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  “What’s wrong with you?” Elise asked. There was a blandness in her tone that I didn’t like very much.

  “Nothing’s wrong!” I snarled.

  “I beg to differ”. Nika giggled back. My head throbbed at the temples as I massaged them. Anymore of this and my fevers gonna rise

  “I haven’t seen you act like that ever since you’re teen boy band phase”. Ooh, Elise was enjoying every minute of my pain wasn’t she? Like every other crazed hormonal girl in her early teens, I went through a boy band phase. Yes, I was one of those people that liked to stick up posters of boy bands all over their walls and fantasize about them. Ew, the very memory makes me want to puke my guts out.

  “That was then, and this is now”. I said back. She shot me a confused glance and shrugged.

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  “I gotta admit, I was surprised we ran into them. And even more surprised with Evan. I was sweating all over the entire time.

  I thought I was gonna faint”. She then proceeded to fan herself with her hand.

  “You and me both E. I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it out alive”. I chocked on a laugh when she snorted.

  “Oh! And you Jade, It was like you both were battling each other mentally. I was waiting for one of you to give in and have at it”. I stared at her mortified.

  “And what do you mean by ‘have at it’?” She wasn’t suggesting...

  “You guys practically had sex with your eyes, it was both funny and unpleasant to watch”. Nika responded for her. My eyes widened and Elise collapsed onto the armrest. I was momentarily paralyzed.

  “Oh god look at your face! C’mon jade, don’t tell me you didn’t just realize it?” She shook as she tried to calm herself down enough to wait for my answer. I shook my head slowly.

  “What? Oh—but...what do you mean by—what?” I babbled.

  Pretty sure my face was as red as a tomato by now.

  “Good god, you’re freakin adorable!” Elise wiped her eyes and sat up. “Each time you looked at him you had this face that said, ‘I just met you but I wanna take you down and do indecent things together right here...right now’, it took all of me not to laugh at you’re sorry arse!”

  “I so did not!” I screamed back.

  “You totally did dude. You weren’t the only one though, I was looking at him and he had his own face that said, ‘I only met you just now but I wanna ravish you day and night, anywhere, everywhere, anytime’, I never thought I’d live to see that kind of expression...like ever”. Nika was laughing along with Elise. I had no words, I didn’t know what to say or think.

  Since when? And how does having sex with your eyes even look like?

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  “No! Both of you just shut up!” I stomped the trucks floor.

  “Don’t deny it Jade”. Elise droned out. She pat my knee and continued laughing. I swear one day, when she gets herself a guy I’m gonna ruin every chance they get with each other. I curse thee!

  “Hey guys...” Nika stopped and poked us both, she pointed out her finger to the window and we both leaned towards it. Evan, Sam and I guess Danny and another man stood waiting by a wired gate. I pressed the button to roll down the window and was immediately hit by a dry heat wave. I could feel my hair frizzing up already, fantastic!

  Evan waved at me, signaling us to get out and follow them. I just wanted to forget about meeting him and drive off but...

  “I think it’s time to go”. Elise said to me. I looked at her and nodded. But I don’t wanna!

  “I’m excited”. Nika was the first to go, she opened the door and hopped out.

  “At least someone seems to be having fun”. I groaned and opened the door. Once my boots hit the ground I wanted to dash back inside. The truck was cooler since the air conditioner was left on, and the sudden transition into the heat made me sway forward a little. I managed to right myself by leaning against the door.

  “You alright?” Elise rounded the Hummer and stood beside me, hands still in front of me in case I fell forward.

  “Yeah, just a little light headed. Let’s get this shiznit over with”.

  She raised an eyebrow at me and waited. I reached into the truck and took out both katanas. I told Elise to pop the trunk so I can get the back straps for them. Once that was done, I secured the leather straps across my chest and waist. Elise helped place the two swords in the back and tied them down. The weight of them both made me tilt back an inch, but before Elise could notice I shook out of it.

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  We didn’t have to worry about the truck getting stolen because, from what she told me, Evan told her to park in the back. We were surrounded by red bricked walls and thick wired fences. They must have gotten out and unlocked the first gate to get inside. I was too out of it to care.

  “Got everything?” Nika skipped back to us. Knitting picks hung loosely around her waist. She also had a metal bat behind her back. Elise was decked out too, ready to go.

  “Ready Freddy”. Elise sang. Shut. Up.

  She started forward with Nika at her tail. My body refused to follow...so did my mind. With what took determination and skill I placed one foot in front of the other.

  “This is gonna suck so much”. And not one person could say otherwise.

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  W hile we trailed behind, I took the time to look at my surroundings. Inside the wired fence two red bricked buildings stood tall and ominous, casting shadows in every corner. The dry wind howled against them. I hate old buildings like this, they make me anxious. And anxious a Jade is not good for anyone. The area might’ve been an old factory. Better to find out then wait I suppose.

  “This place gives me the creeps”. Elise was shivering slightly next to me. She had one arm wrapped around mine and the other pressed against her chest. Oh yeah, she’s not good with eerie stuff like this...

