Feeding Frenzy

Chapter 46

 Evey was fighting back the tears. Her shoulder burned, and the pain intensified when she moved her arm. Part of her wanted to curl up on the ground and sob in pain, but she had to keep going. Joey and Fiona were somewhere in the tunnel. She had to make sure Joey was okay. She already let two innocent children die. Another could not perish because of her inability to protect them.

She had a tight grip on the flashlight. Gritting her teeth, she tried to push the thought of her injury to the back of her mind. They were so close to the hospital. She had to make it.

The screeching and shrieking of the Infected echoed through the dark tunnels. Ford tried pulling Evey forward at a quicker pace. The longer they were in the tunnel, the greater their chance of being attacked. Every step when they ran caused a sharp pain to shoot down Evey's shoulder and into her back. Sweat was building on her temple as she fought the urge to scream.

"We're close," Ford said quietly to Evey.

She nodded because she was afraid to speak. Breaking out into sobs would not help them and would attract the attention of the Infected.

Evey worried they were not heading in the right direction. Had the others taken another path? Would they find the rest of the group? Were any of them alive?

"What's that?" Ford asked.

Evey squinted to make out two figures in the distance. Her chest tightened, and she gasped. Were they Infected? One of them turned but did not make a sound. The figure raised its arm to block the light from its eyes. It was not running forward to them screeching. Did Thyestean infect them?

The taller figure moved toward the light. Its hands were not stretched out. When it came into view, Evey could see that it was Johnson. The radio was over his shoulder and clipped to his shirt, and his skin was splattered with blood. What had they been through?

"How many are left?" Ford asked.

"It's just me, Fiona, and Joey," he said.

"The kid?"

"Connar? He's dead."

Hearing that the group hand dwindled to five of them was like a punch in the gut. If they had not gone to the hospital, would any of them had survived? Evey blamed herself for their lives being lost.

"We're close to the hospital base," Johnson said.

"We're almost there?" Evey asked. Her voice wavered because of the pain.

"Almost."

Fiona walked into the light. Joey was in her arms. His eyes were bright red and his skin was pale. Sucking on his thumb, he rested his head against her shoulder.

One child survived. Evey got one child to the hospital. Lila and Josie's deaths were still heavy on her mind.

Fiona's eyes went wide when she looked at Evey. Looking down, Evey could see her blood dripping off her back and onto the ground.

"What happened to you?" Fiona asked.

"Gomez," Evey said.

"Where is he?"

"He died."

The group did not need to know Evey was a murderer. She wanted that secret to be kept between her and Ford.

"Let's go," Johnson said. "No one else is going to die."

Evey nodded and stepped forward. Ford stayed close to her side, and Johnson led the way. Fiona was looking over her shoulder, not wanting to be attacked from behind like Roger. She could not see anything in the darkness, causing her heart to pound with fear. Evey flashed the light from side to side to see they were at a subway station.

"Perfect," Johnson said. "We're here."

A smile crept across Evey's lips. Had they made it? Those words sounded so surreal. She had made it to the hospital. They would find a cure. They could start a new world without Thyestean.

Johnson grabbed the platform's edge and pulled himself off the tracks and onto the waiting area. He reached down and held his arms out. Fiona lifted Joey and handed him to Johnson. Joey fussed and kicked his legs, but Johnson rocked him, and Evey watched him whisper something into his ear. Johnson set him down on his feet before reaching down to grab Fiona.

She struggled to find footing and push herself to the platform's edge. Her arms were too weak to pull herself off the tracks. Ford grabbed her ankles and pushed her up to the platform. Fiona managed to crawl onto the waiting area. She scurried over to Joey and held him in her arms again.

Evey looked up at the platform and shook her head. Ford brushed a sweat-drenched curl off her shoulder.

"I can't get up there," she said.

"You have to," Ford said.

"Kalen, I can barely walk."

"You didn't come this far to only come this far."

Evey bit down on her lip. With a shaky breath, she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. She knew she had to make it up there. Hopefully, she would climb up there without screaming. The pain was going to be horrific.

"How am I supposed to do this?" she asked.

Ford interlocked his fingers and held them in front of him.

"Foot here," he said. "I'll push you up, and Johnson will pull."

Evey's hand shook as she placed it on Ford's shoulder. Her other arm was cradled to her chest. Testing out the damage, she tried to move her arm. It did not bend very far before she hissed in pain.

Ford pushed her up, and she reached for Johnson's hand with her good arm. He reached as far as he could to grab her bicep. Ford counted down from three, knowing they would have to move simultaneously. A tear rolled down her cheek as she anticipated the agony she was about to experience.

When Ford got to one, he pushed and Johnson pulled. Evey bit down on her lip so hard that she could taste blood. In any other situation, she would have let out an ear-piercing scream. If she did now, they would all be dead. Every Infected in the tunnel would be chasing them.

Evey squeezed her eyes shut. She did not realize she was on the platform until the rough bumps of the yellow strip on edge were under her knees. She collapsed and curled into a ball. Lying on her uninjured side, she tried to catch her breath. Tears were pouring down her cheeks. The intense fire spreading across her back was so unbearable that she thought she was dying. Nausea was heavy in her stomach, and she dry heaved.

Ford kneeled next to her. Running his fingers through her wet curls, he tried to comfort her. His rough, calloused palm was a familiar feeling to Evey. He held her face like that when they were in bed together. The memories of their intimate moments provided her with some warmth in her chest. She had to keep moving. She wanted a lifetime of special moments with Ford. If she had to live in this horrifying new world, she at least wanted it to be with him.

"We have to keep going," Ford said.

Evey let out a deep breath. She sniffled while she wiped the tears off her cheeks. They had to keep going. She was not going to die in these tunnels.

Evey's arm wobbled as she pushed herself so that she was sitting. Ford wrapped his arms around her waist. Being careful of her wound, he helped her onto her feet. Evey hissed and squeezed her eyes shut. Ford pressed his lips against her temple. Did Ford just kiss her? When she opened her eyes, the remaining group members avoided looking at them together.

"We're going to get you help," Ford told her.

"We're going to help everyone," Evey said. "I'm not going through this for nothing."

A small smile appeared on Ford's face. It was still a foreign expression to Evey, especially when they could hear the distant sound of Infected shrieking.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

"That's the right attitude," Ford said.