Page 121 of Afflicted

“Anything you wouldn’t want to be without. Go and get it now, along with a change of clothes. Grab it, and come straight back here.”

“Silas, what is this?”

“Trust me.”

My words have the intended effect. Her mouth sets in a line, and she nods quickly, heading into the dorm. I try not to show how anxious I am, how fucking on edge I am, every second that she’s out of my sight trickling by like an hour. We have seven minutes at most.

Crawley ambles past me, looking me up and down, frowning when he sees the battery bank in my hand. I hide the truck keys in my pocket and give him a smile.

“Alright mate?”

“Yeah, you?” He leans against a post, one hand in his pocket.

“Yeah all good, just had to get some things from a truck.”

“Oh, OK.” He nods. “And now you’re just standing here with it all?”

I laugh, shrugging. “Sam told me to wait here, no idea why.”

“Oh, right.” Crawley nods. “She was looking for you.”

“Well, she found me.” I hold his gaze, even though I’m so fueled by anxiety I’m half-tempted to tear his head off too.

But Crawley pushes off the post and heads off with a wave of his hand. “Take care!”

“Yeah, you too!” I exhale heavily, relief flooding me as Juliet comes out of the dorm, a bundle of clothes rolled up in her arms. I head in her direction, and as I reach her side she turns tail, her eyes fixed downwards, and follows me wordlessly.

We round the dorm, across the open yard beside the obs tower, but I can hear raucous laughter drifting down, so I know they’re distracted. We reach the truck, and Juliet climbs into the back seat as soon the door is open. She huddles down under the blanket, shivering lightly. She’s scared. She has no idea what’s happening. But her eyes flash to mine for a moment, and she gives me a weak smile.

She trusts me.

I slam the door, and quickly go to the garage, hauling out one generator and a solar pack, before thinking better of it and grabbing a second one. If this plan is going to work, I need to be able to drive a long distance. Two generators are better.

Once the generators are loaded onto the back, I know I’m down to maybe two minutes. I climb into the truck, and gun the engine.

“No matter what happens, stay down,” I say to Juliet as I turn the truck around and head for the gate. She doesn’t answer, just stays silent in the back.

The gate guards all approach with raised hands as I drive up to them. I wind the window down, one hand in the duffel bag beside me.

“What’s going on?” A guard asks me. “We don’t have any runs scheduled.”

I shrug, smiling amicably. “Ferris told me to head out and check a sensor.”

“This late?” The guard looks over his shoulder, at the other vamps who all shrug and shake their heads. “She didn’t tell us anything.”

“Well, she just came to tell me they’re down, so I better head out fast before I lose the light.”

The guard rubs the back of his neck, considering my words for a moment. “I mean, I really can’t let you out without clearance.”

“If you don’t let me out, Ferris is going to have your head,” I say with a laugh.

“Just let me call her.” He raises a hand and takes a step back from the truck.

“No need, mate!”

He stops at my words, his eyes widening for just a split second as I raise the gun into the window and fire straight into the middle of his face. His body is thrown backwards at the exact moment the fence charges all go off, the sound deafening. The gate clicks open as the perimeter power goes out, the vamps not noticing as they all scatter and run.

I put my foot down, the engine of the truck roaring as I barrel straight into the gate. The metal protests, but gives way, falling haphazardly to one side. The next gate is already opening, and there’s a loud metallic scrape as the truck catches just the edge as I speed out into the open.

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