7

"We have to save him!" I yelled at Ronan because he was just standing there doing nothing.

"Hailey," Luke uttered in a gentle tone. "There's nothing you can do for me." He uttered in a husky tone. "The virus is already in my system." He muttered under his breath and I shook my head at him. 

"No, there has to be something." I angrily cried out. 

"Hailey-" Ellie tried to calm me down but I shrugged off the hand that she had placed on my shoulder.

"How have you all just accepted that he's going to die? That there's nothing we can do about it?" I wildly asked them. 

"Because there is nothing you can do about it." Luke stopped me so I slowly turned around to face him.

"What does that mean?" I angrily asked him and he removed his gaze from mine, like someone who was lying. 

"I'm the virologist, Hailey. And I have been in this room working on a cure since last night. You're studying biology, you know what goes into creating a cure. It takes months if not years." He argued with me.

"And how have you not turned yet?" I wildly asked him. "What is going on, Luke? How are you still okay?" I questioned him in confusion. 

"I have a serum that can help but it's not gonna last forever." He grunted in pain. 

"Then make more serum!" I yelled at him and he just tiredly looked up at me with tears in his eyes. He was sitting on a chair, he still had his lab coat on and his hair was unusually messy. 

"Give us a moment." Luke told the group and Ronan blankly looked between the two of us. He shook his head before leaving the room and the rest followed him outside. 

"Luke- what are we gonna do?" I asked him with tears in my eyes. 

"Nothing, Hailey." He uttered in a gentle tone. 

"What do you mean, nothing? Open the door, Luke." I begged him and he lightly shook his head at me. 

"I can't, Hailey. I don't want to hurt you." He uttered before clenching his jaw and I shook my head at him. 

"You won't. You'd never hurt me, Luke." I told him and he just silently watched me. "Please," I begged him and he wordlessly pressed a button and the glass door slid open. 

I pulled him into a tight hug and he brushed his hand over my hair in a comforting manner while placing kisses down my neck. 

I took his face into my hands to take a good look at him and our eyes locked. 

"You have to do something, Luke. I can't lose you." I begged him and his lips came crashing down against mine. 

But-

I couldn't kiss him back. 

Still, something about the way he wrapped his arms around me, made me feel so safe and at home. 

I slowly pulled back from him before taking a step back. 

"We can't- Ronan-" I softly uttered and Luke nodded in understanding. 

"I'm sorry." He cleared his throat before sitting down behind his computer. 

"Me too." I shortly responded and that's when the door behind us opened again. Ellie came walking over to us before letting out a heavy sigh. 

"We've cleared the building so there are no more infected. And- the guys are busy getting rid of the bodies." Ellie informed us. "Have you guys made any progress yet?" She carefully asked us. 

"No," I quickly responded. "We were just talking-" I uttered and Ellie's eyes widened with something like realisation. 

"Oh-" she uttered in shock. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you guys." She softly stated and Luke cleared his throat from behind me. I swiftly turned around and looked up at him. 

"Hailey thinks I should continue working on a cure." Luke told Ellie and she nodded in understanding. 

"How's that going?" 

"Shitty. It's like I have everything I need to make the cure yet something is still missing. And I can't find out what it is." He stated before looking at me.

"I'll help you find the missing piece to this puzzle." I told him. 

"Yeah but it's not that easy. I need the blood of someone who's immune to virus and finding that someone would be like searching for a needle in a haystack." He uttered with a look of concern on his face. 

"We should keep the radios on in that case. They might mention something on there if there is someone who's immune to the NecroVirus." Ellie uttered.

"Ellie's right." I uttered in realization. 

"By the way did my dad come here by any chance?" I asked Luke and he frowned at me. 

"Michael? No, I haven't seen Michael in over a year." Luke uttered in confusion. 

"What? But he said he was heading Upstate to meet up with you. Apparently you guys were working on a project together." 

"I haven't seen him, Hailey. I've been down here at the lab for almost six months now. I dropped out of college, I thought Ronan or Coop would've told you." 

"We stopped talking to each other a long time ago." I blankly uttered.

"Have you tried contacting your dad?" He asked me with a frown on his forehead. 

"There's no reception." I tiredly uttered. 

"I have wifi." He stated and my eyes lit up at his words. "Go ahead." He pointed to his laptop and I quickly entered my details to check my emails. 

"There's a message! He responded!" I yelled and Ellie beamed with happiness. 

"Read it," she encouraged me so I clicked on the email. 

I decided to read the email in my head before I'd read it out loud to them. 

Hailey-Jade, I hope this message finds you well. I think it would be better for you to stay as far away from me as possible. 

I'm okay, Hailey-Jade.

You don't need to worry about me anymore. I'm better off on my own. I've made many mistakes in my life but none as big as this. I hope you'll be able to forgive me when the truth finally comes out. Tell Oliver that I love him if you ever see him again. 

I love you, babygirl. More than the sun loves the moon. Stay alive, Hailey-Jade.

Love, Michael.

"What?" I muttered under my breath. "What does this mean?" I asked before stepping away from the computer and Luke went over to read the email that my dad had sent me. Ellie joined him and they both seemed puzzled by what they were reading. 

"So he doesn't want to be found?" Ellie asked us in confusion. 

"That's what it says." Luke uttered in disappointment. "What the hell have you done Michael?" He muttered under his breath. 

"Can I contact my parents too?" Ellie asked Luke and he nodded at her. 

"Of course, go ahead." He told her before coming over to pull me into a hug. I cried into his chest because I didn't know what else to do.

I can't not go looking for him. He's my dad. "I'm going after him, Luke." I stated, determined to see things through. 

"He doesn't want to be found, Hailey-Jade." 

"I don't care! I need to know the truth. I don't care if I have to go look for him by myself but I will find him." I pointedly told him. 

"I'll come with you." Ellie smiled at me. 

"Me too." Cooper uttered from where he was standing in the door. 

"What's going on?" Ronan asked me with a light frown on his forehead. 

"My dad has responded to my message." I told him and he frowned over at Luke. 

"You're not contained anymore?" He uttered in suspicion. 

"The serum keeps the symptoms of the virus at a low. I'm fine for now." He explained and Ronan clenched his jaw before he came over to us. He blankly read my dad's email before running a hand over his head.

"Do you know what this means?" Ronan asked me so I shook my head at him.

"No, but I'm sure as hell going to find out." I uttered and a smile tugged at his lips. 

"Is that right?" He asked me in amusement and I nodded at him. "Then count me in too, Princess." He smirked at me and butterflies filled my chest. 

"You should go talk to Oliver. Share the bad news with him." Ronan suggested and I nodded at him. I looked up at Luke and he seemed angry. 

Or jealous, maybe... I had no clue.

I quietly left the room and made my way downstairs. In search for Oliver. God knows how I'll relay our dad's message to him without pissing him off.