The Dead of My Heart

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I wipe my eyes before I go back in our room. I walk in. The baby screams, Helena tries to keep her quiet. Connor is yelling and Dale’s barking orders. “Hey!” I yell as I enter the room. Everyone goes quiet, even Opal. “What the heck guys, I’m gone for two second and everyone is yelling. Calm down.”

Helena looks at me and squints her eyes. “Are you alright?” she asks concern in her voice.

“I’m fine.”

“No, see, you’re not. I know you. You’re not okay. Why?”

You tell, I give the two of them the slowest most painful death you can think of.

“Nothing.”

“…Okay.”

Dale sits on the couch and looks at me. Connor looks at me too. Concern like literally fills both of their faces. “I’m fine,” I repeat and sit on the other end of the couch.

“Okay,” Helena repeats.

It goes quiet and no one says anything. I crack my knuckles and stare absently at the door. Connor cringes when I start cracking my knuckles on my other hand. “How can you do that?’ he asks and shivers. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

“No,” I say and stop. My hands start shaking uncontrollably and I have to sit on them so no one notices.

Helena rockets Opal up and down. Opal yawns and she falls asleep. Helena stands up and rests her on the bed and puts pillows all around her so she can’t fall. She comes back over to us and smiles big. We all just stare at each other. I know what thought lingers in the air, but I’m not risking anything. Ever again. Not with Missy and Gaelin on the line. But then again, the cure. Davidson is going to destroy the world. Ruin the only life left. I’m the only one who knows…that’s a good person. I know how this ends. I’ve seen what happens. He wants all humans like that; who can someone be that evil? How can I stop him? I’m a seventeen year old girl. I’m an outcast at heart, and the human race rests in my hand. Is it worth letting Missy and Gaelin die? A slow painful death? I’m I even capable of such things?

Could I let the only family I have left die?

In the end it comes down to three things. Will I die? Will I live? Will everyone left in the world die due to my silence?

Our greatest glory in not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do.

I thinking I’m falling, Maisie, I think. I need to get back up.

***

Dale wakes us up by turning on a loud blender. I wake up and throw a pillow across the room at him.  He laughs hard and pours whatever he blended into four cups and then put some in a bottle for Opal. We all go sit around the table like one big happy family. It just doesn’t seem right.

“This just doesn’t feel right,” I say. “I mean we haven’t seen a corpse”- I pause, I have seen a corpse a couple really- “in days. It’s not natural.”

“Well, maybe it’s better that way,” Helena says as she rocks Opal in her arms and feeds her the bottle.

“Or maybe it’s not. Maybe they want us dead.” I try to hint at the cure not being a cure. They don’t catch on.

Dale hands us each a glass and we suck them down in like literally one gulp. Connor holds his cup out to Dale and raises his eyes saying I want more. Dale takes his cup and blends up a next batch of whatever it was.

Helena hands me the baby and says, “I need to go to the bathroom, feed her for me.” I nod and take Opal. I put the bottle in her mouth and she eats...or drinks…or whatever.

Dale waits until Helena is out of the room before he speaks. “Okay, it is really weird,” he says. “I can’t trust these people. We need to get out of here, soon.”

It hit me now; I know what I have to do. “I know,” I say. Only, we can’t leave until I destroy their anti-cure. Until they are all dead. “I know, believe me, I know.” I have to tell him out Gaelin and Missy somehow. Some way. I look at him dead in the eye and say nothing. I need to tell him. He needs to save them.

“You okay, Elise,” dale says.

“Mm…”

Dale snaps his fingers in my face and I jump a little. “I’m fine Dale,” I say and get up from the table. I hand Dale the baby.  “I’m…I’m going to –to go take a walk.” Connor grabs my hand and stops me from walking.

“Why?” he asks and pouts his little lips.

“I won’t be gone long.”

“But can’t you just stay here, please.”

A thought hit me. I could go to the science lab and destroy the anti-cure and somehow let Dale know about Missy and Gaelin. “Why don’t you all just come with me,” I say. Connor smiles and jumps down from his chair. Helena walks out of the bathroom.

“Where are we going?’ she asks.

I can’t tell them just yet. “You’ll see,” I say. Dale hands Helena Opal and follows me out of the room. I look at the signs on the wall. The science lab was down the right. “Wait, I need to grab something.” I run back inside and grab the box of matches. I shove them in my pocket and walk back outside. Now, I might need a gun…

                We start walking and a gunman passes us. I hand gun at his side. I stop walking. I turn back around and follow him. He turns around. “What’s your deal girl?” he yells. I look at his gun.

“I need that,” I say.

“You don’t need nothin.”

“I said I need that.”

He shrugs and starts walking again. I pull him back by his shoulder and start fighting for the gun. Luckily the hallway was empty. “Fine, fine, take it,” he says and hands me the gun. I check to make sure there is still ammo. Fully loaded.

“Thanks,” I say and skip back over to Dale, Helena, Opal, and Connor. Weird thing was none of them noticed me tackle that guy to the floor. I tuck the gun in the back of my jeans and act like I had nothing.

Helena turns her head to me. “Can you please tell me where we are going?” she asks.

“Just walk straight,” I say. I see the door that is labeled science lab. And underneath it, is the words cure in work.