Page 138 of Afflicted

The hour slips through my fingers way too fast. We approach the outskirts, the battered city landscape stretching out before us. The truck bumps over broken roads and fallen debris, caved-in buildings on either side of us.

Juliet scoots away from me to gaze out of the windshield, leaning forward to take in the wrecks all around us.

“How do we know where to go?”

I don’t even get a chance to answer, as a siren begins whirring loudly overhead. “They know we’re here,” I shout over the din, Juliet clasping her hands over her ears and nodding.

I turn a corner, and before us lies a huge gate. Layers upon layers of wood and barbed wire stand 25 feet high, with thick razor wire stretching the length of the city blocks. Guard towers stand at either end of the block, and I can practically feel the guns that are trained on us. The siren stops, and Juliet’s hands drop from her ears.

“Halt your advance.” A loud voice crackles from speakers mounted either side of the gate. “Stop your engine, and get out of the vehicle with your hands up over your head.”

Juliet and I look at each other, and I give her a smile that I hope is reassuring and doesn’t betray just how anxious I feel at this moment.

“Come on then, angel.”

She dives across the seat and kisses me, her mouth hot and sweet. “I love you.”

“It’s alright.” I clutch her face in my hands. “Come on, it’s alright. Let’s go.”

We part reluctantly, and climb slowly out of the truck, walking to stand in front of it with our hands in the air.

“Do you have any weapons in the vehicle?” The voice asks once we come to a stop.

“I have two handguns!” I call back. “But only two bullets!”

The loudspeaker hums and sputters for a moment, before letting out a high-pitched squeal, and the voice starts again. “Is the female human?”

“Yes, she is!”

“Confirm you’re a vampire.”

I swallow hard. “I am!”

“But he’s a friend!” Juliet’s voice is strained, her anxiety palpable. “He’s not dangerous, he-”

“We’ll be opening the gate now.” The voice cuts her off, without a hint of emotion. “Do not move.”

We stay still as there are loud bangs, movement in the guard tower, and finally a loud grinding noise as the gate begins to roll open. Juliet is shifting on her feet as though she wants to move closer to me, or run, or just lose her fucking mind with the anxiety that’s eating her up.

“It’s alright, angel.” I look over at her, and her eyes are almost wild. “Just calm down. They’re not going to hurt us.” This is the first time she’s seen this many new people in over five years. This whole situation is terrifying for her. “They won’t hurt you, Jules. I promise. I won’t let them.”

She nods, her jaw tense. “OK. OK.” The words tumble out of her, her face pale under the sprinkling of freckles.

Heavy footsteps approach, and a woman with dark brown skin and short black curls approaches, wearing dusty body armor. She’s flanked by two men, also wearing armor, carrying assault rifles, which are trained on Juliet and I. They advance on us slowly, the woman’s gaze measured as she sizes us up.

They stop 10 feet away, and I swallow down the rage as the guy on the left keeps his gun trained on Juliet.

“We’re no danger,” I say, and the woman looks at me pensively.

“And what exactly are you doing here?”

“We escaped a compound in Georgia.” I gesture to Juliet with my raised hand. “She was going to be sent off for a breeding program. So I got her out of there.”

The woman raises her eyebrows, her face still mostly neutral. “Well, that was noble of you. What brings you all the way up here?”

“I’d been told that this colony was a safe haven.” I lower my hands slowly, palms facing her. “I had to get her to safety.”

She turns her attention to Juliet. “I’m Sutton, and your name is?”

---