“Really? Wow. Okay, good to know.” He looks down at me, worry lines creasing his brow. “How are you holding up?”
“I have my bad moments and my good moments. I just wish there was some way I could take her place.”
All of a sudden, Zeus barrels out of Alyssa’s room, growling with his hair sticking up on his back.
“Hey, calm down,” Cole says.
“What’s he growling about?” I ask, trembling. I steal a glance at Alyssa’s door.
“Who knows, he probably hears something.” He reaches down and rubs furiously between Zeus’s ears. I can tell he’s a bit worried too.
I peek into Alyssa’s room, making sure she’s still breathing. Her chest rises and falls with each shallow breath.
“Like what?” I ask, turning back to Cole.
“Dogs have incredible hearing. It could’ve been a noise he didn’t like coming from the ground floor. He’s capable of hearing things up to a mile away in the Hole. But in the woods, a mile and a half.”
“Wow, that’s unreal. Why can he hear farther in the woods?”
“Less distractions and not as much noise.”
“Makes sense. How was training?” I lean against the wall, feeling a little tired.
“Rough,” he replies. “This whole situation makes my life pretty difficult.”
“What situation? Being here in the hospital?” I perk up, and push off the wall to scrutinize his face.
“No, and yes—well, sleeping up here night after night with all the other guards knowing we’re here. Just makes things edgy.” He doesn’t usually share anything about his training so I pay attention.
“They all know you have clearance right? You told them I’m tending to someone who has a virus… So it’s not like you’re doing anything wrong.” I shrug it off while clearing my throat. His eyes meet mine and his hand pauses on Zeus’s head.
“It’s not me. The fact that you’re eight floors up from the training center has them itching to make trouble. I’ve been taking a beating at training for this, you know. I don’t like the feeling I have—not at all. They’re obsessed with you. I’ve heard some of them talking about what they’d do if they got you alone. We need to relocate soon… real soon.” He stops and rethinks his last statement. “I’m sorry… I don’t say it to be mean or insensitive, but your brand makes you a target for their games, and your face sure doesn’t help matters.”
“My face? Do I make weird faces?” I try to change where this is going. I know what the guards think. I’ve heard the catcalls, and I will never forget the way his comrade touched me in the garage while giving Cole his warning.
“Yeah. That’s it.” He shakes his head then looks at his feet. “You’re beautiful. That’s the problem.” He shuffles his feet and shifts his weight uncomfortably. “They can’t stop looking at you.” He glances up at me for a brief second before locking his gaze on something behind me. “And I understand why.” The words come out so soft I can barely hear them.
Butterflies don’t just flit through my stomach—they do cartwheels and somersaults. Feeling flustered I say, “And I know why all the girls throw themselves at you.” His eyes snap to mine and we hold our gaze for a minute.
“I won’t leave her,” I say.
“You might not have a choice.” His eyes, still locked on mine, harden.
“You can’t do that to her? To me—”
“You don’t understand. These are my orders. I can’t just throw my arms up in the air and leave you here, although there’re times I want to. I’m trying to do the right thing, but you make it so damn hard sometimes. I respect what you’re doing—really I do. But I’m telling you now that this can’t go on much longer. It’s starting to look suspicious,” he says. The grimace on his face makes my insides freeze with flashbacks of the execution.
“They don’t seriously think it’s like that… Do they?”
“Lexi? Are you here?” Alyssa interrupts our quiet conversation.
“I’m right here.” I run to her side. She lies under multiple blankets and no longer has the strength to sit up on her own. “What do you need?”
“Can I try some ice chips?” she rasps.
“Sure thing. I’ll be right back.”
I leave the room and rush down the hall. Amber isn’t at her usual post, but that doesn’t surprise me. I pass the linen closet on my way to the small kitchen area. Heavy breathing and the sound of scuffling feet force me to stop. It sounds like someone’s messing around in the closet. I tip toe into the kitchen, fill a glass with ice chips, and scurry past the closet. This time I know I’m not imagining things.
Someone’s definitely in there.
Curiosity wins over as I quietly set the glass down and turn the knob. It’s dark inside, but there’s enough light to see two figures. As I peek through the small viewing space, I decipher a male and female kissing passionately. I’m shocked. I didn’t know there was a male on the floor aside from Cole. Sutton went home an hour ago. I pull the door closed, pick up the glass and hurry back to Alyssa’s room, all while wondering whom it was.
“Thank you.” Alyssa’s been propped up with at least four pillows. “Cole helped me up while you were gone.” She smiles at me. I glance at him, but he’s already asleep. My mind is distracted.
“Can you wait another minute? I’ll be right back.” I ask and she nods her head while attempting to suck on an ice chip. I peek into the hallway. Amber walks toward me, fixes her hair, and surveys her surroundings.
“Where were you?”
Her hands fly up to her face and she jumps at the sound of my voice. She composes herself and says, “I took a fifteen-minute break. Why do you care?”
A few yards behind her, a guard enters the hallway from the linen closet. Amber looks at him, at me, and then at him. Disgusting. He’s tall like the others and wears a rigid, collared uniform. His relaxed stride proves that he’s not worried about getting caught. We’re all standing in the hallway now.
“What’s the problem?” He directs his question to me.
“Umm, nothing,” I stammer, putting my hand on the wall for support.
“She was just asking me for something, Zane. There’s no problem.” Her fearful eyes fix on me as she replies.
“Then why are the both of you standing in the hallway looking stupid?” His question is more of a statement. He tugs at his collar and steps toward me with a smile on his face. It’s cold and doesn’t reach his eyes. “Would you like to have a good time too? I can grant you special privileges around here if you make the right choice.”
His bold offer renders me speechless. My hand reaches for the doorway behind me. He steps closer and Amber nervously fiddles with her hands. Just then, Zeus plows into the hallway, snarling, and stands in front of me. A low growl comes from deep within his chest and fur stands up on his back.
“Back off, Zane. She’s not interested.” Cole’s voice cuts through the tension. Relief comes over me but quickly dissipates when I see his hand move toward the gun strapped on his leg. He unceremoniously sweeps me behind him into Alyssa’s room and reaches to close the door all without ever taking his eyes off Zane. Zeus dashes inside behind me and whines while I stand against the wall. An altercation takes place, but their low voices make it hard to decipher. After a few minutes, Cole reappears.
“What happened?” I ask, trying to mask the fear in my voice.
“Zane’s been reaping victims tonight. You almost became one.” He sits on his cot and attempts to unlace his boots. His fingers fumble with haste so he gives up with an exasperated sigh.