Heartbeat Away from Death

Chapter 8

Jimmy was a stuttering, fidgety mess. The poor kid couldn't stop talking; he was so restless, he was almost bouncing right out of his seat. Doctor Glass was currently looking him over, but for the most part it looked like he had come out of it unscathed. Grace imagined it would take him a little while to calm down from the attack though. She didn't blame him. When they were trapped inside that bus, she almost froze with the terror. She hardly remembered grabbing Jimmy's hand and running inside the school. It was all a big blur. Instincts took over. But she was glad. Jimmy was safe, for now. She had offered to get him something to eat – maybe he would be more content with a full stomach.

The cafeteria was buzzing with nervous chatter. Word had gotten out about the attack. People were starting to think that this was only the beginning of something much worse. Grace feared that they were right. She joined Ben by one of the tables. He seemed to be deciding on which candy bar to pick when he saw Grace.

"Hey. I heard about what happened," he said worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" Grace replied, smiling briefly. "Still in one piece."

"What's this?" He tapped the side of his head. Grace realised he was talking about the mark where the glass had hit her.

"Just a scratch," she reassured him. She was used to the bumps and bruises by now. The wounds on her stomach, though healing, still stung slightly if she moved too much.

Her brother nodded slightly, then turned back to the table of food in front of him. It was then a man who was queuing up behind him gave him a shove. Grace looked up immediately, her eyes sharply trained upon the man who had lashed out at her younger brother.

"What's your problem?" Ben asked. He was trying to come off as annoyed, maybe even angry, but Grace could hear he was just plain confused.

"I'm not standing in line with this razor black," the man said, raising his voice so the crowd around him could hear. "Ones like him are the reason the skitters are coming."

Grace had heard enough. She took a step in front of Ben. "Hey, you wanna back off?"

"Not when my safety is at risk. These harnessed freaks are gonna get us all killed."

Grace could feel the anger swelling, but the hurt was clear in her eyes too. She didn't want Ben to hear this, didn't want him to have to go through this. "He's not going to hurt you. He's not a threat. He's just a kid!"

"Hey take what you want and go." Hal's sudden appearance made her sigh with relief. Back up. He pushed the guy back when he didn't respond. "Have we got a problem?"

The man looked almost smug. "No problem. Just glad we're not bringing these harnessed kids back to the Second Mass."

"Oh, nobody's stopped anything," said Hal. "As soon as we get the drugs Doctor Glass needs we're gonna rescue as many as we can."

Grace couldn't help smiling. At that moment, she felt as though she couldn't be more proud of Hal. The older man, however, was frowning. He was furious. Then Grace could see it, deep in his eyes – he was frightened.

"You're just inviting a skitter attack!"

"You don't know what you're talking about," snapped Grace. She glanced around the room, feeling everyone's hard stares. Then she saw Ben who was looking around him nervously – his face – he looked as though he were about to get lynched. She turned back to the man. "You talk to my brother that way again, I'll make you regret it. Understand me?"

"You should listen to her," added Hal. "Anyone who messes with our families get their asses kicked. By us." He locked eyes with his sister. She returned the look with a small nod.