Break and Burn

Chapter 9

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                               Kara
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    Opening my eyes is like prying open a safe with your bare hands, nearly impossible. After I get them open I try to move my hands. No success. Three women sit beside me. I force myself to blink. When my eyes reopen there is only one women. My vision is clear and she is now in focus. Her dirty blonde hair is tied back into pigtails. Her blue-green eyes stare back at me.

     "Who are you?" I ask her. "Why am I here? And who shot me and my friends?" I finish quickly.

    "I'm Sadie Quincey," she says. "You are here to be evaluated. And you were all shot with tranquilizer darts. No harm done. Although one of your friends was shot in the leg. We are questioning people to find out who shot her, but she is in medical care." She looks down on the last statement. She can't be older than twelve.

    "What about Zane, and Taron?" I blurt.

    "They are fine," she says. "Already up and moving. You should worry about yourself though."

     I look up at the ceiling. Into the mirror. I look like I'm dying.

    "While you were you were unconscious someone injected you with a virus," she says. "If we don't get a cure it could kill you within a week. All we have to do is collect leaves, and sap from the oak trees in the mountains. It should only take a few days to get, then we can mix it with some of our medicines and cure you. Until then you should act normal. It shouldn't spread to others. At least that's what my father said."

     "Okay," I say. "But I look dead." Stating the obvious as usual.

     "All you have to do is get up and moving and you'll look close to normal." She sounds so grown up for a little kid.

    "So I'll be fine around the others?" I ask.

    "So long as you don't go around kissing people," she says. "Then they would catch it too. It's transmitted through saliva."

   "Alright," I say. Weirdest virus ever.

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                               Zane
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     I never thought I would be sad to see a girl chained to a bed. Except for the fact the she was clearly dead. Her brown hair spread past her shoulders. Her skin was paper white. Her veins are black, and her open eyes are solid red. The marks of the plague.

   I turn to Kaycey, who stands beside me dumbfounded. A doctor, I think he's a doctor at least, stands by the girl. "What are the results." Kaycey demands of him.

    "It is proven," he says. "Our marks set them off." What is he talking about?

    "What are you talking about?" I ask him.

    "When someone dies of the plague they return," he said this as if it was obvious. I, however was confused. "They return as an undead League soldier."

    "But millions have died of the plague." I say. The dark skinned doctor rolls his eyes.

    "I believe that the League is going to release them all soon," his voice wavers. "Even our own rebels try to kill us after they come back."

   I look into the girls eyes. She looks exactly like Krista. Only younger. I recognize Kylie from the bunker. I immediately think of how I will tell Krista.

    "How did you find this girl?" I ask.

    "Her mother is a rebel she brought her here after she died," Kaycey continues, but I've stopped listening. By now all I can think is how long was she sick. How could I not notice she was dying. No, I think to myself, she wasn't dying when we left her two days ago.

    I reach my hand down to touch her. She is still. My fingers brush her face. "No!" Kaycey shouts. It was too late. As soon as my fingers touch her skin her solid red eyes close. Then they open. She grabs my wrist. Her grip is like iron, and her strength is inhuman as she pulls me onto the bed. Even with chains on her wrist she gets her hand on my throat, cutting off my air. She pulls me onto the bed and wraps the chain around my neck. I pull my knife out.

    No, I think, this is Krista's sister. I drop the knife. My lungs burn and I see stars. The last thing I see is Kaycey holding a gun. She fires and my vision goes black.

     The first thing I hear is a voice. It sounded familiar. It was definitely female. And it sounded young. Just like Emma's. I open my eyes to see Sadie Quincey sitting beside me. Beside her I either side, Kara and Taron sit. I lay on a bed in a small room. The walls are decorated with blue striped wall paper. The bed lays in a corner with a small bed side table beside it. A large chest lays at the end of the bed. I look to the other side of the room. The bed and all is mirrored on that side.

   My gaze wanders the room until I gained Krista, standing in the corner, crying. I go to stand up, but Kara pushes me back down.

   "You need rest," she says. "This is you and Taron's room. Krista and I will be across the hall." Instead of replying, I look to Krista. Kara, Taron, and Sadie stand up and walk away. As the door clicks close behind them, Krista sits down on the bed, and by now I have pulled myself into a sitting position.

    "I'm sorry," I say, "About Kylie, I mean." I stare into her beautiful eyes. She looks away.

   "It's not your fault," she says to me. "If I tell you something do you promise not to tell anyone."

    I lean closer to her. When I am merely inches away, I put my hand under her chin and pull her face up, even with mine. "I promise you. I won't tell a soul." I look straight into her eyes.

     "My mother is here," she says. "And she is working as a double agent for the League." I am taken aback.

   "Don't worry we'll solve this," I reassure her. I lean closer. Our lips lock. Her lips taste like cinnamon. She puts her hands on my neck. Just like Emma used too. She leans closer. This feels just like when Emma and I had our first kiss. A feeling rises inside of me. I was feeling sorry for all this. She didn't deserve to be kissing a guy who was thinking about his (dead) ex while he kissed her. So I quickly pulled away.

    "What's wrong?"

    "Nothing," I say. "I need to go to bed, I'll see you in the morning. I'm sorry." She stands looking hurt, and walks to the door. Before she opens it I say "I love you Krista." She doesn't reply. I watch as the door opens, and Taron walks in and Krista leaves in a hurry.

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