After the Ending (26 page)

I wrapped my arms around Harper’s neck and pulled myself
closer to him. The heat of his body soothed me, and I felt more comforted than
I had in days. “I’m sorry,” I apologized through ragged breaths. “I know you
have enough to deal with.”

“It’s okay, Baby Girl. It’s been a long day. You just
need some rest.”

After Harper tucked me into bed, he quietly escaped
through the bedroom door. I glimpsed Jake leaning against the hallway wall
outside of my room. He anxiously looked in at me just as the door shut.

“It’s okay,” Sarah said. I’d forgotten she was lying
beside me. She wrapped her arms around me consolingly, and I was grateful for
her presence. It saddened me to think of leaving her.

I’d always thought I was a relatively strong person, but
looking back at the weeks that had passed, I saw how frail and weak I truly
was.

I fell asleep to the sound of my choking sobs and Sarah
rubbing my back.

The next day, I woke up alone in my bed. I’d slept through
the whole night, not even stirring when Sarah left. As humiliated as I
should’ve been after my complete meltdown, I was just grateful for a full
night’s sleep.

Knowing there was much to do before I left Fort Knox, I
readied myself for the day. After throwing on a sweatshirt, I pulled on a pair
of jeans, ran a brush through my hair, and headed toward the mess hall. I
needed to find Harper—both to thank him and to apologize for commandeering his
briefing—but I could take a few minutes to eat breakfast first.

When I walked in, I found Tanya and Clara chatting
quietly at one of the dining tables. My confidence wavered as I thought of the
gratification my emotional breakdown must’ve given Clara. But I just smiled and
tried to ignore the satisfaction illuminating her face.

“Oh, you’re finally awake,” Clara said, smirking.

I ignored her and looked around for everyone else. Sadly,
the breakfast buffet had already been cleared.
Dammit. What time is it
anyway?

As I stood in the doorway, frowning, Clara sighed
impatiently. When I looked at her, she pointed to a foil-covered plate on the
counter. “For you,” she said and returned to her conversation with Tanya.

Puzzled, I glanced back and forth between her and the
dish, uncertain why she would make me a plate of food.

Clara rolled her eyes. “Harper saved you some breakfast.
If you don’t eat it, I will.” She sounded harsh and irritated, no longer making
any attempt to mask her dislike for me.

I headed over to the plate and uncovered it. I hadn’t
eaten much the night before and was starving, so I carried the small feast of
potatoes, gravy, and biscuits to an empty table and sat.

Tanya rose and walked over to my table. “How are you
doing?” she asked meekly. She was pale and sickly, and she had dark circles
under her eyes, but even in her deteriorating state, her kindness was genuine.

“I’m much better, thanks. How about you?” I hadn’t talked
to her much since the night her sister died.

“I’ve been better, but I’m dealing with it the best I
can.” She squeezed my shoulder before turning to leave. I felt a strange void
inside her, like parts of her—her energy—had been stolen.
Poor girl.

I wasn’t shy as I shoveled the cold food into my mouth,
and after inhaling half of it, I realized something wasn’t right. Amidst the
savory flavors, I could taste something metallic, and my tongue began to
tingle.

Alarmed, I spat out my mouthful of food, but it didn’t
help. As I reached for my glass of water to rinse out my mouth, Clara appeared
beside me and snatched it away.

“I’m not letting you leave with him,” she said
scathingly.

“Get over yourself and give me my fucking water!” I
demanded, but there was a high note of fear in my voice. I stood, trying to
take the glass from her hand.

As my skin touched hers, I saw her memory of what she’d
done—it flashed in my mind like a bolt of lightning, leaving imprints and evil
shadows.

She poisoned me.
She fucking poisoned me!

“Feeling alright?” Clara asked, batting her eyelashes and
smiling innocently.

I hunched over as my stomach gurgled and churned,
tangling into knots. Once again I reached for the water, but she yanked it
away, dumping it out on the floor beside her.

Her grin lingered. “Sorry, I can’t let you do that.”

My stomach cramps worsened, and I broke out into a cold
sweat—I knew I didn’t have much time. I needed to find help.
Tanya has to be
close…

Trying to run for the door, I doubled over in pain and
cried out. Fire seemed to be scorching my insides. Bile rose in my throat, and
I began salivating profusely, unable to swallow. I spat desperately.

“I really hate you, Zoe. I’m not completely sure why, but
I have to admit, this is a very good day for me.” Her cheerful voice was like a
hammer in my head as I twisted and spasmed on the mess hall floor. The cool
cement soothed my hot skin.

