Page 42 of After the Burn

Lucky.

I didn’t know how lucky any of us were.

Lila shifted nervously in her chair. “So what? You separate people by categories?”

Harper hesitated slightly before answering. “People tend to separate themselves eventually.”

Interesting answer.

She moved toward me next, tying the band tightly around my arm.

“You had the fever?”

I hesitated briefly, but the cat was already out of the bag. “A few months ago.”

“How bad?”

“Bad enough.” I kept my answers as vague as possible.

Her eyes lifted briefly toward mine in evaluation.

I kept my breathing steady and my posture relaxed, even though every instinct told me that this woman could be trusted.

If it were just me, I might be more open, but it wasn’t. I had Lila to protect, too.

Harper slid the needle into my arm with practiced ease. “You seem fully recovered.”

The room was silent for a moment, broken only by the gentle clink of medical supplies.

Then Lila asked the question I’d been asking myself since we arrived. “How does this place still exist?”

Harper capped one of the blood vials before answering. “Gideon acted quickly after everything went down.” Her expression tightened. “Before the collapse, he owned most of the town, so people naturally followed his lead.”

“Are the fences just to keep the infected out?” I waited to see if she’d answer honestly.

Her eyes flicked toward mine, then to her daughter. “Mostly.” Harper removed the needle from my arm and pressed gauze lightly against the puncture. “The lights and generators attract them. The disposal crews work around the clock.”

She was careful with her answers. I didn’t blame her, given that she had a daughter to protect.

“And the women?” I asked casually.

That finally caused Harper to pause, and the softness vanished from her face almost instantly. “Women survive less often. Especially those who get the fever.”

“Why?”

I wondered whether they had given Adrian the opportunity to review any of their research.

“We don’t fully know.”

That part, at least, sounded honest.

Before I could push her further, heavy footsteps echoed sharply down the hallway outside.

Harper’s entire posture changed immediately.

Gideon stepped into the room.

“The test results will take time,” Harper said before he could speak.