Page 2 of Smoke and Flame

Finally, one, then the other man, looked up at them.Eyes bugged as they took in their appearance.

“You can’t be here,” one called out.He held a palm toward her as if his single hand could stop her.

What?“My sister.She’s sick and needs medical attention.”

Another palm.This time from the man on the left.“You must leave.”

“No,” she growled.Her and Morlie’s grinding, slow pace barely took them halfway across the room.“We are here for help.”

Smooth and instep as the synchronized divers Kai had seen in old Olympic footage, the two men stepped around their stands to move before them with kissing shoulders, blocking their way.“This is no place for your kind.”

Those words halted her.Kai doubted they were commenting on their race since both men were of a deeper tone than she and Morlie.“This is a medical facility, isn’t it?”

They frowned and mimicked expressions.

The one on the right spoke.“It is.But you cannot be here.Go.”

One spoke, but both gestured toward the door behind her and Morlie.

She shook her head and squeezed her sister tighter.“Look, I can pay.”Kai swallowed.“I have some money.”

But she had no clue how much treatment would cost.Most in the Dispatch didn’t seek medical aid from the plazas.Instead, they went to naturopaths and others who claimed healing potions or abilities.However, rumors were rampant that the Consumers had a cure for the virus with survivors to their credit.

The duo eyed her and her sister, gazed at each other, and then returned to her and Morlie.

“You are a Consumer?”The man on the right arched a brow at her, doubt of her words clear in the distortion of his features.

Squeezing her sister’s waist harder with one arm, she reached her freed hand into her pocket.She dug deep to fist the money from her pants.Kai had to barter their shoes, mother’s silver hairpin, and undergarments.Even worn and soiled, they were still more than others had.However, she’d willingly give every last coiled tendril on her head to restore Morlie’s health.Holding her hand out before the duo, she showed them what she had with a slow peel of her fingers.

The man on the right’s brow went higher while the one on the left leaned down as he frowned at the meager offering.

When they stepped back and stared at each other, Kai could practically hear the rejection coming her way.

“Please.My sister needs help.I’ll do anything.Anything.No matter the cost,” she pleaded, considering offering these men what she hadn’t been willing to relinquish to the traders in the Dispatch.The truck.Besides her sister’s life, it was the most significant value to her.Even if the beater wasn’t worth much monetarily, it was worth gold in sentiment.The only other thing she owned that was significant to her was her father’s green military jacket.She doubted they wanted anything to do with that article of clothing.

“Anything?”The men echoed each other.

“Yes.Yes!”she rushed out, afraid they would change their minds.

The men glanced back at each other.One nodded, and then the other.Kai didn’t hear any words exchanged, but something in their stares proved the men were communicating a message.

“I will call for a plaza attendant.”The man on the right returned to his podium and lifted a radio.There was a loud overhead beep before he spoke again.“Attendant for service needed in intake gallery.”

The second man didn’t take the money.He just stood there staring at Morlie.There was an odd look in his eyes as he assessed her silently.

His gaze made Kai uneasy, but she shoved her feelings down.They had agreed to give her sister medical attention, which was all that mattered.

Seconds later, the big doors opened, and two women pushing a wheelchair walked out dressed in white pants and tops, with a blue scarf with stars on it tied to their necks and more stars down the sleeves of their tops.It wasn’t until they saw her with Morlie dragged along against her evidence that Kai’s strength was the only thing keeping her up.

The women moved in sync as the men had exhibited.“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”The second man moved away from them and headed back to his post.“Take the ill one.”

Shaking their heads, the women grasped Morlie by the arms in a firm grip and pulled her away.Morlie crumbled into the chair.She slumped down so low she looked like a small child.It didn’t help that Morlie was so thin.Her sister looked lost inside her clothing, like a child playing dress-up in her mother’s outfit.

The women turned the chair and began their march back to the thick doors.

“Wait.I want to go with my sister.”Kai’s feet slapped on the floor as she quick-stepped to keep up with the women.

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