My stomach bloated, feeling like it would explode at any
moment. I shoved my index finger down my throat, gagging myself until I threw
up everything I could. Relief was instantaneous, but it was only momentary. I
grew dizzy, and my vision blurred. I tried to scream but only a whimper broke
free. I couldn’t walk—I could only writhe in excruciating pain. I prayed
someone would find me before it was too late.

One last time, I attempted to push myself off the floor,
but my arms gave out. My hair was matted to my face, damp with the bile and
food that had been inside me only moments before. My intestines cramped so
badly that I thought they might rip apart.

Hearing the sound of footsteps in the adjoining hallway,
I felt sudden relief that someone was coming to rescue me, but when long
seconds passed without any other sounds, I realized it had just been Clara walking
away. She had left me there to die, alone.

I thought I heard my father calling for me off in the
distance. “Dad,” I croaked. I could hear Dani and Jason too, but I couldn’t see
any of them.
They’re not here…I’m dying.

My fingers and toes itched and burned, and cold tears
streamed from my eyes. I was in too much pain to cry out, so I silently gasped
for air and hoped each breath wouldn’t be my last.

As my body went numb, my slowing heartbeat thudded in my
ears. The decreasing pain lessened my fear, and I sighed with relief. I
couldn’t remember why I’d been so afraid. Slowly, I drifted into
unconsciousness.

Zoe

I stood among the
giant trees, their carmine trunks rough and thick. They towered
over me like monstrous blades of grass above a tiny ant. It
was peaceful and quiet under their canopy, and white puffs of cottonwood danced
in the breeze, blanketing the giants’ fallen comrades. Their hulking carcasses
rested haphazardly in their forgotten graveyard, strewn about the forest floor
to decay
unmourned
. The moss adorning the trunks was
a welcome sight. It had been too long since I’d seen such vivid, vibrant shades
of life.

I feared the
fantasy would dissolve around me, and it did. Trees were replaced with the
worn, over-stuffed furniture and warm fire of Dave’s cabin. I saw myself
nestled against the arm of the couch, an army-green blanket wrapped around me.
Harper leaned down to hand the other version of myself a steaming mug of tea
before sitting beside Sarah on the opposite couch, smiling. 

The familiar cabin
was replaced with unfamiliar surroundings. Brick walls and modern picture
windows exposed an expansive, twinkling cityscape. An inky body of water
reflected the glowing lights. Soft lighting and smooth jazz filled my senses,
and I caught my breath when I spotted Jason and Sanchez—they were sitting
together at a table with a group of people. My brother laughed and chatted with
Sanchez like they’d been friends forever. She looked beautiful. Her dark blue
jeans hugged her hips, and a tight burgundy
v-neck
sweater emphasized her large breasts. Her lips were rosy, and her cocoa-colored
hair was long with loose curls. She was smiling in a way I’d never seen before,
as was Jason.

I didn’t have much
time to watch them before everything around me changed again. I was suddenly
walking through a deserted hospital. The wide, bright halls were deathly
silent, and my stomach lurched at the rank smell of sickness and decay
permeating the air. A petite blonde woman appeared in the hallway. Wearing
jeans and a red sweatshirt, she wandered restlessly down the hall. She turned
around and a terrifyingly familiar pair of piercing blue eyes stared back at
me.

Clara.

Fear and rage made
my blood boil, scalding my insides.

“You’re taking me
with you, right?” she asked with pleading, troubled eyes.

Turning to discover
who Clara was talking to, I found Jake standing before me. His forlorn
expression was heartbreaking—it was the same look he’d worn when he’d mentioned
his sister. He nodded, and they too dissolved from sight.

I woke momentarily, a muted pain thrumming through my
body. I tried to recall what had happened to me. I couldn’t understand why I
felt heavy and numb…why my mind was so garbled. Blinding light burned my eyes
when I struggled to open them.

Sanchez and Jake moved hastily above me. Hands on the
bare skin of my stomach startled me, pushing and prodding for something.

“Is it like she said it would be?” Sanchez asked softly.

“She wasn’t specific,” Jake answered.

Foggily, I wondered what they were talking about.

“God…I hope she was right about the other part too,”
Sanchez said before their voices faded away.

Struggling to remain conscious, I could vaguely see
Harper through my veil of dark lashes. I could sense his urgency, a wave of
panic washing over me. Immediately, it was dulled by a sleepy fog that was
settling in my head.

The metal table was cold against my bare skin, rousing my
body out of its dormant state. A faint odor of blood piqued my anxiety, and I
felt my body tense. Warm fingers rested on my forehead, exuding calmness.

I felt hands on my arm. It was Biggs; I could feel his
steady energy through his gentle touch. His concern put me at ease, and as it
did, unconsciousness grabbed hold of me again, pulling me back into darkness.

