Page 10 of Burn Like An Angel

“You think I need a gun to snap your neck?” Xander counters.

“Good luck getting close.”

“I won’t need it.”

“Yeah? Well, putting a bullet between your eyes will turn around this shitty day. So, make your move.”

“Enough!” I chastise them both. “Seriously.”

Lennox grunts again before he suddenly collapses. Raine’s holding his arm, so he’s pulled off balance by the weight dragging him down.

“Shit!” Raine yelps.

Xander releases me to catch his best friend before he hits the floor. He takes Lennox from Raine, throws his arm around his shoulder, then jerks his head to indicate we should all follow.

I steady Raine, taking his hand to steer him along with us. “This way.”

“Aren’t the guards supposed to be the enemy right now?” Raine whispers worriedly. “We shouldn’t trust him.”

I spare Langley a glance—stony-faced, his blue eyes darting from side to side, surveying for any threats. His posture betrays a persona I never spotted before. Shoulders square. Feet spread. Always alert and prepared to act.

He’s the perfect mole.

Affable. Unsuspicious.

Unseen.

“Langley isn’t a guard, Raine.”

“What?” His head jerks in my direction.

I tear my eyes from the blue-eyed stranger. “He never was.”

We struggle onwards. With the unlit medical wing in sight, I feel my last vestiges of energy dissipate. Xander shoves the door open, manhandling a now-unconscious Lennox inside.

“Anyone here?” he yells. “We need help.”

Silence.

“I guess not,” Raine murmurs. “Is it still dark? Morning staff probably got stuck outside when everything kicked off.”

Jaw clenching, Xander continues to heft Lennox, his alabaster skin now dotted with sweat from the exertion. We limp behind them, slipping inside the deserted wing.

Langley glances at the door standing between us and the war zone. “Patients will come looting soon enough.”

“Looting?” Raine repeats.

“Drugs. Weapons. Food. Riots can last days, sometimes even weeks. Survival instincts will kick in.”

The reality of the situation hammers home with each word he utters. Hands raised, Raine follows Xander’s huffing to help manoeuvre Lennox’s now-unconscious body onto a bed.

“If there’s no doctor, what do we do?” The concern in Raine’s tone is audible.

Langley releases a long sigh. “I was a field medic… Well, in a past life. I’m not an expert, but I can take a look at his injuries.”

“What do you need?” Xander straightens, his attention fixed on Lennox.

“A damn sight more than what we have available, I’d imagine.” He looks around the deserted wing. “We’re going to need some pain relief to start.”

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