Immunity Hunter

Chapter Thirty-Six - Rin Youngbrooke

No matter how many times I replay it, the same questions echo in my head: How did we end up like this?

Flashes of sound and light enter my head. I wake up from a nightmare that I've lived through before—in a chair in an unfamiliar place; a hospital. Suddenly, my lunch feels like it's about to make a return to the surface. I rush to the restroom hoping I don't puke everywhere. It's been three days since that early evening at the abandoned hospital. I block most of the memories out, especially the one with Jeiku. I run my hands under the warm water, rubbing away the flashes of thoughts entering my head. I still imagine his blood staining under my fingernails. No matter how hard I scrub, I can't remove the crimson pigment.

"Rin," Ashley calls from the waiting room. "He's awake."

"Give me a second," I shout through the door.

I take a few shallow breaths before I exit the restroom. Ashley is standing outside the door waiting for me. She smiles as she hands me a broken collar. I stare it at, remembering the goofy Okamikiin that once wore it. Ashley takes my hand and leads me to his room. My heart pounds behind my tee shirt. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous, it's not like I'm meeting him for the first time, but it seems that way. I haven't seen him since that day, the day I held him in my hands. The day I actually fell in love with him. So much happened, something no sixteen-year-old should be forced to endure, but I signed up for the job. The reality of losing someone never quite hit me until now.

Ashley and I enter a bright hospital room walking past the smiling nurse that exits. Nevin and Dante stand to my left. They both look at me simultaneously, beaming like all is well. I smile back. A few more steps and I'm by his side. He looks over to me and grins, his fangs seem to shine in the fluorescent light.

"You look like you saw a ghost." He laughs, moving his hand closer to me.

"You might as well be one," I respond. I place my hand on his.

I almost lost him that day. The way he survived doesn't make much sense, but he did. That's the main point. The doctor said he lost so much blood they had to do a transfusion. He died twice on the operating table as they sewed his wounds back together. Some of the nurses told me that my quick thinking saved his life. I didn't have the nerve to tell them it wasn't quick thinking but more of sure panic and instincts. I honestly don't remember how we got out of there.

Jeiku pushes himself from his lying position, groaning in pain.

"You shouldn't be moving like that right now."

"I'm fine, Rin. These bandages are just driving me nuts!" he growls, scratching at his sides.

"Jeiku, you're one tough Okamikiin," Dante says. He crosses over to Jeiku and places his hand on his shoulder.

They both laugh, I giggle a bit. Nevin joins in, a cheesy grin spreading from ear to ear.

I pull Ashley aside to let the boys talk. I want to know how they reversed the mutation. I'm sure that by the time we made it back to the Eradication Squad headquarters the infection had reached the third stage. She smiles, motioning to a seat just outside of Jeiku's room.

"When Nevin, Zach, and I found you two, Jeiku wasn't breathing. You were doing CPR the best you could but it wasn't working. That's when Zach hit him with an adrenaline pen."

My eyes bulge in disbelief. "Wait so the creepy guy that assaulted us saved Jeiku?"

Ashley nods her head chuckling a bit. "Believe it or not, yes. His friends helped carry Jeiku out of the hospital where Dante and Antonio were waiting with reinforcements." She leans back in the chair placing the back of her head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. "At headquarters, the staff gave Jeiku two rounds of antidote. It wasn't looking good at first. Then father ordered another nurse to give him a shot from The Organization. Jeiku started to recover almost immediately. You were in so much shock...I'm not surprised you don't remember."

Ashley turns to look at me. She's expecting me to say something, but what can I say? I really don't remember much of what happened after I was dragged down the hallway. I remember doing CPR after he stopped breathing, but after that is a blur. The extra injection they gave Jeiku, was it the same they gave me. And Michael, my adoptive father, put in the order? Jeiku did save me and he is an official Eradication Squad member. It makes sense.

Sasame walks by dressed in her junior nurse outfit. She stops and smiles at Ashley and me. "I just wanted to say I'm so—

Ashley holds her hand up. "Whatever reason you had to quit the team doesn't matter. I'm sure it was important and we made it out fine. We can call this a life experience."

Sasame looks over at me then back at Ashley. She kneels in front of me and leans in close. "I'm glad to see you two are alive. Take care of the wolf."

Her hand squeezes mine as I try to read her eyes. She looks sincere, almost guilty. Sasame stands and heads toward to the nurses' station. Ashley crosses her arms as she watches our old squad mate walk away. I look down at the floor. It's convenient that Sasame quit right before the sweep. If she cared about us, she would've been there for support. Then again, she was new and not as trained as we were.

"Hey Rin," Nevin calls out. He pokes his head from inside the room. "Jeiku wants to see ya." Nevin smiles and winks at me.

I push myself up from the seat and walk into Jeiku's room again. He's sitting up on the bed grinning with twitching ears. It makes me giggle; he looks like a cute injured puppy. I sit down next in a chair next to his bed. He reaches over and touches the back of his hand to my cheek. The warmth of his skin comforts me. It's something I need to feel right now.

Dante clears his throat. "We'll just leave you two alone for now." He looks over at Nevin and motions with his head for him to leave.

"I'll be back to check on you tomorrow, Jeiku. Take care."

Dante and Nevin exit the room leaving us alone. A silence falls over us. I'm not sure what to say or if I even need to speak. Different feelings rush through me at once. I care for Jeiku, anyone can see that, but there's also Shadow, the mysterious boy that I've been keeping a secret from my adoptive father.

Jeiku touches my hand, startling me a bit. "Why do you look so down?" he asks.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought I lost you," I say trying to smile.

"Well, I'm still here. You can't get rid of me that easily." He grins, showing that goofy smile that makes me laugh.

Laying my head on his shoulder, I feel his arm wrap around me. The heat from his body warms me as I listen to the steady beating of his heart. I know this is where I should be, not with Shadow or anyone. I never thought I'd fall for an Okamikiin. Of all the people in this city, my heart melts for a wolf.

"You know you really owe me a date now," Jeiku jokes. I look up at him and smile, releasing a faint airy laugh.

"Maybe you're right. I mean I'm sure I can sacrifice a pizza with you."

He laughs and pulls me in closer, kissing me lightly on the forehead. Everything about this feels right, yet weird. Now I need to make a choice. I have to either let him slip away or erase Shadow from my life—and here I thought being killed was the worst fear.