled up on one another. What a mess. Neith and the doctor were pacing around like crazy. They didn't even notice me. I sneaked to the medicine cabinet and grabbed whatever I deemed necessary. I spun on my heels to leave but stopped in my tracks as Neith stood in front of me, eyes piercing through my skull deeper than any bullet could. I cocked my eyebrows at him. If he wants to say something, then he can just open his damn mouth. He didn't dare to utter anything. I walked past him, but not without shoving him out of the way beforehand.