My head is reeling. Connor told me this at the dam, but I dismissed it as a lie. The idea that all this death was caused by something man-made makes me feel ill.
Connor is clearly pleased with our exchange. He gestures to Wayne, who’s holding on to the small aluminum box.Aiden’s box. Aiden struggles with his bonds but gets shoved in the back and falls to his knees.
Connor takes the box and opens it. Inside, packed in molded foam padding, are the three vials of pale green liquid. He holds one up to my face. “This has the power to kill everyone. And the Collective has known it all along. And so has Aiden.”
I shake my head. It can’t be the truth. Aiden said he was transporting acure. “That isn’t the actual Infection, right?”
Aiden lets out a long breath. “To make a cure, they need one thing.” Aiden keeps his eyes pegged to the ground. “The original weaponized XT58 created by the military. Not the one out in the wild.”
I feel the blood drain from my face, with the swirling green liquid in the vial just inches away. How could Aiden have kept this from me?
Connor sees my fear, and his mouth curves into a smile. “Wait. You aren’t immune, are you, Zach?”
I say nothing as panic rises.
Now it’s Aiden’s turn to be shell-shocked as he looks at me in horror. “But—your uncle—You’re immune, right?”
He searches my face for an answer, but I can’t look at him. I never told Aiden the true story about my uncle, that I left him outside to die. That he never exposed me, and I’m likely not immune.
Connor gives a sad laugh. “Another nicefeatureof this weaponized Infection. It’s concentrated enough that if I twisted off the cap of this vial, just breathing it would doom you to a horrific death. Or worse.” He shakes his head, then puts the vial back in the case and hands it to Wayne.
“Don’t worry. Unlike the Collective, I wouldn’t wishthatdeath on anyone. But you’re too dangerous, Aiden. You’ve proven that. I can’t have you chasing after me and ruining my plans. There’s too much at stake. This gives me no pleasure.” Connor points to a spot along the wall of the tunnel.
Wayne forces me to the wall and shoves me down on my knees. Aiden lands next to me and looks into my eyes with a sorrowful gaze.
“I’m sorry, Zach.”
My whole body is numb. I’m incapable of words.
The sound of a rifle cocking echoes through the tunnel. I clench my eyes closed, unable to watch. There’s so much left I have to say to Aiden. There’s so much more I want to do. Instead, I wait for eternal nothingness.
A gunshot rings out, and a body hits the ground next to me. It must be Aiden. Another shot. That one is for me. But I feel nothing. My mind has spared me from the pain.
Then another shot, and another.
Huh?
I open my eyes to see Wayne on the ground staring up at me, his eyes staring with an expression of anguish, but he’s unmoving. Turning to my left, Tyra and the man with the gray goatee are down too. All shot dead.
Aiden is next to me.And he’s still alive.
I’m so light I could float away. And Aiden looks how I feel. Surprised, relieved, and terrified, all mixed together.
Connor and the man with the tattoos shoot down the tunnel indiscriminately. The flash of rifle fire breaks through the darkness deep in the tunnel. The next shot hits the tattooed man in the face. He falls into Connor, who reels in disgust. Another gunshot rings out, and Connor turns and runs.
A man walks out of the darkness, holding a rifle—a large man in blue-jean overalls.
Curtis.
He’s saved us.
He must have been the one following us this whole time when I thought I was being paranoid. But as he gets closer, he’s clutching his side, where a red stain spreads across his overalls.
“Hey, boys. I knew you were going to need help. With those guys hot on your trail, I couldn’t stay back and do nothing. I had to watch out for you.” He takes a knife out of his pocket and cuts the zip ties binding our hands.
Then he collapses in a heap on the ground.
*
