Chapter 19

Part III: Emergence

If the radio is dead, then we're no different. The window cracks. Smithereens of glass scratch across the floor. Overhead beams rattle and shake, lending their momentum to the flimsy walls. We huddle into a suffocating mass of bodies—shoulder presses to shoulder, and thigh rubs against thigh. Our breaths come in short, frantic bursts.

No one speaks.

Light impales the dirt-stained glass above, scuttling across the concrete until it cooks our skin. Splotches of purple and blue fill my vision. I plaster my back against the wall, wishing I could melt into it. Heat flashes split the horizon. The golden streaks electrify the sky like glowing live wires. Bolts of orange and green emerge from its core, spreading into scant layers between the clouds. Dust sweeps the ground with a mocking roar as it travels over us.

The last we heard from the radio was about Eorius burning out, and it also warned of Raiders. There was no other explanation before the transmission got cut off.

Gwen squeezes me and buries her face in the crook of my neck. She shuts her eyes so tightly that her cheeks start to tremble. "When I wake up, will everything be okay again?" she asks weakly. I brush her fringe away from her face. The truth gnaws away at me, but I can't bring myself to say it. Her fever burns through my shirt, and her cold sweat drips onto my skin. Philip, the boy we found wandering outside, curls up in a chair. Both of them are false immunes.

They walked outside the bunker a few minutes ago, trying to find shelter after being caught in the explosion. I've healed them already, so their skin is almost back to normal except for a few scars.

Once they have cool towels on their foreheads, Mateo hands me a clay bowl of nasty brown froth that he made. The poison acts fast but is short-lived. I dip my knife inside until a thin layer hardens over the metal, watching our latest addition from the corner of my eye. After Gwen and Philip, another false immune found her way to us. She doesn't remember her name, so she tells us to call her Cass since that was her friend's name. Now, she sits quietly in the corner with a tattered notebook, not even flinching as mayhem rages on outside.

"Just in case you find anything," he pauses and gestures outside, "well, you're sure you don't want us to come with you?"

I shake my head and walk away, climbing the ladder to the trapdoor above.

"Better close that tightly," Cass says. Nodding, I unlatch it and step outside.

A storm threatens to roll in. Lightning splits the sky, forming cracks among the billowing clouds. The wind stirs up my hair and lashes against my face as I crouch and search the ground. The heavy stench of copper hangs in the air, leaving behind a burgundy trail of evidence leading to the supplies room—Raider blood. As the odor intensifies, I scrunch up my nose and breathe through my mouth.

Raiders are the false immunes who steal anything they can get their hands on, all while making their way to the old Capital City just ahead. Most of them were part of the nightmare experiments, robbing them of their ability to speak. Instead, they became animals with the thick fur that now covers their skin. With jade-green eyes like a viper's and mutations that give them venomous claws, heading outside isn't the best idea. Yet, it's the only thing we can do or risk starvation.

Once I'm sure that the coast is clear, I climb back inside with my fingers still wound tautly around my knife.

Mateo's face is flushed with sweat. Gwen shivers beneath the covers. She wails and swats at the air frantically, her skin alive with bright red welts. Philip is starting to hyperventilate. We crowd around them, and I squeeze my way to the front. For a moment, the two figures on the bed seem unrecognizable. They keep staring at the ceiling while their bodies convulse. I reach out to touch Gwen. She turns to me with wild hysteria as she foams at the mouth.

Saliva spews everywhere while she jerks and flails against Mateo and Cass while they pin her down. Her nails leave deep scratches on their skin.

"If we leave now, we can reach the city by dawn. See if we can get some medications," I say dryly while Mateo falls into step next to me. Pulling me aside, he drags me down the hallway until the confused chatter and shouts fade away. He grips my shoulders so tightly that they're starting to hurt. "Get the food first. The meds aren't worth the risk if they're not along the way."

"We'll have to try."

"What's up with you? Helping those kids isn't your job, and you can't even do that if we're hardly keeping ourselves alive. We took them in. That's the end of the story. You can't save everyone, Aria, and I think we both learned that the hard way."

My lip burns from incessant gnawing, and a searing rage surges through my muscles. "I know that, Matt."

Still, I'm not backing down. He studies my expression, sighing as he lets me go. Just before Eorius exploded full force, Mateo opened the door and risked a peek outside. That's when I heard the unmistakable groaning of the next wall, and I watched as it moved to reveal the old Capital City. Though little of it remains since the bombs hit, the collapsed buildings and scaffoldings are still recognizable. Strangely, it's also quite accessible. The roads and streets look as good as new now, possibly repaired for us to get there.

I'm guessing that's where we're supposed to go, and it's also our best bet for medications. With a sigh, Mateo disappears into the supplies room. He emerges with a meager stash of rations wrapped up in a cloth and two canteens of water.

