Page 81 of Afflicted

There’s four of them on the grass outside the cabin. All of them, in the same uniform.National Guard.

Littered amongst the bodies of the Afflicted, in their blue uniforms and their helmets, their huge weapons lying beside them on the ground.

I stumble a little, trying to make sense of it as panic and terror continue to whir through my head. The National Guard are here. The one at the window had been about to say they were here to help. They came to rescue us? At the same time as an Afflicted attack? Did they follow them here?

I can’t comprehend what’s happening.

We round the corner, past the destroyed storage buildings, and it’s a war zone. There’s dead people everywhere, the rain carrying their blood with it in sickening rivulets that spread around my feet. There’s people crawling along the ground, obviously bitten by Afflicted.

Feeders walk around, and executing the bitten one by one.

I can’t even comprehend this horror anymore. I let them drag me past it all, into the cafeteria where everyone is huddled, shaking and crying.

And all I can think about is Silas. All I can do is pray that he’s alive.

CHAPTER24

SILAS

“Fucking idiots!”Anderson’s chair goes flying across the room, notching a hole in the thin walls and sending the pinboard crashing to the floor, papers flying up like confetti. “Fucking humans! What the fuck are they thinking?”

I look around at my colleagues, many of them soaked in blood, their eyes bright crimson from the sudden sensory rush. There are dead humans everywhere, bleeding out into the ground, into the deep puddles forming around them as the rain continues to fall.

“Boston said they’d had reports of the National Guard mobilizing,” Sam says, pushing aside the hair that hangs in her face in thick, blood-soaked ropes. “Looks like they’re using the Afflicted now.”

“To what end?” Anderson slams his fists into his desk, which groans as a huge crack splinters through its surface. “What are they hoping to achieve?”

“They’re trying to eliminate us.” The room goes quiet, and eyes turn to me. I shrug. “They’re trying to kill off the vamps. They’re sending in the Afflicted as decoys, and following them in to try and rescue as many humans as they can.”

“The Afflicted killed 20 humans!” Anderson’s finger darts angrily towards the door. “Twenty, King. If the National Guard are trying to rescue them, then they’re doing a bad fucking job.”

“Collateral damage.” I rub my hands together. They’re soaked in blood, tight and cloying. “They kill many to save a few. They know they can’t overpower us.”

Anderson growls, exposing his fangs. “Fucking idiot humans.” He punches the wall, creating a hole that goes straight through to the outside. Cool air rushes in. He’s not going to have an office by the end of his tirade. “Go on and reinforce those perimeter fences. Set more alarms. Double the guards on the towers and gates. Get out!” He waves an angry hand in our direction, and we all hurry out.

“He’spissed,” Crawley mutters under his breath.

“Can you blame him?” Sam snaps over her shoulder. “This is bad. We didn’t have enough warning.”

“I’ll drive out and set perimeter alarms,” I say. “Set them out 2 miles away. That’s the max range on those sensors.”

“Good.” Sam shakes her head. “This is fucked.”

Yes it is. There are dead everywhere. National Guard operatives blown to pieces all over the ground. Afflicted half-burned and torn apart. And humans. So many humans. Juliet’s not among them though.

I storm through the rain towards the cafeteria. The humans were herded in there when we annihilated the National Guard.Fools. Using something as volatile as a herd of Afflicted to try and rescue humans. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

And it isn’t lost on me that they’re trying to seize back control.

There was a brief uprising against vampires when they started doing genetic testing. Politicians whipped the public up into a mad fury, saying vamps were playing god, and that it would end badly. Some labs were burned down, vampire covens sought out and attacked.

But it was over pretty quickly when they discovered the HIV vaccine. Suddenly vamps were heroes. We were loved and admired. What amazing work we had done.

Then we got too fucking brazen for our own good.

I take the steps up into the cafeteria, crossing the porch and tearing the door open. I scan the room for the blonde hair, the freckled face. There are people everywhere, huddled in little groups on the ground. They’re holding each other, trying to comfort each other. These people have no one. Even other humans are happy to sacrifice them now.

I spot her in a corner, and the relief sends my heart thumping against my ribcage. Her knees are drawn up under her chin, and Gina has an arm around her. They’re both pale, tears tracking down their cheeks.

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