  “You okay there?” I asked, trying to hide my smile.

  “S-sure...” Her large green eyes darting left and right. Perhaps checking to make sure the shadows weren’t following after us.

  “If you say so...Oh my god what’s that?!” We both jumped at the same time, hers more exaggerated. She shrieked and spun in all directions, trying to find the cause of what spooked us. I doubled over laughing, my hand trying to suppress the snort that exploded from my nose.

  “What?” She stood there, staring at me in shock.

  “Blasted! That was funny”. I looked up at her and raised a brow. “And what were you planning to accomplish by using the bat like that?” She looked at me and down. She was holding the barrel

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  of the bat, with the end of it sticking up. I’m not sure that’s how you’re supposed to hold it either. I slapped my hands together and she flinched backwards. My brow went even higher.

  “That wasn’t funny! What if those things heard me? What then?”

  She flipped the bat right side up and tucked it back behind her. It never lasts...

  “Then...we would end the rotten mongrels before they’d even get within two feet of us”. She shook her head and huffed.

  “Whatever”. She turned and caught up with the rest of the group. Meanwhile, I tried to shake off whatever residue of laughter I had left in me. I needed to stay focused once inside. No time for fooling around. If they had a leader to their refuge then I would have to question them or Elise would.

  I was walking next to Nika when we finally made it inside the compound. Cool air greeted us at the front, and I looked up. Large fans swung clockwise above us. They still have electricity.

  “This is the center area of the building”. Evan told us. The room was as big as the cafeteria room at our old school. I’d say about a half of a regular football field. Tall windows stretched high against the walls. Some patched up with tape and cardboard.

  “What was this building before everything happened?” Nika asked.

  “When
we first found it, there were huge machines in the back.

  I found cartridges of ink scattered on the flooring next to them.

  I’d guess it was an ink printing facility. Couldn’t be sure”.

  Random tables were pushed against the walls. Paper maps lie on them haphazardly. Chairs scattered all over the room. A few white boards here and there, with black marker written all over it.

  They’ve been busy.

  “What’s this you got here, Evan?” A gruff voice echoed from the other side of the room. Nika tensed beside me, both of her hands

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  tucked into her pockets. Elise looked over her shoulder at me, she shrugged and stepped back over to my other side. We stood there side by side. I tried to appear casual, by relaxing my shoulders and crossing my arms. Putting more weight on my left leg so that I’d lean a little. Nice and easy.

  I’m not sure what surprised me more but, this man. .he was practically towering over Evan. He might’ve been at least six foot five and then some. And it terrified the heck out of me!

  Not only was his height a great big woo-ha to me, his posture was disciplined, trained, cruel. For all it was worth, I have to admit this man who appears to be in his late forties and could possibly stand as my father...he looked good. “Men who age well, are good men” what mom wouldn’t give to see this giant in person? Perhaps he was in the military, a retired veteran.

  Long powerful arms were placed on his hips. He was oddly fascinating to look at. His decent physic due to constant exercise and heavy lifting. His age showing from the deep lines on his narrow face. He had a generous cloud of short dark hair with streaks of silver at his temples. His skin was a shade darker than mine.

  But of course, I was a bit pale for my tastes. I was what they call “Caramel” skinned. And if that’s light, this guy was my opposite. I don’t wanna be that dark, I’ll look...strange. Thanks to my African American and Filipino heritage I was a bit different than the normal mix. My mom’s told me I also have a bit of European Spanish in my blood. ’You’re great-great grandmother was from Spain...you have a little bit of everything’. Yep, a little bit of freakin everything.

  Why don’t we add Native American, from my father’s side to the mix as well? I’m like a freaky multi-mixed hybrid.

  During my time alone—talking to myself—the room grew quiet.

  Like, a silence too blasted quiet, that it made me shiver slightly. I slapped myself mentally, and looked to my right.

  Elise had the funniest expression on her face. Bright emerald orbs blinked back at me. I quirked an eyebrow at her in amusement. She hissed out a breath and punched me in the ribs.

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  “Ow! Jesus, what’s your problem?” I snarled back at her, clutching my ribcage. That’s gonna turn into a big beautiful bruise.

  “D’you really think its okay to zone out at a time like this?” For a minute there I swear I could have seen flames puffing out of her nose. You’re a Dragon Elise.

  “I zoned out?” I asked her, my voice caught at the end. My ribs were still aching. She huffed out a long breath and clicked her tongue.

  “No, it’s perfectly natural to stand there with your eyes unblink-ing for at least five minutes, mouth slightly open, and not answering when someone is talking to you—shouting—at you to reply”.

  She leaned back to glare at me.

  “I’m not sure if any of that was sarcasm...or you were being serious”. I asked nonchalantly.

  “Oh for the love of- Yes! Jade. You zoned out...again. What have I been telling you for the past couple years? You need to fix that shiznit real quick, I hate it when you do that. It’s both concerning and annoying”. He voice pierced the wide room. The echo bouncing off the stone walls.