When we've stepped back into the living area, Gwen and Philip aren't struggling. They're still staring at the ceiling with blank expressions. Jax and Cass wield their weapons, which are mainly sharpened blades tied to sturdy sticks. They pace around the room, looking up at the window just in case the Raiders burst through.

"I'll stay here, and you'll go with Jax," Mateo says. "There's a way to save them, but I'll need to gather the herbs from the outside first. I saw some earlier."

Jax scrubs a hand over his face and nods, handing his makeshift weapon to Mateo before heading to the door. We don't speak the whole way to the city. Any attempts at small talk are promptly snuffed out by the bleakness of the explosion. I don't know if this comes from the artificial sky or the area beyond the dome. Anyway, it's not like any of that matters anymore.

A lone figure stumbles in the rain. Suddenly, there are dozens. They stagger on the sidewalks, arms grasping desperately at the air. Some scream and shout, while others sit in the middle of the road, waiting to be run over by imaginary vehicles. All of them have bright red welts, similar to what Gwen has. Their craterous skin leaks pus and a whitish liquid. We veer away from the main path before anyone collides with us.

"They must've been out when the explosion happened." I peer from around the corner, where more are starting to gather. They exchange gibberish among themselves before falling to the ground.

He shrugs. "Maybe they're false immunes too, and I think the radiation is getting to their brains. They don't seem right to me."

Everything is wrong, even the nights and days. I don't even remember when was the last time I'd slept. Tugging on his hand, I lead the way through the narrow alleyways and into the streets. The old neighborhoods may still have some mobile clinics. That'll be our best bet. My head is starting to throb, and my legs ache as the granite digs into my soles.

"Stay away from me." A voice comes from somewhere over to our left. "Stay away," he repeats, seeming weaker than before. Near one of the entrances to the homes, a man lies there. Much of his skin is burned away to reveal raw flesh, and I force myself to hold his gaze. "Leave now, and don't come back. When it's the end, you'll die."

"What happened to the people here?" Jax asks.

"They've...gone mad," The man wheezes and breaks into a coughing fit. Somehow, he manages to choke out a few more words. "Kill me, p-please."

I press a hand to his forehead, hoping it's enough to heal him, but he's already gone. We quickly back away and focus on the way ahead.

Past the outskirts, we cross an iron gate busted open with the locks broken and tossed to the wayside. Its metal bars are bent and charred. Beyond that, the apartment charred to a crisp or melted away. We split up, starting from the middle section of blocks and working our way to the sides. There's nothing except row after row of buildings and a communal space near the back. From where I stand, there's no sign of anything except a wasteland of concrete, scaffolding, and shattered glass.

"No luck here." Jax walks back to join me.

We continue through the streets. I keep my eyes peeled for abandoned mobile clinics. Each one is pill-shaped, with a whole consignment of medical supplies hooked to the back. Its windows are tinted for privacy. The caravans are fitted with alarm systems just in case anyone tries to steal the medications, but I doubt the added security matters now. Except for the wrecked vehicles at the side of the road, there's nothing. Not even a parking area where I imagine the clinics would be.

As Eorius's heat starts beating down on us, we pause under a sheltered rest area. I'm starving as I'd never known before. Our tiny portion of Mateo's nutrient mixes makes my stomach claw at itself. It hurts to see that I still have to save some for later. My legs are dead beneath me. They barely flinch while mosquitoes feast, and my hands are doing a miserable job swiping them away. We've been walking for over two hours now.

Jax brushes away the sweaty strands from my face, concern knitting his brows together. "What if all this was for nothing?"

I want to say that he's wrong, but I stop myself. It's one thing to be optimistic and another to be delusional. "Hopefully, it isn't," I finally say. As soon as the doubt starts creeping into my mind, I brush it away.

When we reach the end of the town, the sky is already a deep midnight blue. "Do you see that?" Jax points to a structure several streets over. I follow the direction of her finger to what seems like a facility of sorts. Even from here, I can tell it's a psychiatric hospital.

"I don't think—"

He presses his lips to mine, pulling away with a wry grin as he tugs me along.

"Is that how you get me to stop talking?" I ask, chuckling.

A sly smile spreads across his face, but he doesn't say anything else while we draw nearer to the hospital. Up close, the structure looks like a prison with barbed wire fences. Dust smothers us as we pull the door open. We search everything—the drawers, cupboards, and anything that can hide some pills. "Well, this is better than nothing," I say while dangling several packets of painkillers at him. He smiles and continues her search. It won't eliminate the symptoms, but Gwen and Philip will be knocked out cold.

While we walk through the hallway, a sliver of white appears out of nowhere. It swirls and swishes against the pitch-black backdrop. Then, it's gone. I go still while the silence engulfs us. After a while, Jax shifts forward again.

