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“Are you alright?” I ask. It was an instant bloodbath, and no one stopped it. Not that we had any time to do anything about it. I look at the other two, but Griffin is already walking forward again. I know Max is on a level all his own, but this isn’t normal. Yet they act as though it is.
“I’m perfectly fine. What a beautiful day for a massacre.” He flips the lock on the inside of the door before closing it. “There. Now they can stay preserved like that until someone breaks down the door.”
“Or has a key,” I point out.
“Quiet, you two. Stop walking around and talking about all the guys we’ve been killing here.” William chastises us, then nods at another dreg who turns a corner and walks past us without sparing us a glance.
“We need to hurry. Take opposite sides of the hall, but no less than two people together. Max, you’re with me.” Griffin turns into a room a couple more doors down and Max takes the one next to him, disobeying his order without guilt. William walks into a room across from them and motions for me to follow before heading through, but I look through the door of the next room and have to swallow a squeal. I walk into that one instead.
Endless shelves of medical supplies fill the room. The first thing I do is head straight for the fridge and throw open the doors. I don’t have time to look inside before the door slams shut in my face and a man with a scowl is staring back at me. My fingers barely avoid getting caught in the door before I jump back with surprise. I didn’t realize there was already someone in this room.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“I—I…um, I was looking for some medicine.”
“Why?”
When I stumble for an answer, he spits on the ground and wraps his hands around my throat, pushing me until I’m bent backward over a table. Buddy barks and bites his leg, but then sails across the floor when he kicks him away. The man rips off my hat and when my long brown hair tumbles out; he calls out for his friends through his walkie.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves an intruder. We’re going to have fun with you.”
“Can’t…breathe…” My words come out as a rasp with the air leaving my lungs. I scratch at his arms, but he only laughs. His laugh cuts short when a knife lodges into his eye socket and he lets go, air filling my lungs while his screams fill the air.
Griffin lunges in front of me and pulls the man’s head around, snapping his neck before getting into a knife fight with the other two who came to the dead man’s aid. One of them stabs Griffin, who stumbles back against the fridge and falls to his knees, but he reaches up and stabs one man straight through the groin. Griffin pulls him down and slices his throat to silence him before doing the same to the last one.
I’m choking on the sudden rush of air, but I crawl toward him. “Griffin,” I rasp and move until I’m kneeling in front of him.
Griffin reaches out and touches my face, his gaze dropping to my throat. “Are you okay?”
I cough and then swallow hard, trying to soothe my throat. “I’m fine, thanks to you.” Buddy comes crawling over and licks my face. I burry my face in his short fur before kissing the top of his head and pulling away. I’m relieved that he doesn’t flinch when I press my hand against where he was kicked. “Thanks, Buddy.”
“You shouldn’t have come in here alone. We move in teams. I told you that. Why did everyone split up?” His voice turns angry. “Every single one of you split up.”
“I know. How hurt are you?”
He hisses through his teeth when he tries to move. “I’ll be fine once I get up.” His hand falls to his thigh where blood seeps through his pants. His eyes droop, but only for a moment before they open and stay focused on me. “Now, do you believe me when I say I’m only trying to help you?”
“That’s what you’re worried about right now? Being right?”
“Hey, I could’ve died trying to my point across.”
“You’re a fool.” I reach for his belt buckle.
“Woah, I guess my invite to the party must’ve gotten lost in the mail,” Max says, rounding the table to get to us. He kneels down and tears open the worn fabric of Griffin’s pants leg. “Flesh wound. You’ll be fine. Think you can stand?”
“You’re an ass,” Griffin responds, then turns to me. “I still didn’t get my answer.”
“Yeah, Max isn’t the one who’s the ass here. But if it makes you happy, these are my first encounters with dregs, and it’s so much worse than I expected. I’m sorry for being a stubborn shit like you, and not listening.”
I don’t realize how tense Griffin’s shoulders are until they relax. As much as I don’t want to have this heart-to-heart right now, I’m relieved to see that he’s about to bleed out.
Well, I’m not actually relieved. That would be horrible. But at least it grants us the end of this stupid conversation.
Grabbing the hem of my shirt, I lift it over my head when Max stops me. “As much as I’d love to sit back and watch the show, you’re going to need to keep your clothes on or we’ll never get out of here.”
He pulls off his shirt instead, and I have to avert my gaze to keep from gawking. I had no idea he had all those ripped muscles. Almost like William’s that I got an eyeful of a couple days ago, but on a more athletic frame.
“Why couldn’t we have used the shirt off this dreg? Why are you and Emily trying to strip down at a time like this?”
