CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
Angelique:
Sometimes you die all at once. Ita€?s over before you even see it coming. And then sometimes you die a little bit at a time, a tiny sliver every day. Ita€?s like watching a door close, knowing that outside everybody else is still at the party, the lights are sparkling, the fountain of life is flowing. But inside, ita€?s growing a little darker by the second.
That was how I felt right now. Ever since I got shot with that dart.
Heat flowed through me, my chest tightened. I left Chaz and headed toward the lab, walking on stiff, unresponsive legs. Stopped to lean against a wall, felt my eyes close. I thought I was alone, but I wasna€?t.
a€?Youa€?re not up to this.a€?
My favorite man in blue. Skellar.
a€?Maybe none of us are up to it,a€? I answered, my voice weaker than I expected. a€?But that doesna€?t matter, does it?a€?
a€?Youa€?re a liability. Youa€?re not even fully cooked. What day are ya on?a€?
I frowned. a€?Is that was this is about? The fact that Ia€?m a Newbie?a€? I realized that we were right outside the resurrection chamber, I could see Chaz and Pete through the Plexiglas. I turned my back to the window. a€?Or maybe youa€?re just trying to find out where I put the key to eternal life. So you can slink over there and take it for yourself.a€?
Skellar grinned, a nightmarish sight as we stood alone in shadowy halls. a€?You dona€?t trust me, do ya?a€?
The fever felt like it was rising, my throat was dry. a€?For some reason, Chaz trusts you,a€? I said finally, a€?and hea€?s the quarterback on our little team, soa€”a€?
He pushed his face closer to mine, lowered his voice to a threatening whisper. a€?You wouldna€?t be doina€? all this to get back at Russ, now, would ya? Cause therea€?s a little girl out there that needs some help. If I find out that yaa€?ll are just playina€? some double-cross trick, you wona€?t get no next life. I got my own connections, sister, Ia€?ll make sure ya jump into an infected clone.a€?
I felt a chill wash over me. I wished I could credit Skellar and his feeble threat, but I knew it was the fever, moving on to the next level. I closed my eyes again.
a€?You better go get your meds,a€? he said, almost as a concession when I didna€?t reply. a€?But just remember, Ia€?m gonna be watchina€? ya. If I see you do anything suspicious, Ia€?ll take ya down myself. You wona€?t need to worry a€?bout your old pal Neville.a€?
a€?Glad youa€?re on my team, Lieutenant,a€? I said.
And I walked away.
?
I stood in the doorway, squinting when the fluorescent lights flashed on, bathing the room in a garish brilliance. The desks were in the same place, the computer monitors dark. The left side of the room was still lined with empty cages.
I forced my body to move, to obey my commands. It wanted to stay out in the hall, it wanted to run away. A scream lodged in my throat, deep inside, like it was caught and couldna€?t get out. I passed the spot where I fell, four days ago.
Where Russ pinned me to the ground and strangled me.
A dark shadow seemed to move through the room, following me. At times I felt a chill, like it touched me, draped a black hand on my shoulder. Memories of my own death haunted me. I could almost hear the screamsa€”my owna€”the lungful of air that I should have bellowed when he attacked me. But I didna€?t cry out. At least I dona€?t remember if I did.
I flung a drawer open and grabbed a syringe, rifled through a bank of refrigerated cabinets until I found some antibiotics. I hastily filled the syringe and gave myself a shot. Then I grabbed an extra syringe, stuffed it in my pocket.
Might as well be prepared to introduce Neville to eternity.
I paused beside the cages; one door hung open. Omegaa€?s cage.
I knelt beside it, imagined that I could see his chestnut-brown eyes peering at me through the bars. He always watched me with hope in his eyes. Maybe he had known that I wanted to help him. And that I loved him.
Maybe he felt the same way.
I stood, my legs wobbly, my head spinning. I wondered if Omega and his pack were still roaming around the City of the Dead.
Dear God, I hope not. Please, let him be back in the bayou, or in some dark alley. Dona€?t let him get anywhere near Neville and his Backatown demons. Not today. Not ever.