"Don't move," I mouth the words and grip my dagger hard, but a claw slashes my arm, and the knife clatters to the ground. A flash of yellow eyes, teeth, and claws emerges from the waning light. The creatures back us against the wall. Teeth sink into my arm until hot saliva drips onto my flesh and stings the fresh bite wounds. I cry out, kicking and thrashing with everything I have. Under the light, I catch glimpses of coarse fur. Sharp canines dig into my body until it feels like my limbs have been torn apart. Their breaths reek of rotting meat and natural decay. More movement helps me piece together what they look like—emaciated bodies, savage canines, and bare tails. They're wild, mutated dogs.

Two of them had my arms, while another tried my right leg. My knees buckle. I keep my arms in front of me, shoving my limbs into their teeth. My mind screams at me through the haze of agony. Pull away, get up and run. No. That'll make them attack more. Instead, I let my arms slacken and my legs stop kicking. Through the ravenous noises, whimpers drift from the adjacent room, and my ears strain to hear them again. Puppies. At least, that's what I think they are.

For a moment, their grip on my limbs loosens. They cock their ears, and one of them drops my arm. The other two maintain their death grip on me. I taste blood as it trickles down my cheek. All around me, it's slippery and smells like iron. Growling noises fill my ears once again, and my head snaps up. They eye me warily. The last dog plops my leg down and licks its lips. Gradually, they back away to the room where the puppies are. Baring their canines, they form a defensive line of bodies between us.

Wincing, I get on my feet. Jax lies a few steps away from me but doesn't move. I bend down, letting my hand travel over his wounds to heal him. He groans loudly. His face and body are all scratched to a flowing vision of crimson. Slowly, I help him get up, and we stumble to the open door. The dogs blend seamlessly into the darkness again. Once we're a decent distance away, something vibrates in my pocket.

It's coming from the tracker that Meredith gave us. I hand it to Jax just as a voice message begins playing.

"I see you. Meet me across the street, and I'll explain everything. Get to the first house."

Looking just ahead, my gaze settles on the cracked asphalt, but it still feels like it could stretch for ages. Our walk has been reduced to hobbles and limps by the time we make it to the main streets.

The buildings here are cavernous, seeming to teeter on their slanting pillars and loosened foundations. They lean over and watch as we drag ourselves to the nearest house. An exo energy lamp illuminates the porch, its light spilling over the steps leading to a heavy, wooden door. I glimpse a wall calendar through the broken window, the yellowed page reflecting some red, crossed-out dates.

A few steps later, we're huffing in a cold sweat. I need one arm to support the other to ring the doorbell. Jax sinks to the floor as Meredith rushes over to us. Somehow, I stumble up and help him onto the makeshift couch. Meredith breathes out a deep sigh. "This is why I need to get both of you out of here while we have the chance."

"You're always talking about getting outside, but there's no way to break the dome in the first place," Jax grumbles.

I stare blankly at Meredith, my mouth too numb for words. She inspects our wounds with a shaky sigh and shakes her head. Meredith's eyes hold a question, but I can't answer while my body repairs itself. Gritting my teeth, I gesture toward Jax instead. She rolls up a small towel for him to bite as she injects a pale gray liquid into his arm, and he tightens his grip on my hand.

Meredith chews on her lip, frowning as she studies his closing wounds. "That was a new drug that heals injuries quickly," she lowers her voice and adds, "I managed to save some from the labs today."

"Mom, that's a nice way of saying you stole it." Jax's lips twitch into a half-smile.

Meredith sighs as she helps me to sit up. Her blonde hair frames her face perfectly, and her deep-set eyes search mine. Mateo and Jax must've gotten their sculpted faces and sharp noses from her. Jax settles on the edge of his seat, still slightly dazed, as Meredith plops back in her chair. "Proxy should've stopped the Trials when Eorius exploded, but they're continuing like nothing's happened."

"Those people in the city, are they—"

Meredith settles in the seat facing us and stares bleakly at the screen. "Yes, they're mutating. Soon, they'll lose their minds and die. Whatever attacked you were also affected." At first, I wait for her to speak again, telling us another explanation or that the reports are false. Instead, she folds her arms and looks down. She was a researcher working for Proxy, but she quit after Jax's father, and Mateo were shot in the snow. Until now, she still hacks into the Proxy network to get the latest updates. There's no way she ever gets these things wrong.

Jax swallows nervously in the silence, his gaze darting to mine briefly before finding Meredith's worried gaze. He rubs his neck awkwardly, growing uncomfortable beneath her curious stare. "Matt is alive."

He ripped the band-aid off and opened the can of worms. Meredith inhales sharply, the uncertainty flickering in her wary expression. "That's what I thought too. No evidence, just my gut feeling that he's somewhere out there," she lets out a deep sigh, wringing her hands on her lap, "but even then, we can be wrong too."

"He's here, and—"

"Jax, I'm sure he's just a boy who looks like him." She holds up a hand to stop Jax from saying more. "Come to the infirmary station tomorrow. Follow Eorius. An explosion doesn't mean the star goes away, but it'll be smaller for a while."

With that, she sends us on our way. Somehow, I've got a feeling that we should've waited for a while before telling her, and perhaps, it would've been better if Mateo had been here.