  “Would it hurt you to pay attention for at least a couple minutes?” she asked.

  I shrugged and gave her an innocent look.

  “Can’t help it, sorry”. She stared at me silently for a minute, then she whipped out the metal bat and posed as if she were going to attack me with it. Green eyes burning with fury.

  “I’ll tell ya what you can’t help...” She muttered under her breath.

  I was too distracted by her sudden burst of rage, to see the silver gleaming bat before it made contact with my head. I ducked down in time, and rolled to the side. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “E, girl, you gotta calm down”. I put my hands up in surrender.

  She turned to me, her lips pulled back in a snarl. And I thought I had anger issues...

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  “You calm down!” She swung the bat down, and I dodged to the right. My knees skinning the rough ground.

  “That doesn’t even make sense...I am calm”. I crouched on the ground. My katanas held back in their guard. Blasted, she was smok- ing. Her face was red and she circled me with slow even steps. Her breathing harsh. Don’t tell me she’s PMS’ing...

  “You don’t make sense—and stay still while I—Blasted, stay still!” She jumped towards me, aiming for my head the entire time. She swung left and right, in every way trying to damage my head. My head!

  “If I stay still I’ll get myself killed”. I told her. Pissed. That’s the only word I found worthy for her actions. And the reason? Just because I zoned out during our meet and greet with these people.

  I didn’t even know I was the one supposed to talk. That’s why there’s two of us. If for whatever reason I am unable to speak, she’s there to substitute for me. I have the right to zone out when I feel like it!

  “Good”. She growled out. Making one more lunge for me. I crouched there, awaiting my punishment. Seconds past and I felt no pain. My eyes were sealed shut, I opened one lid slowly and muffled a giggle. Nika was standing in front of me, one arm shot out encircling the metal bat. Her expression neutral. I coughed to hide my laugh and stood up, brushing the dirt from my knees. I looked down at them, and found them both bleeding slightly. The skin red around the wounds. I’m gonna need to patch those up...

  “You good?” I asked Elise over Nikas shoulder. She seemed okay now, I guess swinging the bat all over the place, allowed her to lose some steam. She snatched the bat back from Nikas grip and tugged it behind her. With a heavy sigh, she turned to the...holy! Unaware of our surroundings, while we were fighting a small crowd had gathered about the room. I’d say around thirty or so people in all gawked back at us. I looked back at Elise and

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  grimaced. She had on that freaky ‘All is well’ smile on her face. A mask of extreme control strained her features that I took notice.

  Everyone else thought differently...they weren’t up close to see the corner of her mouth twitching.

  “Sure”. She paused at looked to me. “Are you?” Seriously, even if that face promised divine punishment I had to stifle another laugh. I’ll leave that to the latter.

  “Yep, tis all good in the hood”. I shot my own personal ‘All is freakin well’ smile at her. We’ll talk later Standford...just you wait.

  Someone cleared their throat and I turned back to the crowd.

  Mostly men than women...all of them looked weary. I have to remember to ask Evan if I could check some of them. I’d hate for someone to be infected without our knowledge. I’m not even sure anyone of these people has seen someone go through the change.

  It’s a disturbing thing, ever since that time in the bathroom stall...

  Still haunts my dreams I can tell you that.

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  T he room was fully crowded by the next hour. The air suddenly felt stuffy.

  Breath Jade, you’re cool, you’re cool I remained close to Nika and Elise. Both their expressions unreadable.

  “This is...those are a lot of people”. Elise tapped the cool metal bat secured behind her back.

  “There could be more, the entire facility ground is large enough the shel
ter at least a hundred or more. I mean, from what I could see when we first entered”. Her voice barely in a whisper, I looked to her and nodded in agreement.

  “Yeah, but so far I’m seeing only thirty or so-”.

  The crowd’s murmurings became louder. The shuffling of feet made me tense. For no reason at all I’m starting to feel a bit edgy.

  I hate crowds. I hate large groups of people, especially in confined places. Just the image of so many packed into one room made me extremely anxious. The ceiling fans didn’t help to comfort me, goose bumps raised on my skin. I inhaled, and withdrew a shaky breath slowly between my lips.

  Nika nudged me with her elbow.

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  “You alright? You look pale”. Her brows furrowed with worry.

  I cleared my throat and nodded.

  “I’m just tired—as surprising as that sounds—and I’d like to get this over with before I finally lose it”.

  The lines between her brows deepened, her stare felt like an eternity. Before I could respond, Evan walked up to me. His features were schooled. Storm gray eyes locked on mine.

  What?

  “As you can see, our people are a bit restless. And I noticed that you’ve been oddly quiet for a good while”.

  I said nothing. A grin broke out on his face. I couldn’t help myself, my eyes lowered just slightly, my attention on those lips of his. I noticed that his lower lip was fuller than the other. I could image him pouting, protruding its fullness...it looked tasty from my point of view.