Chapter 181

We woke to the sound of screaming. More than just one person. Their voices were filled with such horror that it set my heart racing. The screams cut off abruptly, but Matt and I were already awake and alert. We’d slept in the back of his car, naked and tucked under a blanket he kept in the trunk for emergencies.

“What was that?” I asked, reaching for my clothes.

Matt was struggling to get his jeans over his hips in the narrow space. “I don’t know, but we’d better find out.”

We stumbled out of the car, shrugging our coats on over our shoulders. I tied my boots so fast it was almost a record for me, then we were running toward the sound of the screams, Matt with a gun in his hand. We weren’t the only ones. A crowd was gathering outside what had once been a library.

Dawn had just broken, and golden light spilled across the street. Figures in black rushed toward the building, their guns drawn. They must have been the reinforcements Nina’s father sent. I didn’t recognize a single one of them.

The first person I saw was Fiona. She was standing near the front of the crowd with her hand over her mouth. She turned and gagged, throwing up across the grass. I pushed my way through the crowd, trying to get to her. Matt followed. When I finally reached her, she was leaning on Jack, and he had his arm around her shoulders. She turned her face into his neck.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Jack pointed across the lawn, his jaw tense. I followed his gaze, finally noticing what everyone was looking at. I was too focused on Fiona and the thick crowd to see it at first, but now I wasn’t sure how I’d missed it. Beside me, Matt’s muscles locked up, and he reached for my hand.

Zoe’s body hung suspended from the roof, her arms above her head. Her stomach had been split open, and her guts hung down. Blood still dripped from the wound, staining the grass below. Written along the brick, in what looked like red blood, was a single word: TRAITOR.

“Oh my God,” I said, my hand flying to my mouth. It was brutal.

A few feet to my left, Nina stood beside Enzo, her face white as a sheet. Enzo had his hand on her shoulder, but she hardly seemed to notice him. She didn’t even react when the crowd pushed in closer, people clamoring to see what had everyone so upset. Instead, her eyes stayed locked on the body of her stepmother.

Fiona whimpered, and to my utter shock, Jack wrapped his arms around her. It was weird to see the two of them together, but I didn’t comment. If she found his presence comforting, then who was I to step in?

“This means they’re here,” I said to Matt, keeping my voice low.

Matt’s face was pale. He still had his gun in his hand, and he made no move to holster it again. Everyone around us seemed poised for an attack.

“Some of them, at least,” Matt whispered back, taking a step closer so that his chest was pressed against my back. “This is a message.”

“Yeah, that they’re pissed,” Jack answered. His arm brushed against my shoulder, and Fiona peered over at us with tear-filled eyes.

“Someone has to get her down,” Fiona said, choking on her words.

Nausea swirled in my gut as I peered up at the building again. As if they’d heard her, Ted, Andrew, Seth, and Jenna started jogging toward the broken front draws, knives and guns drawn. Seth still had a limp, but he didn’t need his walking stick anymore. After a beat, Nina set off after them.

Enzo stayed behind, turning to confer with the soldiers. He spoke to one of them, a tall woman with brown skin and piercing green eyes. She said something back I couldn’t make out, then took off at a run. A group of people took off after her, some shifting on the spot, their black clothes flying away on the wind in tatters.

Matt moved away, stomping over to Enzo. I followed him, leaving Jack to keep an eye on Fiona.

“What do you need?” Matt asked.

Enzo looked over. His face was pale too, and he looked exhausted. “Get rid of the blood,” he said. “Please.”

Matt nodded.

“We will,” I said.

“Thanks,” he answered. He gave me a quick nod, then stalked toward the library. Seth and Andrew were leaning over the side of the roof, trying to haul Zoe’s body up. Her intestines fell further as they jostled her, and I had to look away, a wave of dizziness coming over me.

Matt put his hand on my shoulder. “Focus on breathing,” he said.

How he could look at this without losing it entirely, I didn’t know. I didn’t want to think about the kinds of things he’d seen in the last war.

“Breathe,” he repeated, and I forced air in and out of my lungs. I’d never forget the sight of Zoe’s body. It was burned into my brain, behind my eyelids.

Someone put their hand on my arm, and I turned, meeting Fiona’s bloodshot gaze. She gave me a shaky smile, but it quickly fell away. “We want to help.”

“You don’t have to,” Matt said, glancing past her at Jack. He was standing closer to her, his chest almost touching her back, but he didn’t move to touch her. He was half-turned, watching as they tried to haul Zoe back up to the roof.

I forced myself to look at my brother’s face, rather than what was happening behind him.

“You guys should really get out of here,” Matt said. Jack finally turned, meeting his gaze. “Things are only going to get worse.”

He huffed a dry, humorless laugh. “No.”

“For Fiona’s sake then. Take her far from here. Hide her.”

Jack clenched his jaw, looking at my best friend. To my shock, he looked torn. Was it possible he felt something for her? There was clearly something going on between them. The thought of them together was so odd, I couldn’t really wrap my head around it.

Fiona looked over her shoulder at him. “You’d have to drag me away,” she said, her gaze hardening. “And I’d never forgive you.”

He put up his hands. “I’m not going to drag you anywhere, but you have to know they’re right. You’re not a fighter. You have no experience. What can you do here other than get yourself killed?”

“And you?” she countered. “You have a big hole in your arm. What use will you be?”

He glowered at her. “Like Nina said, I can still use a gun.”

Fiona crosses her arms, squaring off against my brother. Matt and I exchanged a look. “Did I miss something?” I murmured, leaning toward him.

“I think we both did,” he replied.

Fiona poked Jack hard in the chest, punctuating every word. “I’m. Not. Going. Anywhere.”

“Fine,” Jack answered.

Fiona turned back around, a steely look in her eyes. At least this argument was taking her focus off the scene unfolding behind her. “I used to be a lifeguard,” she reminded me. “I have first aid training. I might be useful that way.”

I just nodded. I wasn’t going to force her away. We didn’t have time, and it wasn’t my place. It was a weird thought, but I had the feeling that Jack would do whatever he could to keep her safe. The way he was looking at her, it was like she hung the moon.

“We need to get that blood off the brick,” Matt said.

I followed his gaze. They’d managed to get Zoe’s body up onto the roof, but streaks of blood remained, not to mention that awful word.

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get it over with.”

The three of them fell into step behind me. My pack. The thought clanged through me, and my heart raced. That’s what they were. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing even one of them.