Page 40 of After the Burn

It was clear he’d been through situations like this more than once.

“No,” Lila and I answered together.

“Exposure to bodily fluids?”

“No.”

That was a lie because I’d killed five infected just a few days ago.

His attention centered on Lila. “Any fever?”

“No,” she answered immediately, then quickly glanced in my direction and away again.

Nice going, Lila, I thought to myself. She wasn’t very good at deception of any kind.

“And you?” His attention turned to me.

I hesitated, trying to decide what my smartest move would be.

“A while ago,” I answered carefully.

He might be able to determine whether I had contracted the fever through testing, and I didn’t want to be considered untrustworthy at this point.

“How long?”

“Several months,” I answered vaguely.

Around us, nearby conversations seemed to quiet slightly. When I glanced over, Mace was giving me heated looks.

Finley jotted something on the clipboard.

“Were you two girls alone, or were there other survivors with you?” He seemed almost hesitant to ask the question.

“No, it’s just us,” I replied quickly to prevent Lila from messing up the lie.

Was it my imagination, or did he look relieved at my answer?

“We’ll be back shortly, and you can take them to holding,” he said casually over his shoulder to Gideon. “Please follow me, ladies.”

Finley led us deeper into the building toward an examination room.

Lila leaned closer as we walked. “Why is everyone acting so weird?”

Because apparently surviving the fever was important.

But I only shrugged lightly. “Maybe they don’t get many visitors.”

Lila didn’t look convinced, but for now, it was important that I kept my observations to myself. I didn’t want her face to give us away.

Finley paused by a door and waved at someone inside. “We’ll need bloodwork and basic examinations.”

“Why?” I asked quietly.

He hesitated for a moment. “It’s just standard operation.”

Lie.

I sensed he had more to say, but was holding back.