Page 18 of Afflicted

He leans in and points to a chemical shower in the corner of the room. “Wash her down,” he says to Matt, “and make sure none of the blood gets into her eyes or nose. Put the clothes in there.” He points to a yellow biohazard bin on the other side of the room. He slams the door shut and the metallic lock clicks into place behind him.

I’m shaking so badly I can’t take my clothes off, so Matt has to do it for me. I stand under the shower, and clench my eyes shut, terrified some of the blood will make its way into my body. I start to cry as the water runs over me, and I slump against the wall.

“It’s OK, you’re OK,” Matt says, over and over. He must be in shock too. His voice is almost vacant. Finally the water runs clear, and I sob with relief that I can’t taste blood, or see it, or smell it. Matt turns to get a towel from a steel trolley, and rubs me until my skin is raw. “You’re OK.” It’s all he says, robotically, over and over until his voice seems to give out.

I wrap the towel around myself and sink onto a chair. There’s more gunfire in the distance. Matt sits on the floor under the window, his legs stretched out in front of him. I can't stop fucking shaking. I was so sure I was going to die. And I would have, if it wasn’t for… for Silas.

He saved me because I’m his food, it’s no different to a farmer saving a cow from drowning even when they know it’ll be a cheeseburger in a week. Of course he saved me. I’m an asset, something he needs.

“You OK?” Matt asks after a while.

“Yeah,” I say, goosebumps breaking out across my skin. My jaw is chattering. “Just cold.” Cold? In shock? Both?

Matt crawls across the floor and checks the steel trolley, finding a set of blue scrubs packed up in plastic. “Here,” he says, tearing the packaging open.

I pull the scrubs on, which are a little big, but at least I’m not shivering naked in a towel anymore. I crawl down onto the floor next to Matt, and he puts his arm around me. I’m so numb the gunfire doesn’t even make me flinch anymore. We just sit and wait, holding each other.

* * *

I don’t knowhow long we sit there, it must be at least two hours.

The screams, shouts and gunfire die down. There’s a rushing sound, like flames, and after a while I can smell smoke and something else, something awful. I remain slumped against Matt, my back starting to hurt from sitting on the hard ground, but too scared to move. Footfalls pass the window, shouted commands. Feeders calling for medi packs, stretchers, more fuel.

Matt hasn’t said a word. We’re both silent, waiting to be told it’s safe to come out.

I hear engines starting, and there’s the metallic sound of a saw somewhere off in the distance.

The door opens, and Silas looks into the building, glancing around the door to find our spot on the floor. He drops to his knees, and I eye him warily. His uniform is splattered with blood, his hands covered in all kinds of carnage, and his face is full of concern.

“You alright?” He’s only looking at me.

“Is it over?”

“It’s over.”

I nod. “Good.”

Silas’s brow furrows, his jaw tensing as though he wants to say more. Instead, he gets to his feet, gesturing for us to follow.

My legs feel stiff as we walk across the compound, from sitting curled up against Matt for so long. The feeders are building up bonfires at the far end of the compound, and tractors with large buckets are picking up the bleeding remains of the Afflicted which are scattered everywhere.

Silas escorts us back to the dorm. Matt goes ahead and opens the door, waiting for me to follow him.

I pause and turn to Silas. He’s looking down at me with those rusty red eyes, and his face is almost sad.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“Any time.” His hand moves a little at his side, like he’s moving to touch me, but he doesn’t. “I told you I’d look out for you, didn't I?”

I scoff, shaking my head. I don’t know what to say. He doesn’t mean anything by it. I’m desperate for humanity in a vampire, in a fucking feeder. He doesn’t care about me. It doesn’t matter that he’s looking at me with concern right now. He’s a predator, and I’m his food.

Without another word I follow Matt into the dorm, and stop myself from looking over my shoulder to see if Silas is still there, watching me.

CHAPTER7

SILAS

The smellof burning bodies is unlike any other I’ve ever smelled in my life, and when your sense of smell is heightened, it’s even worse. Like the foulest barbecue you’ve ever experienced. The Afflicted smell especially bad. It makes my stomach churn.

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