Deadshifted (Edie Spence 4)

“Sorry. The heights,” I lied. My hands went white on the pipe I held as I tried to transfer the pain. My stomach released and I prayed the worst was over while I finished my shimmy—but no. My abdominal muscles had only relented to get a new hold. This time I managed not to groan, but it was harder.

We were almost there. We were so close. And all of my heroism didn’t matter. I was losing the baby. Or myself, to a worm.

I threw myself down the pipe, almost spinning on it—if my wet clothing hadn’t stuck I might have fallen off and onto the balcony below. But I didn’t—I charged, in between seismic bursts of abdominal pain. Asher knew something was wrong. He came down nearly as fast as I did, and we found ourselves together much closer to the water’s edge, on the wide promenade of the third floor.

Marius was taking control. “I can operate the davits. You all just push on it so that it starts to slide down the outside of the boat. ”

Another wave of pain hit. I grit my teeth, trying to bite back a scream.

Oh, God, was this how Kate had felt?

Asher grabbed me. “What’s wrong?” he whispered.

“My stomach—I think—” I didn’t want to say it aloud. His expression went dark.

Jorge was throwing his back into getting the life raft free from gravity. “A little help here?”

Asher looked at me. “We still have to get off the ship,” I said, my voice flat. He stepped away from me reluctantly as I tried to hide another wave of pain. I sank slowly to my knees as he pushed against the lifeboat with his back, eyes on me.

This wasn’t fair. I was still alive after all this time. I didn’t want to be filling up with worms, or losing this child. It wasn’t fair.

Asher and Jorge weren’t enough—Marius eyed me warily from the davit controls.

“I’ll show you how to do it, so I can help lift. ”

I nodded, practically crawling over to him, and using the control panel itself to pull myself up. The joysticks were like playing one of those claw-and-grab games. “I can do it. Go. ”

As the davits pulled from above the three of them managed to get the life raft over the lip of the boat. From there it was a straight drop down the hull into the water. Marius came back to oversee lowering it, letting the ropes down slowly, the metal of the life raft grating against the metal of the Maraschino’s side. I sank down, my back against the control panel, curled into a ball.

Jorge was looking over the railing’s edge, oblivious to anything other than the life raft’s progress. “It’s in the sea! You’ve done it!”

All that was left was to somehow get aboard.

A fresh wave hit, and this time I had to scream. Asher rushed to my side to cradle me.

“Oh, no. No no no,” Jorge said, looking back, as he realized what was happening.

Marius started shaking his head and backing away. “She’s not getting in my boat. ”

Asher’s grip on me tightened. “We have a greater chance of survival if we’re all in the same boat. ”

“She’s infected—”

“You all probably are!”

Marius drew himself up to his full height—the same as Asher, and wider in the shoulders. “She’s not getting in my boat,” he repeated.

“She risked her life to save you!”

“I’m sorry for your loss, I truly am—but if she’s like Kate was, she’s already as good as dead. ”

At this, Asher erupted from my side and went for Marius, swinging.

“Don’t!” I said, but neither of them heard me, and maybe I hadn’t said it as loud as I’d thought. It felt as if I were getting rabbit-punched in the lower abdomen, over and over again. What the hell was happening inside me?

Marius and Asher couldn’t circle each other at the ship’s angle, but both of them watched for openings, like people who’d beat the shit out of other people before.

“Stop it—” I pleaded. Jorge knelt by my side, ignoring the other men.

“Are you okay?”

It hurt so bad it was hard to talk. I just nodded while grimacing, holding my stomach, rocking back and forth.

“It’s going to be okay,” Jorge said, and even though I knew he was lying, it was still nice to hear. I nodded again, and he squeezed my shoulders, until the most recent wave of cramps were done.

“I think it’s the baby. I’m losing it,” I whispered.