Page 9 of Demon Shock

“My name is Gyrik.”

Gear-ick. A unique name. I kind of liked it.

“It’s nice to meet you, Gyrik. And I hope that doesn’t change in the near future.”

I closed myself in the bathroom, turned on the light, and glanced at the door, wishing it had a lock. Since it didn’t, I hurried to use the toilet, washed my hands and face, and brushed my teeth for the night. Once I was finished, I hesitated to open the door.

“Are you still out there, Gyrik?”

“Yes.”

“I’m curious. If you’re from Missouri, why are you all the way up here?”

“We’re looking for survivors. There aren’t many humans left.”

I turned my head to look at myself in the mirror. My “I’m in so much trouble” expression was for two reasons.

One…he’d just said what I’d feared. That there weren’t many of us left.

Two…humans? Why did he say that like he wasn’t one?

“Because of the sickness?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Are you sick?”

“No. My brothers and I are immune. That’s why we were able to save so many humans. Most humans scream when they first see us or hate us because we look different. Thank you for not screaming and for hugging me instead. It’s the first time I’ve been welcomed like that.”

Humans? He and his brothers looked different? Part of me wondered if I’d just hugged some kind of crazy person who would murder me in my sleep. But not everything he was saying sounded crazy.

If I hadn’t spent hours driving around Silver Bay, I would have thought all the talk about sickness was a setup for some kind of practical joke.

But I knew it wasn’t. There hadn’t been a soul in Silver Bay.

I stared at the door, really, really not wanting to open it. But damn if I wasn’t curious too.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Not really,” I admitted. “I’ve been alone for months, and it didn’t bother me at all. But if you’re telling the truth, which there’s a good chance you are, I’ve been more alone than I realized, and it’s kind of terrifying.”

“You don’t need to be afraid. You’re not alone anymore. I’m here. I promise I won’t leave you. And, if you want, I can take you back to Missouri. There are people like you there.”

“People who didn’t know the world ended?”

“No, people who survived it.”

I’d survived something without even knowing it. How? Why?

“Are you going to come out, Ava? It’s snowing harder now.”

After taking a steadying breath, I opened the door. The light from the bathroom illuminated the immediate area and the man standing in it.

He was huge, both in height and muscle. He wore leather pants that molded to his legs, leather boots that reached mid-calf, and a dark T-shirt. Everything about him blended with the shadows behind him, even his grey skin.

Grey.

My gaze swept up to his face, and I froze.

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