disappeared.”
“Jackie and I heard something and went to check it out, and we found Erin there.”
“Erin?”
“The hybrid. She was...Jackie’s friend. And Rex shot her.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Nick said, looking over at Jackie.
“Yeah, well, so am I,” she said, sniffling. “So am I.”
“We killed the other hybrids,” Kate said, “every single one of them.” She glanced around. “Where’s Asia? We thought she came back.”
I blinked and shrugged. “I haven’t seen her since she left with you.”
“Something’s happened to her,” Claire said, her voice frantic with worry. “Why does she always insist on running off alone? We’ve warned her about that so many times.”
“We’ve gotta go find her,” Nick said.
“I almost got the safe cracked,” Lucas said. “Gimme a second, and I’ll go with you.”
“It’s about time you got that thing opened,” Buddy said, leaning against the wall. “I still say we coulda done it a whole lot quicker with a gun.”
“Yeah, and summoned the lunch line, you idiot,” Nancy said. “Use your brain, man.”
“Not sure that’s possible,” Jackie mumbled, garnering a chuckle from a few of us.
“You can’t shoot open a safe!” Kate said. “This isn’t Hollywood.”
“He’s on the last number,” Nick said.
Lucas’s hand moved slowly over the dial to forty five. A bead of sweat dripped down his face. After a few tense seconds, he smiled.
Click .
“We did it,” he said.
We all clapped and cheered.
Lucas reached into the safe and pulled out all kinds of notes, folders, and notebooks.
“Make sure we got the right stuff,” Val said.
I bit my lip hard. “Just take all of it.”
Lucas looked through some of the notes and nodded. “This is definitely the right stuff.” He stuffed them in a plastic bag, then put them in the backpack he’d brought along.
“Did you get everything?” Buddy asked.
He nodded. “Yup. As they say, it’s in the bag. Let’s go!”
We took off back down the hall and made our way to the place where Nick and the others had been, but there was no sign of Asia.
“Look, your little friend’s probably devoured already. I’m sorry to be so cruel, but we’ve really gotta go,” Buddy said.
Nick looked at him hard. “We leave no man or woman behind,” he said in a stern voice. “When they had Damon, our entire group charged to free him. Now check the floor again!”
Footsteps and moans echoed from down the hall. I pointed my gun out in front of me and took a deep breath as shadows lumbered up ahead.
Val nudged me. “There are too many to fight.”
“I know, but Nick’s right. We can’t leave Asia,” I said.
“We can’t stay either!” Buddy cried out. “Besides, if she was smart, she woulda headed out of this death trap.”
We were really at our wits’ end. If we stayed and fight, without proof that Asia was even there, we were putting all our lives and the cure at potentially unnecessary risk. My guess was that she got separated accidently and moved on. She was a tough cookie, but I feared for her safety with all the gang members, hybrids, and zombies infesting the place. We had to start looking for an exit, but I hoped we would run into her soon or that she’d be waiting for us outside.
“For once, I think the idiot is right,” Nick said. “Come on. Jackie, you lead the way,” he said, since he wasn’t sure which way to go.
Still upset about her friend, she bravely took charge and led us through some corridors, to a stairwell. Along the way, I watched for any movement, knowing some sort of enemy could jump out at us at any moment. We left the stairwell and entered a different part of the building.
I shined my flashlight up high and looked at the big crack spreading across the ceiling. Nick and Lucas let out a few curses. The crack grew in intensity, spreading out like a massive spider web. Seconds later, part of the ceiling dropped, and dust clouded everything around us. Like
“Jackie and I heard something and went to check it out, and we found Erin there.”
“Erin?”
“The hybrid. She was...Jackie’s friend. And Rex shot her.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Nick said, looking over at Jackie.
“Yeah, well, so am I,” she said, sniffling. “So am I.”
“We killed the other hybrids,” Kate said, “every single one of them.” She glanced around. “Where’s Asia? We thought she came back.”
I blinked and shrugged. “I haven’t seen her since she left with you.”
“Something’s happened to her,” Claire said, her voice frantic with worry. “Why does she always insist on running off alone? We’ve warned her about that so many times.”
“We’ve gotta go find her,” Nick said.
“I almost got the safe cracked,” Lucas said. “Gimme a second, and I’ll go with you.”
“It’s about time you got that thing opened,” Buddy said, leaning against the wall. “I still say we coulda done it a whole lot quicker with a gun.”
“Yeah, and summoned the lunch line, you idiot,” Nancy said. “Use your brain, man.”
“Not sure that’s possible,” Jackie mumbled, garnering a chuckle from a few of us.
“You can’t shoot open a safe!” Kate said. “This isn’t Hollywood.”
“He’s on the last number,” Nick said.
Lucas’s hand moved slowly over the dial to forty five. A bead of sweat dripped down his face. After a few tense seconds, he smiled.
Click .
“We did it,” he said.
We all clapped and cheered.
Lucas reached into the safe and pulled out all kinds of notes, folders, and notebooks.
“Make sure we got the right stuff,” Val said.
I bit my lip hard. “Just take all of it.”
Lucas looked through some of the notes and nodded. “This is definitely the right stuff.” He stuffed them in a plastic bag, then put them in the backpack he’d brought along.
“Did you get everything?” Buddy asked.
He nodded. “Yup. As they say, it’s in the bag. Let’s go!”
We took off back down the hall and made our way to the place where Nick and the others had been, but there was no sign of Asia.
“Look, your little friend’s probably devoured already. I’m sorry to be so cruel, but we’ve really gotta go,” Buddy said.
Nick looked at him hard. “We leave no man or woman behind,” he said in a stern voice. “When they had Damon, our entire group charged to free him. Now check the floor again!”
Footsteps and moans echoed from down the hall. I pointed my gun out in front of me and took a deep breath as shadows lumbered up ahead.
Val nudged me. “There are too many to fight.”
“I know, but Nick’s right. We can’t leave Asia,” I said.
“We can’t stay either!” Buddy cried out. “Besides, if she was smart, she woulda headed out of this death trap.”
We were really at our wits’ end. If we stayed and fight, without proof that Asia was even there, we were putting all our lives and the cure at potentially unnecessary risk. My guess was that she got separated accidently and moved on. She was a tough cookie, but I feared for her safety with all the gang members, hybrids, and zombies infesting the place. We had to start looking for an exit, but I hoped we would run into her soon or that she’d be waiting for us outside.
“For once, I think the idiot is right,” Nick said. “Come on. Jackie, you lead the way,” he said, since he wasn’t sure which way to go.
Still upset about her friend, she bravely took charge and led us through some corridors, to a stairwell. Along the way, I watched for any movement, knowing some sort of enemy could jump out at us at any moment. We left the stairwell and entered a different part of the building.
I shined my flashlight up high and looked at the big crack spreading across the ceiling. Nick and Lucas let out a few curses. The crack grew in intensity, spreading out like a massive spider web. Seconds later, part of the ceiling dropped, and dust clouded everything around us. Like
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