Wither With Me

CHAPTER 33 - INFILTRATION

"Are you sure...?" Claire laid her hand on Nora's shoulder, gently rubbing it. "Is it just like before...?"

"Yes, I'm sure... I can hear her voice again... It's very distant, faint. I can't even make out what she's trying to tell me. But it's definitely there...! And I can feel it going away already...! I don't know what's happening..." said Nora, with her face contorted by pain.

William had already guessed what was happening before he even stepped into the room.

Nora hadn't even left her bed yet. She had sent Claire, who was sleeping in the same room with her, to gather everyone. Her headache had come back for a moment, along with Lilian's presence within her mind, only to start fading away shortly after.

When it first happened, it came as a surprise. A confusing surprise. Could they trust such a fleeting lead? Her "ability" to sense Lilian was already weird enough, and having it pop up from nowhere only to disappear after a short while raised more questions than it answered. It might have been nothing but an unpredictable consequence of stress. Everyone, including Marcus, was skeptical.

However, three times in a row? At regular intervals? Always pointing in the direction of Saint Marie Hospital? Way too suspicious to be a coincidence.

Additionally, Stella's people kept a close watch over the hospital surroundings. The shambler crowd was gone. The building was no longer unreachable.

"So... Are we gonna do something, then? She might actually be in the hospital, right?" asked William. "Marcus?"

"Yes... Yes, there's a high chance she's there. Although something is going on with her, that's for sure. This... intermittence... It's unnatural." Marcus's words were slow and carefully measured.

Like many other times before, he looked like he knew more than he was letting on. Something was different about him ever since they encountered the crashed van and lost track of Lilian. He was more careful. More nervous than usual.

"If... If she's there, then... Does that mean Julien and his men also made it to the hospital...?" Claire's face paled as she spoke. "And didn't Stella say the place was pretty much Jacobs' hideout by now? Oh god... We have to do something...! Who knows what—!"

Marcus raised his right hand, requesting a moment of silence. It didn't go unnoticed for anyone. They looked at him, and waited for a bit.

...

"I think I'll talk with Stella about what's going on. I'll let her know. About Lilian, about her captors, about everything."

"Really? I didn't expect you to be the one who suggested revealing secrets to other people." said William.

"The hospital is a fortress. Even if we have superior firepower, they have overwhelming strategic advantage, they outnumber us, and they have a crucial hostage. A hostage which, for all we know, might be under unknown, unpredictable circumstances. Do I have to remind you all about what happened at the subway? By this point, I think everyone should have realized that Lilian can influence the behavior of shamblers around her. A single misstep, and it could be over." he sighed. "Let's face it, we need help."

"Hmm... And you think she'll help? She was pretty damn mad at all of us when we found her. And I don't think she's gotten too fond of us over these last days."

"Stella is a good-hearted person. Her apparent hostility is simply a defense mechanism. She honestly wants to help those around her, just like she'd help her own family. I'm guessing she had no choice but to toughen up, for their sake. But I promise, she's not the kind of person who would turn a blind eye to something like this. It's not about saving a few people. Lilian could save everyone. I know she'll listen."