AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh good,” the girl says. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you. ”
“How did you get in here?” I ask.
“I flew,” she says. Then she smiles, and I know exactly who she is: Indie, the girl who brought the cures in with Ky once before. “I might also have some keycodes for the doors,” she says.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I tell her. “This place is full of people who are sick. ”
“I know,” she says, “but you’re not, are you?”
“No,” I say. “I’m not sick. ”
“I need you to come with me,” she says. “Now. ”
“No,” I say. This doesn’t make any sense. “I’m a physic here. ” I can’t leave all the still, and I certainly can’t leave Lei. I reach for the miniport.
“But I’m here to take you to Cassia,” Indie says, and I drop my hand. Is she telling the truth? Could Cassia really be close by somewhere? Then fear rushes over me. “Is she in the medical center?” I ask. “Is she sick?”
“Oh no,” Indie says. “She’s fine. She’s outside, on my ship. ”
All these months I’ve wanted to see Cassia again, and now I might have the chance. But I can’t do it. There are too many still, and one of them is Lei. “I’m sorry,” I tell Indie. “I have to take care of the patients here. And you’ve been exposed to the mutation now. You shouldn’t leave. You need to go to quarantine. ”
She sighs. “He thought you might be hard to convince. So I’m supposed to tell you that if you come with me, you’ll be able to help him work on the cure. ”
“Who are you talking about?” I ask.
“The Pilot, of course. ” S
he says it so matter-of-factly that I believe her.
The Pilot wants me to help work on the cure.
“He knows you have firsthand knowledge of the mutated Plague,” Indie says. “He needs you. ”
I look back down the hallway.
“Now,” Indie says. “He needs you now. There’s no time to say good-bye. ” Her voice is honest and unflinching. “Can any of them hear you anyway?”
“I don’t know,” I say.
“You trust the Pilot,” Indie says.
“Yes. ”
“But have you ever met him?”
“No,” I say. “But you have. ”
“Yes,” Indie says. She enters a code and pushes open the door. It’s almost morning now. “And you’re right to believe in him. ”
CHAPTER 22
KY
Ky,” she whispers to me. “Ky. ”
Her hand is soft against my cheek. I can’t seem to wake up. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to. It’s been too long since I dreamed about Cassia.
“Ky,” she says again. I open my eyes.
It’s Indie.
She sees in my face that I’m disappointed. Her expression falters a little, but even in the very faint light of early morning I can see triumph in her eyes.
“What are you doing?” I ask her. “You should be in quarantine. ” After we brought back Caleb, they took him away and locked Indie and me both up in quarantine cells here at the base. At least they didn’t put us in City Hall. “How did you get in here?” I ask, looking around. The door to my cell is open. Everyone else that I can see looks asleep.
“I did it,” she says. “I’ve got a ship. And I’ve got her. ” She grins. “While you were sleeping, I flew to Central. ”
“You went to Central?” I say, standing up. “And you found her?”
“Yes,” Indie says. “She’s not sick. She’s fine. And now you can run. ”
Now we can run. We can get out of here. I know it’s dangerous but I feel like I can do anything if Cassia’s really in Camas. When I stand up, I’m dizzy for a second and I put my hand on the wall for support. Indie pauses. “Are you all right?” she asks.
“Of course,” I say. Cassia’s no longer in Central. She’s here and she’s safe.
In unison, Indie and I slip out the door of the cell and start for the fields. The grasses whisper to each other in the pale dark and I start to run. Indie stays next to me, keeping pace.
“You should have seen the landings I did. ” Indie says. “They were perfect. Better than perfect. People are going to tell stories about them someday. ” Indie sounds almost giddy. I haven’t heard her like this before, and it’s contagious.
