GLOWING (Joel Miller)

19 | The Hunters

"I don't give a fuck who she is! She killed three of our men!"

The stabbing pain in my side caught me off guard as I blinked my eyes open. I was lying on my back on a hard cold surface. Bright lights shone into my eyes from the dingy white ceiling, buzzing and flickering unreliably. 

I groaned under my breath as I tried to sit up, but a strong hand on my chest pushed me back down. I squinted up at the figure, just a silhouette above me. I furrowed my brows and clenched my jaw, watching silently as someone by the door moved to shut the blinds, allowing my eyes to adjust.

"Are you here by yourself?" A male voice asked. I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up into a sitting position. Realising I was sitting on a bare hospital bed in a plain room, I scooted back until my back hit the bedhead, glancing between the man and woman standing in the room.

The man—who had just spoken—was watching me expectantly, with his arms crossed over his chest. I wrapped my arms around my body, cringing at the dried blood that had hardened on the left side of my shirt. I wasn't sure if it had been completely removed, but the large piece of gauze, taped over the bullet wound had me questioning. I looked back up at the man warily, ignoring his prior question. "Where am I?"

The man shook his head, letting out an impatient sigh. "Just answer the question."

My heart began to beat faster. Where are Joel and Ellie? Are they even alive? And where the fuck am I? The woman—who until now had just been watching by the door—took a step closer. "Leave it with me," she ordered the man, walking past him to look down at me. "Go get Perry."

"Sure thing." The man immediately left the room, leaving the woman to step right up to the edge of the bed, sitting on the edge with an air of kindness about her. But I wasn't so easily fooled.

"My name's Kathleen," she said, shooting me a mild smile. "What's your name?"

I maintained eye contact, searching for anything in her expression that would betray her. But I found nothing, so I cooperated. "Jenna."

Kathleen hummed under her breath. "Nice to meet you, Jenna." She clasped her hands in her lap, conspicuously looking me up and down. "You got pretty fucked up out there. You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," I responded rather brashly. "Why am I here?"

Kathleen sighed, pursing her lips slightly. "You're quite difficult, aren't you?" I remained stoic, not responding to her observation. "You're here because you killed three of our soldiers, then got yourself shot." I glared at her, not even trying to hide how much she irritated me. "Now, can you please answer my questions?"

I analysed her for a few moments, drawing it out as long as possible just to annoy her. "Alright."

"Great," Kathleen responded rather enthusiastically, her expression changing back to comforting and calm. "What brings you to Kansas City?"

"Just passing through," I responded bluntly. "Trying to get to Colorado... from Boston."

"Hmmm," Kathleen tilted her head quizzically. "Long trip." I watched her warily. "What's in Colorado?"

I shrugged. "Just some friends." Kathleen didn't look convinced. "And anything's better than the Boston QZ, so..."

I waited for Kathleen to respond. She looked over at the door, then back at me with an unreadable look. "That's interesting," she said. "Why are you lying?"

"What?" I  choked out, trying to keep calm. "I'm not lying."

"Yes ,you are," she insisted, standing up to stare down at me, the height forcing me to tilt my head up. "I found this in your pack when they brought you in."