Wisteria (Wisteria Series) (13 page)

Where was she?
Now he could hear her flirting with the scavengers, dungeon dwellers who had tried repeatedly to break into the Hunter Tower. Here he was, stuck in this dank and smelly room, waiting as the poison that was meant to kill him made its way out of his body. He wished he was not alone. The only connection he had to the world was that short, dark-eyed girl who insisted on trying to play that out of tune guitar. At least she’d given that up.

Thinking back to the people who had broken into his den, he guessed they had to be Red Phoenix. But the Family had assured him the last of those insane Terrans were dead. Red Phoenix were the worst sort of Terrans. They worked for whichever Terran government and organization would help them destroy the Family.
How could it be that they were still alive?

There was no way he would’ve come to Terran, or at least he would’ve setup a piron net making them practically undetectable to Terrans. He regretted being lax now, as having piron nets made common sense, because they protected the Family’s dens. The green hazy fog of the piron net around buildings and locations made them undetectable to humans and their technology. Once a person, human or Famila, had visited a place that had a piron net, they’d forget how they’d even arrived there and where it was, while still remembering their time there.

He also wouldn’t have set up his den on the Hunter Tower’s penthouse. The Family never made those kinds of mistakes.

His head started to hurt as he forced himself to think. Whatever the darts contained made it hard for him to concentrate. As he lay back down, he thought back to the cohort, Felip and Enric. They had to be safe. Enric would ensure Felip survived. Bach was supposed to have secured them before leaving. If anything happened to them, it would be his fault—all his fault.

Banging his aching head against the pillow as he thought back, he fought to recall what made him abandon them when he could’ve easily saved them.

“How are you feeling?” Wisteria entered.

Her, the scavenging opportunist.
He’d been distracted by her. He remembered now. Because he’d had to save her, a Terran, he couldn’t save the people who were important.

“Try and eat something?” she asked.

“No, I do not need anything expect for rest.”

“Bach, at least eat a little. You’re not going to feel any better starving to death.” Lighting a candle, she placed it next to him on the floor by the mattress.

“This place smells like a toilet,” he complained. “No, it smells worse. How did you come to bring me to such a place?”

“Bach, you picked this place. And we were lucky these people let us in during a swarm. The biters would’ve eventually picked up our scent.”

“Your scent, Wisteria, not mine. The infected are only attracted to the pungent stench of Terrans.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Let me break this down for you.” It was typical for Terrans to be so easily confused. “You should have just left me on the street instead of bringing me to this hole.” This wasn’t where the Sen-son was supposed to be. If the Family saw Bach here, he’d be thoroughly humiliated.

“Well, I was able to get some water and a little food.”

“What is it?”

“Biscuits and sardines.” She waved the food at him like she was mocking him.

“Stop.” He grabbed her wrist. “I am not going to eat that.”

“Listen, you haven’t eaten in three days and this is all the food I could get for both of us. If you don’t eat it, then there’s nothing else.”

“I do not eat biscuits and I do not like fish.”

“Are you allergic or are you just being a baby?”

“I am not an animal,” he blurted out, and immediately became tired. “Just go.”

“Listen, even you need to eat.” She put the food down beside him.

“What do you mean, even me?”

“I mean it’s obvious you’re different. You jumped out of the penthouse floor window and we didn’t die and like you said, the biters can’t sense you. It’s almost like you’re—”

“Different?” he sneered at her. “So, I am some sort of mutant freak or an abomination?” The last Terran to call him different locked Bach and his wounded mother in a cage for nine months and tortured them. Bach was a child at the time and not fully aware of what he could do, otherwise he would’ve just left with his mother.

“I didn’t say you were a mutant. I was saying that you were—”

“Different, yes, I heard you. Thank you for your observation. I appreciate your honesty.”

“Bach, I wasn’t trying to insult you.”

“I will eat your food, but you have to leave me alone and stop disturbing me.” He croaked the words out.

She chewed on her bottom lip and looked worried. “Fine, I’ll see you later.” Placing a plastic bottle in his hand, she left the room without another word.

Even though she tried to appear happy, he knew he had hurt her. He hadn’t intended to, but then she’d called him a monster. She was the Terran, practically a beast and yet she still thought he was the freak. If he’d just renewed her when he wanted to at least then she’d be in awe of him and not acting like serving him was a chore. “Wisteria,” he called to her, but the door had closed.

Great
. Once again, he was alone with not even her present so she could pretend she cared about him. Sitting up, he reached for the food she’d placed by his bed and his stomach rumbled. Though the food seemed unappetizing, he tore open the packaging and devoured it all in seconds. Then, he dropped back on the mattress and fell asleep.

Some hours later, he woke up and sensed he was getting stronger. The food, coupled with the sleep, seemed to kick-start his regeneration. This relieved Bach. Normally, he could regenerate and recover from injury or an illness on his own, but the poison the Red Phoenix had given him required a little more.

As he regenerated, it began to dawn on him how badly he’d treated Wisteria. The Terran was only trying to help him, and he hadn’t been the most good-natured patient.
Wait, had he eaten her food as well?
Looking around, he found there was nothing left for her. Once he was fully regenerated, they would go to
the den in Hammond Village.
There would be plenty for her there.

The bedroom door had opened and she came in carrying a brighter light. She shone it into his eyes. “You spend a lot of time in bed.”

“Wisteria, I did not mean to say…” he muttered, and covered his eyes to block out the light as it hurt his eyes.

“I’m not your girlfriend,” the speaker snickered. “I don’t sound anything like her, neither.”

Sitting up, he saw a young girl smoking a cigarette as she walked up to him with a lantern. No, she didn’t smell like Wisteria either. The little girl smelled like the rest of this place: dank.

