Vitt and Habib sprinted off. Noah bent down, eye level with Wolf, scratching behind his wet ears. Frantically, he battled the rain to swipe on his wristband, looking for the whistle sounds Alice added the other day. He touched Zeke’s name and a series of high-pitched whistles blasted out. Wolf barked twice, staring at him and wagging his tail. They remained watching each other for a long moment. His heart sank.
“Where’s Zeke, Wolf?” he said, but the dog only stared at him. He played the whistle again. Nothing.
Just as he was about to admit defeat, Wolf unexpectedly jumped up, cocking his ears and sniffing. He took off into the darkness, with Noah sprinting after him. Wolf tore through the compound, past the mess hall and the dormitory blocks. Noah frowned. Where exactly was Zeke hiding?
Wolf finally came to a stop outside the Fusion building, sitting down and whining softly. Through the transparent door was only darkness. Fusion was never technically shut; it welcomed worshippers to visit any time of day. Noah crept inside, ignoring the sign asking him to take off his shoes. Rain pounded heavily against the ceiling, drowning out his frantic heartbeat. The lights flickered on automatically, illuminating the space in dim light. Scanning the room, he saw plush rugs, four large cupboards, tables…
And a figure shrouded in shadows.
Zeke sat slouched against the wall with his head tilted forward, his hair damp from rain.
Wolf bounded towards him, incessantly barking until Noah touched his head in approval.
“Zeke!” Noah knelt next to him and lifted his chin up, activating his flashlight to get a better look. Even with the bright light, Zeke’s eyes remained closed. He pressed two fingers to Zeke’s neck, exhaling a shaky breath when he felt a slow pulse and lukewarm skin. “Wake up.” He shook Zeke violently by the shoulders. Wolf whined beside him and Zeke made a strange, guttural sound.
Noah dug into the pockets of the coat he’d gifted him until his fingers met plastic. He held up three tiny transparent plastic bags to his light. Empty. Images of smashing Old Billy’s face into the side of his van flashed through his mind.
This is your fault. You shouldn’t have left his side. You let this happen.
“What have you taken?” Noah shouted, shaking him so hard his head bashed against the wall. “Fuuuuuck!” he screamed, before muffling his mouth with the back of his palm. If someone discovered Zeke like this…
“H-heeey…” Zeke said, sounding like he was talking through a mouth full of stones. “What cha’ doin’?”
“What did you take?” His voice, shaking with fury and fear, seemed to focus Zeke, who raised his head to meet his eye. Noah stared into Zeke’s blown pupils. Zeke blinked in response. “Jesus fucking Christ, Zeke! Tell me what you took!”
“Just… leave me,” Zeke croaked out.
Noah bit back a range of explosive expletives. He wanted to shout at Zeke for being so stupid, so selfish. He wanted to hit him and hug him and hit him all over again. “If I walk you into the medical bay like this, you’re going to be written up. They’ll send you to the Hole. For months. Are you listening?”
He held the edges of Zeke’s coat, pulling him towards him, but Zeke grunted and pushed Noah off of him. For a fleeting moment, Noah contemplated shoving his fingers down Zeke’s throat, but decided against it: he was out of his depth here. “Listen. I’m going to have to call Doctor Herbert and get him to come.”
A glimmer of recognition flashed into Zeke’s eyes. He shook his head.
“I’m sorry. It’s the only way.”
Zeke returned to his slumped position against the wall while Noah messaged Habib to call off the search, then rang Leo. Aware that Command recorded all calls, he kept the message short and vague, asking Leo to meet him in Fusion. Leo, equal parts surprised and confused, came within minutes.
“What’s wrong?” he said, panting, after he’d rushed through the doorway. Hehadtaken the time to remove his shoes. “I’m halfway through my shift.”
“I’m sorry, Leo. I didn’t know who else to call.” Noah moved away from Zeke, gesturing for Leo to fill his space. Leo leapt straight into doctor mode, and Noah filled Leo in on the events of the day as he examined him. Just as Leo was finishing, Zeke made a harrowing garbled sound of agony and vaguely pawed his stomach. Noah’s own stomach twisted in terror as he knelt down, cupping Zeke’s face with two hands. His eyes fluttered shut.
Leo pushed himself up, and Noah followed. Leo’s eyes flicked between Noah and Zeke for a second before he said, “We’re going to have to admit him, you know that, right? His organs could be about to go into failure.” He crossed his arms and looked at Noah sternly.
“I know this is a lot to ask—”
“—Noah…”
“Please,” he said, making his eyes wide and pleading.Maybe if you’d returned his messages over the last few weeks, he’d be far more receptive to your demands.“They’ll eat him alive in the Hole. He’d die an even more painful death than if we’d just left him here.”
Leo sighed, a dark shadow crossing his face. “This could cost me my job, Noah.”
A pregnant silence fell between them and he was grateful for the darkness that hid the burning heat on his face. “I’m a dick. I’m so sorry, Leo.” Noah hung his head. “It’s fine. Let’s just admit him then.”
Leo turned to face the wall and rested his head against the bricks. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Noah started. “What?”
“I’ll bring him through the back and run some tests. Depending on what I need to do, Imightbe able to keep it on the down-low.”
