Scourge

Chapter 10

We drove through the night and made many stops to pick up more people. What was supposed to be a four hour trip turned into six hours, and Mari looks like garbage at this point. She still wasn't speaking to me, which I had a hunch had more to do with her sore throat rather than giving me the silent treatment. The ride wasn't a smooth one, with many arguments breaking out between who should and shouldn't be on this bus based on how sick they looked. Thank god no one pointed fingers at me. By the time we reached Atlanta, we were the only people left on the bus. As we exit, the driver gives us a nasty look, probably not expecting to have to drive to the other side of the state. We thank him anyway and rush into the dimly lit terminal.

"How are you holding up?"

No answer, not even an attempt to look at me. Her steps are lopsided and her eyelids are barely open. Despite sleeping through the whole ride, she looks like she could take another nap. I have an uneasy feeling of being followed, as if the same pair of eyes has been watching me since I left Chicago. I hook my arm with hers and drag us out of the terminal, but not before being approached by someone. An agent.

Act cool, Gabriel.

"Hold it!"

Shit. There's no running away, Mari is in no shape to do so. I pretend I can't hear him until he grabs my shoulder. His hand comes too close to my wound.

"What the hell is your problem?"

Mari's eyes widen when she hears me yelling.

"Babe what's going on?"

I've never heard her struggle so much to get a simple phrase out of her mouth. God, I can't lose her.

"Just wait," he calls out again.

At that moment, the agent removed his helmet and other protective gear. Now he was just a man with brown hair and light eyes with freckles. Much closer to our age than any other agent I'd seen before. But that's not the only thing that stuck out. I'd seen him before, but I couldn't remember where.

"Gabriel, right? I'm Jacob."

Oh my god. The Shelters. He was the guy who offered to take me to The Society. The cure. We did it.

"What are you doing here?"

He shifts uncomfortably and comes around to my other side to help me carry Mari. Her knees are buckling, she can't walk on her own anymore.

"I tracked you down after your escape. Anyone who's smart enough to sneak into a shelter and then escape from The Shelters is worthy of joining The Society."

"I'm not worried about that right now. I need to help her."

"I know, that's why I'm here. I could've approached you in the shop in Wilmington, but I saw the girl and knew that she was going to need help. So I had to wait for you to figure it out."

My eyebrows scrunch. He's been following us for days? Why didn't he help sooner?

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why did you follow me for so long? Were you there when I got shot?"

Jacob slows down when we exit the terminal. He sighs and stares at the ground.

"I'm the one that shot you. Sacrifices we have to make to stay undercover. But I made sure that it would only be a flesh wound. Don't worry, we have a doctor on stand-by for you and her."

"We?"

Jacob chuckles and takes Mari's arm off of his shoulder. We are now in a parking garage. A black van rounds the corner and the side door opens. A girl with dark brown hair is behind the wheel. Her cold gaze was sharp enough to kill, but something told me that I could trust her.