I was alone again,
lying on a hard, cold floor in a blackened room. My body was paralyzed, and I
tried to scream, but my mouth was sewn shut.

I heard Clara’s
gloating words before she appeared above me. “I told you I’d get my way.” Her
bright blue eyes twinkled with devilish delight, and her mouth curled into a
broad smile.

“What’s wrong—too
dead to speak?” she taunted.

A flood gate
opened, and the horrifying reality of my impending death came rushing back to
me. My stomach burned, and my mouth watered as I struggled to breathe. Clara
stood over me…watching me die.

Like she’d been
summoned by my dying brain, Dani appeared beside me. A look of ferocity
hardened her pixie-like features. “You didn’t get me, and you can’t have her!”
Dani seethed as she crouched to slice the stitches from my lips with a
razor-sharp blade.

“Dani!” I screamed, surging forward. I grabbed my throat;
inside, it felt raw. My chest heaved, and my eyes refocused as I tried to make sense
of my surroundings. The room was dim and quiet, and I was alone. A single
wardrobe stood in front of me, and realistic depictions of seascapes and people
decorated the walls—my drawings. I was in my room…at Fort Knox.

“I’m glad to see
you’re awake,”
I heard Sanchez say in my head.

Still in a haze of drowsiness, I looked over to see her
standing in the doorway. A care-free, fun image of her flashed through my mind.
Sanchez…and Jason.

“How are you feeling?” she asked quietly as she stepped
into my room. I saw something in her eyes I’d never noticed before—a friendly,
concerned look that made me feel closer to her. I remembered she’d been shot,
but she looked recovered enough.

“You’re awake!” Sarah exclaimed, her voice bouncing
around in my head as she hurried into the room. She set a glass of water on the
desk and ran over to me. “How’re you feeling?”

I tried not to whimper as Sarah wrapped me tightly in her
arms, but my body ached all over, and a few small sounds leaked out. Noticing
my discomfort, Sarah released me, easing me back down with hands on my
shoulders. “I’ll go get the guys and tell them you’re awake. Now we can start!”
She abruptly ran out of the room.

I watched her leave, then looked at Sanchez. “Clara—”

“—is locked away. Don’t worry about her now. You need to
rest,” Sanchez said as she moved closer to my bed, resting her hand on my leg
to reassure me. She was studying me like a complex equation was written across
my face.

“She poisoned me,” I recalled aloud. Every word scraped
the inside of my throat like a barbed wire, and my head was pounding.

“I know, but we’ve got her under control, Zoe. You’re
safe now. We all are.” I knew that wasn’t exactly true, but I appreciated the
sentiment.

Hearing chatter and footsteps in the hall outside of my room,
I let out a deep sigh, leaned back against my pillow, and smiled. It was nice
to have so many caring people around. However, a rush of emotions and concern
flooded my mind, and my throbbing headache worsened.

“There’s my girl,” Harper said, a forced smile plastered
on his face as he walked through the door.

Biggs followed, and Dave, Stacey, and Tanya trailed
behind him, one-by-one. Their smiling faces were contagious, and I couldn’t
help but grin as they all schlepped in to see me. The only person I hadn’t seen
was Jake, but I brushed my disappointment away.

Dave sat on the end of the bed, his hair curling around
the edges of his baseball cap. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m a little confused,” I admitted. “How long was I
asleep?”

“Three days, but they’ve been taking good care of you.”
Dave’s smirk was easy and cocky—the way it used to be.

“It’s good to see you’re awake,” Stacey sighed. “Harper
said you shouldn’t have ma—”

“Stacey,” Biggs said, cutting her off.

“But she’s—”

“She needs rest.” Sanchez’s tone was the only directive
Dave, Stacey, and Biggs needed before turning to leave with sullen smiles and
dragging feet.

As they filed out, I glanced at Harper. Our eyes met
briefly before he looked away. His avoidance was making me so anxious I was
practically jumping out of my skin.

“Whatever it is, just tell me,” I said.

“
Calm down, Zoe. You’re fine,”
Sanchez said in my
mind again.

“It doesn’t seem like it.” I stared at Harper, willing
him to tell me what was making everyone act so weird.

He eyed me warily, probably wondering what I’d been
talking about when I’d responded to Sanchez. “You shouldn’t have survived,” he
finally confessed.

I shook my head in confusion. “I don’t get it. Is it a
bad thing that I did?”

