Page 64 of Rebirth

It’s enough for me to press the gun harder.

“I’ve only got one bullet, Maisie,” I lie, “and it has your name on it. You think I’ll spare your life? You’re fucking mistaken. You mean nothing to me. I’m giving you until three. One…”

All mirth leaves her face as she stares up at me, throat moving as she gulps.

“Two—”

Still nothing and I let all emotion drain from my face, putting on that mask I’ve been taught to wear when looking at nasty, disgusting things.

“Thr—”

“Fine! I’ll tell you. It’s—”

But she doesn’t get to finish.

The world erupts around me in a boom as I’m splattered with liquid and my ears ring.

Eyes wide, I stare down at Maisie’s lifeless body, blown apart by what could only be some powerful weapon.

Turning, eyes wide and heart hammering into my throat, I look up to see the wide dark eyes of Nathan and the barrel of the gun he’d just used to kill his woman pointed straight at me.

“Get up,” he says.

CHAPTER TWENTY

SOPHIE

I stand on shaky legs, raising my hands slowly. “Nathan, I-”

“Quiet,” he growls, eyes still wild. “That bitch must have infected me. Made me do things…” He shudders. “She had to die.”

I gulp as I spot a tentacle swirling at his back. Just like the ones that had sprung from Bert’s.

This parasite. Those veins. The effect isn’t uniform.

That sends a chill through me more than the Corrupted male talking to me now. And I notice one thing: he isn’t mindless like Bert was. Another different effect.

I glance at Maisie’s mangled body, bile rising in my throat. “She infected you? How?”

Nathan’s eyes harden as he focuses on me. “How the fuck am I supposed to know?” He takes a step closer and behind him, the single tentacle snapping in the air like a whip. “You know how to heal people. How to stop this.”

I shake my head, heart pounding. “I don’t—”

He cocks the gun, aiming it at my leg. “Don’t lie to me! Fix this or I’ll shoot!”

Seeing the desperation and rage in his eyes, I realize he’s beyond reason. “Okay, okay!” I raise my hands higher. “But I need to go back to the camp. There are tools there I can use.”

More like the weapons the others had left behind. I’m banking those guns aren’t dead like mine. A live bullet is all I need. His forehead the target I’ll be aiming for.

Nathan hesitates, eyeing me warily. “You’re lying. Trying to trick me.”

“I’m not.” I put a whimper in my voice that almost makes me shrivel inside. “I think I can help you. But not out here.”

He considers for a moment, then jerks his head towards the woods. “Move. And no tricks or I’ll shoot you in the back.”

I start walking slowly, keeping my movements calm and predictable. “When we get to camp, I might be able to create an antidote. To flush the infection from your system,” I say, keeping up the ruse.

“And that freak?” Nathan sneers. “How do I kill it?”

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