I flatten my shirt and try to keep my head from spinning. My stomach twists. Being responsible for everyone certainly wasn’t my plan, but if that what it takes to stay safe, so be it. I’ll figure it out.

The room fills up fast around us. We count thirty-something, and it wasn’t built for quite that many, but we’re used to that. Though I can’t help but wonder now if we should all be together in such a small space. What does a plague look like, anyway?

At the back of the room, Casey frowns and pushes through to try to get to us, but I quietly shake my head. Not now. Please.

He settles down on one of the tables and folds his arms.

When the last group of people enters the room, Maverick climbs on a table and counts heads. He nods in Hunter’s direction. “We’re all here.”

“Good,” Hunter says. “Let’s start. Grace?”

“What?”

“You go first,” he says, his voice calm and reasonable.

A headache takes up residence behind my eyes, and all I want to do is punch him. Just once. But everyone is looking at us, so I tighten my fists, and with a painful smile, I nod. “Fine.”

I clear my throat and wait for silence to settle around us, and then I start. “A couple of days ago, there was an outbreak of the plague. We’re all here together because the guards have left us.”

Nine

Logan

Nothing goes according to our routine anymore. I don’t understand how Grace and Hunter find words for what happened tonight, but they do. When Grace sways, Hunter steps in to provide details, and together they tell the whole story. One word at a time. I couldn’t do it. I don’t have the signs. It’s all balled up in a restlessness inside of me, and not even stimming will make me feel better.

Next to me, Leah coughs. She slumped in one of the chairs, her wounded hand cradled against her chest. We cleaned it as well as possible with our foul-smelling soap, and then we tied a clean shirt around it. We should find bandages in the infirmary after this.

I nudge her with my toe, make her look at me. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Leah blinks and doesn’t focus. She isn’t. I understand her as well as I do myself and maybe even better. She’s the other half of me.

She shakes her head and keeps her voice down. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“I know.” She tries to smile, but it looks crooked.

“I’m worried,” I tell her.

Every time I blink, every time I close my eyes, every time I let my thoughts wander, I see the same scene over and over and over again.

The soldier, raising his gun. Reid, falling to the ground. And Leah, rushing past me to get to him, to fight with the soldiers, to leave me behind. We promised to never leave each other. No matter what happened, no matter where we were. We promised to never leave each other.