He began to pace in the cramped space. “No, Zoe, of
course not! It’s just that…by the time we finished, you weren’t even breathing.
Your heart stopped…your kidneys and liver shut down before I…Jake pushed me to
keep going and…he was right.” Harper was beside himself. He looked at me,
mystified. “We did the transfusion, and it worked. Miraculously, it worked,” he
said in awe, like he was still trying to figure how I’d survived.

“Transfusion? You had to give me a blood transfusion?”

“Yeah, you were so far gone…your body shouldn’t have
accepted it, whether he has type O or not, but it was the only option we had
left.”

He?
My heartbeat quickened. “Whose blood?” I
asked, already assuming it was Jake.

Harper ignored my question and continued berating
himself. “I thought you were too far gone for it to work,” Harper repeated.
“But…” The sorrow in his eyes was nothing compared to the remorse I knew he
felt. “I wasn’t going to continue. If I hadn’t listened to Jake…”

“But you did. You saved my life, H. If it weren’t for
you
and Jake, I
would
be dead.” I swallowed painfully. “I can’t imagine how
to thank you for what you did.”

Stopping at my bedside and looking down at me, Harper let
a gracious, authentic smile transform his face. He sat on the bed and pulled me
into his arms. “You scared the shit out of me, Baby Girl.”

I grimaced as Harper’s hold tightened around me, but
relief at being alive trumped my discomfort.

“I just don’t get it,” Harper whispered.

“It was Jake’s blood,” I said, my eyes meeting Sanchez’s.
They didn’t know about Jake’s remarkable ability to heal. “You haven’t talked
to him about any of this?”

Harper loosened his embrace and pulled away. “What do you
mean?” Both he and Sanchez were looking at me, bemused.

I shook my head, not feeling completely comfortable with
sharing someone else’s secret. “You haven’t talked to him about this?” I
repeated.

“No, I just thought…” Harper looked back at Sanchez who
stood at the foot of my bed. “I don’t know what I thought.”

I watched Sanchez and Harper a while, waiting for them to
fit the puzzle pieces together.

“You think it’s Jake’s blood,” Sanchez eventually said.
“You think his blood healed you.”

I nodded.

Harper watched me closely. “What do you know, Zoe?”

I looked over at Sanchez, who turned away quietly, gazing
out the window into the darkness.

“Tell him, whatever
it is,”
Sanchez said.
“It’s time to
figure this shit out.”

Given the green light, I told Harper everything I knew. I
told him about Jake’s injuries and how they’d healed too quickly, and that at one
point both Taylor and Johnson had thought he was dead. And I told him about
Sanchez’s voice in my head. I knew that between Jake, Sanchez, and me, we
weren’t just freaks—we were part of something bigger.

“Where was I during all of this?” Harper asked in
disbelief. He glanced back and forth between Sanchez and me.

“Around.” I waved a hand in Sanchez’s direction. “I don’t
know why she didn’t tell you about her thing, but I never told you about Jake
because…well, I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right. And obviously Jake
hasn’t been very forthcoming with
any
information, so I wouldn’t expect
him to tell you.”
How’s Jake going to react to them knowing?

“He had to know we’d figure it out,” Sanchez said, deep
in thought.

“He knew it was the only way to save you.” Harper shook
his head, seemingly unsurprised. “Is there anyone else you know about? Anything
you’ve seen that might help us understand what others might be capable of…or
dealing with?”

I shook my head, completely forgetting about Dani’s
people, and downed another glass of water, thinking about Jake. The immensity
of what he’d done—saved my life again—weighed heavily on my mind. I didn’t know
what the hell to do about it. Thanking him was like extracting teeth from the
back of a bear’s mouth—intimidating and dangerous. I figured he would play it
off like it was nothing more than the right thing to do, infuriating me in the
process.

“
Stop worrying, Zoe
,” Sanchez told me as she
turned to leave. “
We’ll figure all this out together…later.”
My head was
pounding, and my eyelids were drooping.  

I felt Harper’s hand on my forehead and slowly opened my
eyes.

He smiled his warm, Harper smile. “Get some rest, Baby
Girl.” A peaceful calm spread over me, relaxing the tension in my body. My
cluttered thoughts dispersed like waves receding from the shore. He was calming
me through his thoughts.

I smiled up at him. “How do you do that?” I whispered.

With a faint shrug, he said, “I’m glad it’s been
working.” The warmth of his palm on my forehead soothed me, and I felt sleep
pulling me under.

Heavy footfalls broke the silence, and I heard the deep,
muted rumble of Jake’s surly voice. “How is she?”

“She’s tired, but perfectly fine,” Sanchez reassured him.

My eyelids flew open again, though I could barely keep
them that way. My body felt light, and sleep tugged persistently at my
consciousness. “Jake,” I whispered, trying to stop myself from falling asleep
mid-word.