Page 62 of After the Burn

"A few months,” I answered vaguely.

“Any aggressive behavioral shifts?”

I stared at him. “What?”

He sighed tiredly. “Violence. Instability. Territorial behavior.”

Was this guy serious? I gave them both a look of astonishment. The fucking apocalypse had caused all of those things and more.

“No more than expected, given that the universe has taken a shit on our planet." I frowned at the fools.

Finley snorted quietly under his breath before setting the blood vial aside.

“You can stop glaring,” he told me. “I think the question is stupid, too. It’s just standard procedure.”

Comforting.

One of the guards knocked lightly against the doorway. “He’s ready to see him.”

Finley nodded once before gesturing toward the hall. “Come on.”

Outside, the settlement looked disturbingly normal in the daylight. People carried groceries, and children played in the park.

Then, beyond the town walls, an infected screamed.

It startled me because I’d been lulled into a false sense of safety by all that normalcy.

This place was weirding me out. I’d be glad to find Adrian and Beck.

Finley walked beside me quietly while we crossed Main Street toward an old courthouse.

“You should know Gideon doesn’t usually let men in anymore.”

“Then why is he willing to see me?”

“Because you’re enhanced.”

I tilted my head. “I’ve heard that term used several times since I came in. What does it mean?”

“It means the fever affected you differently than it did those poor bastards out there.” He motioned with his head to the wall.

I understood his meaning, but I kept quiet. It was better to listen and gather all the information I could than to give away anything else about myself they didn’t already know.

I looked toward the ring farther down the street. Men were already crowded around it despite the early hour.

“Fights?” I asked.

“There are a few unclaimed women, so I expect they’ll begin soon.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Unclaimed women?”

What the hell was he talking about? I’d noticed the men far outnumbered the women, but I hadn’t thought much of it. I bet Taryn was chomping at the bit. No way was she going to take this lying down.

That’s what she got for leaving the way she did.

Finley pushed open the courthouse doors, then led me inside. The old courtroom had been converted into some kind of headquarters, with maps covering the walls and armed guards stationed near every entrance.

A small group of men stood across the room.