It took me maybe five minutes to fight my way through the crowd, and I stepped on more than a few toes in the process. The Nejerets at least knew to get out of my way, and the humans proved themselves quick learners. By the time I reached the clearing, Dorman was on his feet, the child limp on the ground at his toes. The little boy’s eyes were open. Glazed over. Unseeing.

I swallowed roughly as I stepped into the clearing. “What the hell happened?”

Dorman turned to me, the color drained from his face and his lips parted. He had a dazed look in his eyes that spoke undoubtedly of shock. “I didn’t have a choice.” He was looking at me, but it was clear that he wasn’t seeing me. “Jonny—he was out of control. He attacked every person who came near him . . . anyone he could get his hands on. It took everyone to catch him. I—I—I had to—to—”

“Hey,” I said, approaching Dorman with my hands upraised, palms out, like I was dealing with a wounded animal. With an unpredictable creature. “Hey there, Dorman, you’re alright. It’s all going to be alright.” I placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in closer, weaving my head slowly this way and that until I managed to catch his faraway gaze.

His eyes focused, and he shook his head. “I killed him.”

I nodded, squeezing his shoulder through his raincoat. “I know. You did what had to be done.” I shot a quick glance around at all of the terrified and worried faces.

Those closest to the clearing were Nejerets, immune to the infection. They’d linked arms, forming a living barrier. From the looks of it, all of the people within the circle were human and had blood on them—Jonny’s blood or their own, I wasn’t sure. But I suspected they were being held here by force. By that living barrier. Because they were believed to be infected now, too.

“Let’s take care of the living,” I told Dorman. “We can deal with the dead later.”

It took a few seconds, but Dorman finally blinked, then nodded. He’d just opened his mouth to address his people when someone screamed. It sounded like it came from the hospital.

Both of our heads snapped toward the sound, and a second later, I lunged into a dead sprint. If another of the sick kids entered the rabid stage and somehow broke free of the sedative’s hold while literally every able-bodied person was out in the square, then there’d be nobody in the hospital to protect those who were too sick or injured to protect themselves. It would be a bloodbath. A full-on massacre.

The ring of Nejerets parted as I hurtled toward them, as did the first few people standing behind them, but once I was well into the throng, I had to resort to less civil methods for ensuring my forward momentum continued. “Move!” I shouted, elbowing a man in the chest. I stiff-armed the woman behind him in the shoulder, and the people beyond them started to get the point. Pretty soon, the masses parted like I was Moses.