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He lowers Madison onto it. I force myself to wait until she’s situated. Then I’m checking her breathing, her heart rate, everything I can to assure myself she’s alive.
She’s breathing. It’s shallow, though. Weak.
“She’s lost too much blood,” I say.
“Can we do something about that?” Jayla asks.
I run to the first-aid book we’d pulled from my library when we’d been trying to help Sadie. It’s over by the window, where we’d been relaying instructions. I’m halfway there when I see Garrett.
Garrett.
We forgot about Garrett.
He’d been lying only a few feet from Madison, but no one had even registered it. We’d been so focused on Madison. Now I see him, and he sees me. He’s on his side, doubled almost in half, one hand pawing at the glass, leaving bloodied smears.
His lips form two words. “Help me.”
“Garrett,” I say. “Oh God. Garrett.”
Jayla runs over as Kit stays with Madison.
She sees Garrett and whispers, “Fuck.”
He’s hurt, and I have no idea how badly. There’s blood everywhere. A chunk of flesh hangs over one eye. Blood soaks his shoulder. There’s more blood soaking his midriff, where his shirt is torn, but he’s hunched over, one hand to his stomach, and we can’t see his injuries.
“Laney?” Jayla whispers. “Is that…?”
I follow her finger. She’s pointing at his hand. At first I don’t see what she’s indicating. Then I do. What looked like a pinkish red knuckle isn’t a knuckle at all. It’s a bulge of intestine.
“What did Sadie do to him?” Jayla whispers.
“It wasn’t Sadie,” I say. “It was whatever I saw in her before. Sadie’s still in there.”She came back and saw what she’d done to Madison. That’s why she ran.“But there’s something else, too, and it…” I shudder.
“It can do that,” Jayla says. “Whateverthatis.”
It can do worse. So much worse.
“What do we do?” Jayla says.
I look at Garrett. He’s alive. Undoubtedly alive, his face a mask of shock. He starts to shake, but his gaze stays on mine, pleading.
“We can’t bring him inside,” she says.
“I know,” I say. “Then I have to go out there and try to help him.”
“The hell you are.”
I rip from Garrett’s gaze and lock with Jayla’s. “The hell Iam.Madison nearly died going out there to save him. When she wakes up—because shewillwake up—I am not telling her that I sat here and watched her father die.”
“I’ll do it,” Kit says from the sofa bed.
“No, I—”
“Let me rephrase that. Iamdoing it.” He rises so I can see him in the growing darkness. “Not to pull guy-rank here, but if something goes wrong, I can subdue him more easily than either of you two. Yes, I know that whatever’s out there gives Sadie some kind of superhuman strength, but Garrett’s not at that stage yet. If I see any hint that it’s not him, I’m getting back in here and leaving him to die. Could you do that, Laney? Or would you wait to be sure?”
“Go,” Jayla says. “I’ll cover you.”
Kit motions for me to switch spots with him. I pause only a moment before doing it. He’s right. I’ll hesitate before running back inside. I’d need to be sure. Kit won’t.
