Fire and Ash (Benny Imura 4)

Lilah said, “My . . . I mean, Chong . . . the . . . boy I . . . love is infected.”

“How did it happen?”

“Kid was shot with an arrow dipped in walker flesh,” said Joe.

“How long ago?”

“Little over a month.”

“But—he should be dead.” Then McReady nodded. “He’s at Sanctuary, isn’t he? Joe, you said they have everything except the D-series?”

“Yes.”

“Then they definitely have the metabolic stabilizer.”

“Yes. They used it on him.”

“On Chong,” said Lilah. “His name is Chong. They gave him injections.”

“Is he conscious?” she asked. “Do you know what his vitals are? What’s his core temperature? Has it gone below ninety-six? Does he have a—?”

“We don’t know,” barked Lilah as tears boiled from the corners of her eyes. “He’s sick. He’s lost and he doesn’t know me. My town boy doesn’t know me.”

Nix hurried over to her and put her arm around the Lost Girl’s shoulder.

“Is there any hope for him?” asked Benny. “Any at all?”

Dr. McReady looked at him for a long time before she answered. The only sounds were Grimm’s panting breaths and Lilah’s sobs.

“Yes,” said McReady, “there’s definitely hope.”

Everyone stiffened; every eye was on her.

Dr. McReady undid the fastenings on the sides of the hazmat suit and let it puddle around her feet. She wore a sweat-stained T-shirt and shorts. Her bare arms and legs were as ashy pale as her face. She turned her leg to show a long, jagged scar. It was curved, top and bottom.

It was the distinctive scar of a bite.

“When the reapers let the infected boars in here,” she said slowly, “I was bitten on the calf. Dick Price got the stabilizer into me, and then I dosed myself with Archangel. First human test subject, didn’t have a choice.”

“God . . . ,” breathed Nix.

“Archangel . . . worked?” whispered Lilah. “You’re cured.”

Dr. Monica McReady smiled. It was a strange smile, made stranger by her unnaturally pale skin.

“I take two pills twice a day, every day, and I probably will for the rest of my life. But . . . at least I have a life.” She pointed to the bags. “If you can get me to Sanctuary, I can save Mr. Chong.”

73

THEY WASTED NO TIME.

Benny, Nix, and Lilah loaded metal carts with boxes of the mutagen and bags of the Archangel capsules. They were all very careful, but they worked extremely fast. While they worked, Joe accompanied McReady to help her pack her latest research notes, a computer laptop, and other crucial supplies.

They rolled the carts through the hole blasted in the wall and formed a three-link chain to pass the boxes and bags into the Black Hawk. They were only half-finished when Joe and McReady came running out.

“That’s enough,” yelled Joe. “Get in. We’ll come back for the rest. Let’s go, go, go.”

They didn’t need any urging. Dr. McReady took the copilot seat, and Joe fired up the Black Hawk’s engines. Moments later Zabriskie Point was dwindling behind them. They turned and shot through the darkening skies toward Sanctuary.