“Don’t look so shocked.” She attempts a smile that comes out more like a grimace. “I could think you would miss me.”
I crouch beside her, ripping off my shirt to wrap around the wound. Pressure might slow the bleeding, but it won’t stop what’s coming. Nothing will.
“My mom?” Her voice is small.
“I don’t know.” I tie the makeshift bandage tight, ignoring her sharp intake of breath. “There was an attack by the main gate. I haven’t seen her.”
She nods, a single tear tracking down her cheek. “It happened so fast. Those things—they’re not like the others, are they?”
“No.” I sit back on my heels, studying her face. She’s already paler than usual. The infection works quick. Too quick. “They’re not.”
She laughs, the sound dissolving into a wet cough. “Dakota will be devastated.”
My chest tightens at Dakota’s name. Is she safe? The thought of her out there with those things hunting?—
“She’s stronger than you think,” I say, not sure if I’m reassuring Amelia or myself.
“Yeah.” She shifts, wincing as the movement jostles her injured leg. “She is.”
“Julien!” Dakota. “Julien, where are you?”
Relief floods my system, making my hands shake for the first time tonight. “Here!” I stand to peer through the doorway.
Three figures sprint toward us through the shadows between cabins. Dakota in front, Sienna and Cameron close behind. They skid to a halt at the bottom of the porch steps, taking in the scene: Nicklas’s body, blood pooling under him; the dead wolf zombie; Amelia bleeding on the floor inside.
“Dad?” Dakota’s eyes dart from her father’s still form to me.
“He’s gone.” What else can I say? That her father died begging for mercy from the man he hated? That I granted it, and felt nothing but relief?
Her gaze shifts to Amelia, and the blood drains from her face. “No. No, no, no?—”
She brushes past me, falling to her knees beside her sister. Sienna follows, her usual brashness subdued.
THIRTY-FOUR
DAKOTA
Blood soaks through the makeshift bandage on Amelia’s leg, spreading like spilled wine.
“What if—” My hands hover over it, trembling, useless. I’ve spent my entire life protecting her, and now I can’t stop the inevitable. “We can clean it. We can?—”
“Dakota.” Amelia grabs my wrist, her fingers ice-cold. “It’s okay.”
“No. Please.” I take her hand in mine. “We’ve gotten through everything else?—”
“Not this.” She smiles, and it breaks me. “You know what happens next.”
“I can’t.” My chest caves in, ribs splintering under the weight of this new reality. “I can’t do this without you.”
“You can.” She squeezes my hand. “For me.”
Tears blur my vision. I wipe them away with the back of my hand, smearing blood across my face. “Meli—I?—”
“Ssh. You’re free now.“
“Don’t.” I shake my head. “Please don’t?—”
“You’re going to fall in love properly.” She cups my face with her free hand. “Get married if you want. Or don’t. Have babies. Or adopt dogs. Whatever makes you happy. Promise me.”
