The Inferno Slayer: Book Two- Charm

TWENTY-ONE: Infected

Opening his eyes, Sam smiled. He was definitely alive.

A cut ran across the front of his Filter, ripped fabric leading to a gash. Sam tensed, realizing the water was radioactive.

Then, seeing the Filter sensor label CLEAN, he realized they had successfully killed the dragon.

The thought of forgetting everything worried him. Would he still have everything he had gained during the whole quest? The gash across his chest, his improved fighting skills, even partially burnt hair?

He supposed the answer was yes to all of those questions. He would forget it all, but inside him, deep inside, he would know it had not been real. All the things that would be implanted into his brain would be false.

He would sense, in some way, that something wasn't quite right about him attending the school and the "natural" earthquakes.

And Irys' secret. He would have to ask her before crossing the bridge, or he would never know. But then... he would forget that too.

Irys.

Sam sat up. He was sitting on a black sand shore, the radioactive lake lapping gently at the sand.

He must have fallen into the water hard enough to lose consciousness, but he was alive. The lake was so tranquil Sam could not imagine how he had been washed ashore, but the explosion's avalanche probably took care of that. Sam could see the hole that had once been in the side of the mountain was now completely gone.

The cave system had completely imploded.

A cough made him whirl.

Sam could see a girl, maybe five years old, with scratches lining her arms and back. She was barely dressed, in a gray rag maybe fifty years old. Blond hair to her shoulders, Sam could see it had been cut unevenly.

Her face was covered in grime and dirt.

"Hello, and who might you be?" he said gently.

The girl inched closer. She was bony, elbows and shoulders free of all muscle or fat. Her knees, ankles, and collarbone poked out with only skin covering. It was as if Sam took off her skin, she would be a skeleton.

But then what Sam found amazing was her eyes. They were swirly blue, with touches of green and white. Aquamarine. And her skin. Apart from being covered in cuts and dirt, it was healthy.

"What's your name?" he pressed, holding up his hands to show he wasn't here to do any harm.

"Jenny," she said quietly.

Sam smiled. "Jenny?"

The girl snuffled and nodded.

"What's your last name?"

The girl stepped closer. "Granger."

"Jenny Granger," said Sam, who would never forget it. "Where are your parents?"

At that, the girl hid her face. "I was living with my daddy until the things came. I don't know where Mommy is, but me and Daddy, we somehow turned into the things. I felt different, as if I didn't need to sleep or eat, and I felt as if I could run forever. But, it was different, because I felt as if I was trapped inside my new body. As if my soul was locked away."

Sam's face fell.

"But just a few minutes ago, I felt fine. Whole again." Jenny peered at Sam curiously, scampering all the way to him. Sam stood up and squeezed all the water out of his Filter and clothes underneath.

"We're going to find your dad. He's probably fixed as well. Follow me."

Sam led the girl away from the edge of the lake and back to the foot of the mountain. Jenny was agile and strong, scampering from rock to rock with bare feet. Sam realized the soles were calloused and rough, hardened from walking around the barren terrain.