“Nothing I can think of off the top of my head,” I reply, even though I’m dying to know why he’s been so nice to me. I dust myself off and try to pretend I didn’t just make a fool out of myself again.
For rest of the day, I shadow a nurse’s aide and get to know the basics of patient care. By the time seven rolls around, my feet throb. These slippers have no soles and no arch support. My shirt sticks to my skin, and my hair is plastered to my neck.
Cole and Zeus arrive at the nurse’s station. Cole talks to one of the female nurses and smiles his crooked smile. His dark eyes catch mine for a quick moment, but that’s the only acknowledgement he gives.
Nauseous much? I can totally see him being a man whore.
“Talk to you later,” he says to the redhead.
“I’m looking forward to it.” She grins and flips her hair.
Oh barf.
He silently leads me out of the hospital. We’re back in the alley with Zeus in front this time. The sun sets in brilliant hues across the sky, but the tall silhouettes of the buildings obscure my view. Now and then, we run into a beggar. Cole ignores them like he does the discarded furniture we step around, but one in particular haunts me. On his neck, he’s branded red.
Wrath.
“Can you spare some change, ma’am?” he asks.
“I don’t have any money,” I say.
Cole yanks my arm, but not before I hear the beggar say, “I know you’re innocent. Your eyes—”
I stop and turn back, about to question him, when a loud bang rattles my brain. Something warm splashes my face. I wipe it off with my hand, which is now streaked with red.
Blood.
CHAPTER 4
Cole shoves me to the ground, forcing a grunt out of my mouth as he lands on my back. My ribcage feels crushed under his weight. Bullets kick up dirt in patches around us and ricochet off the walls. Looking up, I see the beggar crumple. Blood pours from holes in his torso, and a vacant expression is plastered on his worn face. My stomach lurches at the violence of the shooting. We lay there for a few minutes as more shots are fired and a troop of guards sprints past. We wait.
“Crap,” Cole says under his breath. A group of sinners flood the entryway. Some carry crowbars and sunlight glints off the others’ knives. Zeus charges toward them.
“You have to run!”
“What?”
“Run! Now!” Cole points in the direction we were heading. “Go!”
I turn and run.
The streets all look the same. I bolt down the alley and sprint past a series of dead bodies. I have no idea what I’m doing, where to run, and why I think I can get there without getting killed first.
“Get her!”
Their words bounce off the walls and echo in my ears. I don’t look back when I reach the end of the alley. Left looks like it takes me down more narrow alleys, but right looks like it takes me back to where Cole is.
“Now what?” I say aloud. Frustrated and afraid, I tangle my hands in my hair. I wish I had Cole’s map with me now. Just then, someone pushes me from behind. I should’ve sensed danger when the noise around me ceased. I turn, and a group of sinners encloses me.
I’m trapped.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t stop my head from spinning or the panic whizzing through my mind.
I’m petrified.
I see a red, a black, and maybe three green brands closing in on me. My heart pounds in my throat at the thought of them killing me. Should I plead for them to make it quick or will that just make it worse? I’m about to scream when one smiles. His eyes linger a little too long.
Oh please, no!
“Where do you think you’re going?” asks the tallest man.
Laughter erupts behind him. “What are you waiting for, Sarge? Get her,” another says.
I clench my fists, unsure whether I should fight to my last breath or give in to their demands. The ending seems inevitable either way. My eyes flood and the men become blurry. I squeeze them shut, rub, and pry them open.
“Hello, dear,” Sarge says with a smile, stepping closer.
There’s a gap where his two front teeth used to be, and his tongue protrudes, resting on his lower lip. He loosens his belt, yanks it off, and holds it like a whip.
He’s going to publicly humiliate me.
As if I haven’t already been branded.
My legs buckle and I plunge to the ground. Blood rushes through my veins like a rapid river, and I’m drowning in fear.
I’m frantic.
“Leave me alone! Please. Leave me alone.” I place my hands defensively in front of me, backing myself up as far as I can.
He pushes me to my back and leans over me. I kick at his chest.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Spit flies out of his mouth, landing on my cheek. “It will only make me angry. And trust me, you don’t want me angry.” He slaps his belt into his opposite hand and lets it unravel for the full effect. “This is what loose women deserve.”
I don’t move.
I won’t move.
I can’t move.
But this is my only chance.