“You look really pale. Are you okay?” She stood in front of his mattress.

“I feel fine.”

“I think you have the crazy fever.” She exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“You are called Mel?” He’d heard her talking several times outside in the hall.

“Yeah, and you are?” More smoke emanated with each word.

“Next time you want to come in here, you knock.” Getting up, he plucked the cigarette out of her mouth. “And never smoke in my presence.”

“Who do you think you are, old man? Just because Garfield’s shagging your girl and you’re about to go mental doesn’t mean you can touch me or take my stuff. Now give me back my cigarette.” Mel grabbed at the cigarette.

“Who? The boy with the bow?”

“Yeah, now give it back.” She reached for the cigarette.

Renewed or not, Wisteria could never have any interest in a Terran boy. Not when he, a Sen-Son, was present. Surely she could see how much better he was. “Take it.” He offered the girl the cigarette, but before she could touch it, fire consumed it and it disintegrated to ash.

“You minger.” The girl’s face became red.

“Mel!” Her mother entered the room holding a candle. “What are you doing in here? I’m sorry Nun; she can be a little difficult.”

“Mum, he’s sick. He’s been infected,” Mel screamed while running into her mother’s arms. “He’s got Nero madness.”

The girl’s mother stared at him and hurried out of the room.

Peace at last.
Bach strolled over to the door and closed it. Feeling a lot better, he started stretching. Wisteria’s advice to eat was right, he had to admit. Sure, he wasn’t one hundred percent, but he could tell he was getting back into balance. Hoping he’d get some more adrenaline, he started running in place in the darkness. After two hours of exercising, he dropped onto his mattress and fell asleep.

CHAPTER TEN

Wisteria hadn’t let Bach see how much his words hurt her. This was the nicest he’d been the whole time he was sick. In order for him to have something decent to eat, she gave up eating herself. The fact that he practically rejected the only food she’d managed to get for them burned. But she couldn’t feel sorry for herself as long as he survived. With his unusual abilities, he might be able to get her home. If he refused, then she would wait in the Dungeons until winter and leave with Garfield to take her chances with the infected.

“Hi.”

Her thoughts were interrupted by Garfield. He found her sitting behind the wheel of an unused car in the underground parking garage that led to the Dungeons.

The swarm of three days ago was long gone. It was now safe enough for Wisteria to come up here, to be alone with her thoughts. Gently plucking at the old guitar, she considered her options and the guitar helped keep her sane.

“How is your boyfriend?” Garfield got in next to her.

“Stop saying that.” Wisteria scowled and then returned to the guitar.

“If he’s not your boyfriend, then what are you doing with him? Why are you risking your life for him? It’s obvious you’re not related. Unless you’re adopted.”

“He just saved my life once, but I don’t want to talk about him.”

“Okay, so how did you end up in London?”

“Believe it or not, we were living in the Hunter Tower.”

“You’re the people who live up there?” he exclaimed. “We’ve seen lights up there all the time and even tried to get inside, but there’s no way in. The building has no doors or windows below the tenth floor.”

“They sealed up all the windows?”

“No, no, there aren’t any at all. There never were, it seems.”

That would explain how the infected never got in, she concluded.

“How do you get in and out?” he continued to inquire

“We fly,” Wisteria said dryly.

“Why are you two up here alone?” Someone tapped on the car window.

Looking out, she saw Sammy and Mackenzie standing beside the car.

“Er, what does it look like? We’re making out,” Garfield joked.

“Obviously.” Mackenzie frowned at the two kids. “Get out of the car, Garfield. I came to talk to your little friend.”

Obediently, Garfield slid out of the passenger seat.

Sammy marched around and grabbed the boyby his neck. “Get out of here,” he ordered.

Garfield moved off and passed two other men standing at the metal cage that led to the dungeon apartments. Seeing no point in sticking around, Wisteria started to leave too, but Sammy stopped her.

“Actually, we want to talk to you.” Mackenzie got into the passenger seat. “Have a seat.”

Wisteria looked over at Garfield who was being hurried off by another one of Mackenzie’s men.

“Sit down, Wisteria. We have something important to talk about,” Mackenzie ordered.

Suspiciously, Wisteria sat back down and Sammy closed the car door after her.

He stooped down outside the window.

“We know your friend’s sick,” Mackenzie told her.

“He’s not infected,” she protested, trying to get out of the car. The man forced the door shut. “You don’t know what you talking about. Check him again. He’s not been bitten,” Wisteria maintained. “If he was, he would’ve been turned days ago.”

“Girl, you’re lucky we didn’t throw you both out for lying about his condition,” Mackenzie warned.

“Throw us out? … You’re kicking him out because you think he’s infected. Just check him out, you’ll see!” Wisteria protested.

“No, we know your friend, Nun or whatever he is called, isn’t sick,” Mackenzie admitted.

“Hell no, if we thought he had Nero, we would’ve just put him down. Never let the infected walk.” Sammy smirked.

“So, you’re not going to kill him?”
This was confusing.
“I don’t understand.”

“Not while he’s still sick,” Sammy pointed out. “But he’ll recover and he’s strong, almost entirely muscle, not podgy and fatty like you or arrow boy.”

“Wait, you’re going to eat him?” Wisteria covered her mouth in horror. Refugees to the Isle of Smythe sometime told stories about these kinds of people from the dark days. She never saw it herself. “You’ve got to be playing, right?”

“Sammy, leave us,” Mackenzie commanded.

Studying the woman’s eyes, Wisteria saw all the kindness and concern of before was now gone. As soon as Sammy walked away, Wisteria bolted out of the car and started to run through the empty parking garage, back to the metal door that led to the dungeon.