Page 85 of Zocopalypse (Death Fields 1)

“Get her out of here,” she barks at Hale. “Let me know when she calms down and stops acting like a feral animal.”

He wrestles me to my feet, drags me backwards but I don’t fight. I don’t want to see her face.

“Jane,” I hear my father plead, but Hale pushes me through the office away from my family I fought so hard to find.

I grab onto the door and spin around. “I don’t know what all of this is about, but we’re not finished,” I say. “I worked too hard to get here. I deserve answers. I need to know what the military wants with me. I want to know why all of this happened.”

“Go,” Jane says to Hale and again, I’m dragged away from my family. Again.

***

I spot Cole the second the elevator doors open. He storms across the lobby and out the front door. Just before the door shuts I hear an anguished wail.

Without hesitation, I race toward him. Hale catches up, stopping me with a strong hand. “I’m supposed to take you downstairs.”

I shrug him off. “He’s my friend.”

“I have orders.”

“Fuck your orders,” I spat. “Tell my sister I said that. Don’t worry-she can take it up with me.”

Through the glass we see Cole, face pinched in pain. Something terrible has happened. Thankfully, Hale backs off. “Go,” he says. “But I’m telling her you escaped.”

“Whatever.”

I would deal with Jane later.

Pushing open the door I step outside. It’s dusk, the sky behind over the wall turning pinkish red. The battle from earlier is over but the air is thick with smoke and ash. I can’t tell who won, other than the fact the walls are still up. I have no clue if they eliminated Erwin or not. At this point I’m not even sure I want them to.

I take a second to scan the area for Wyatt or Walker. Neither come into view. Shoving down the irrational concern I have for them, I focus on Cole.

“I guess PharmaCorp won,” I say approaching him. He leans against the building, chin to his chest. I step over a mangled piece of metal that looks like it came from a vehicle. Drops of dark blood litter the ground. “What’s going on—how’s Chloe?”

Cole lifts his head. His eyes are red and watery. “She’s unconscious. Shot in the head by Erwin’s men.”

“Shot? I thought she hit her head on the window.” Another wave of loss crashes over me. When will this end?

“No. The bullet hit her head. I don’t know how she’s still alive. I’m not even sure she is because they kicked me out.” He slams a fist into the building.

I take a deep breath and reach for him. His body is warm and shaking but relaxes just a little when we make contact. “Hey,” I say. “She’ll make it. She’s tough.”

He laughs darkly. “Hell yeah she is.”

“Still not sure what exactly is going on around this place but I have a feeling their medical team is probably amazing. At least we’re not out there somewhere.”

He nods and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. “Did you find your father?”

“I found him, but I wish I hadn’t.”

“What happened?”

“It’s a long story.” I glance around, but the only people around are dressed in black fatigues, with a bright “FF” on the shoulder. “I do know that I’m no longer sure he’s a good man. Like Wyatt and Walker and the others. I don’t like this place and what they’re doing.”

He looks around the grounds—at the debris from the battle. Our images reflect off the glass walled building now pink from the sunset. “This is not where I expected we would end up.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think I would travel all this way, lose my home and my mother, to ultimately end up alone.”

He frowns and in a heartbreakingly pained voice says, “You’re not alone. How could you say that?”

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