Chapter 1:
I teetered, barely grasping onto consciousness. The gunshot wound to my left arm throbbed, and my grip around Finn’s waist weakened. We’d ridden across the desert all night long, on the motorcycle Billy had given him.
As the sun broke across the horizon, bringing warmth to the desert around us, it cast a pale orange and pinkish glow across the heavens. I wanted to enjoy it, but I was too wrapped up in the pain my body was experiencing. I closed my eyes and felt my upper body tilt to one side, head bobbing. Popping my eyes back open, I sucked in a deep breath. I couldn’t allow myself to close my eyes. It was too easy to fall asleep.
We’d stopped a few times to rest and change my bandages. Finn making sure the gunshot wound was always clean. He also kept me pumped with the pain meds Dr. Banks had given him, and with it, forced me to eat and drink— although we had a limited food supply. Looking over Finn’s shoulder, I scanned the landscape. We needed to find a place to rest soon. Not only to get out of the sun but to hide from the soldiers searching for us in helicopters. Hopefully, the high winds would help hide our tracks.
“How are you holding up?” Finn called over his shoulder, the wind whipping through his dark hair. He’d been checking on me with increasing frequency.
“Fine,” I replied, which we both knew wasn’t true. “But I might need to rest soon.”
He nodded, concern etched on his face. “Hold on, Abi. I’ll find us a place to stop.” He wouldn’t stop until he knew we were in a secure place, and I was fine with that.
My sole job consisted of staying coherent and not falling off the bike.
I gave his waist a squeeze with my right arm, letting him know I agreed, but with every passing moment, I grew weaker. I wasn’t one to complain, but it was getting to a point where my body wasn’t recovering fast enough. I needed to rest. I had to let my body heal; not only from the gunshot wound but from whatever internal damage Venge had inflicted.
The only thing holding the pieces together was Finn. He’d found me laying in the desert after defeating an army of Arvies, and fixed me up the best he could. He’d come for me— despite the enormous risks— even though I’d left Billy’s cave without him. I was glad he was here. It was us against the world, as it had been from the start.
The monster inside, which I’d given the name Venge, had almost killed me. Whatever the scientists put into those so-called enhancement injections released something truly terrifying. Something no one anticipated. Venge was strong. Too strong. And I had to be extremely careful to keep her contained. Once I let the monster inside take control, she was impossible to stop. It had gotten to the point where I feared the next time I set her free… I wouldn’t survive.
We were on our way to Grammy’s haven in Colorado, but we still had hundreds of miles to travel— much farther than the remaining gas Finn had sitting in the bike’s sidecar. But at least we had a destination. And that destination held hope for a better future.
As we passed a dilapidated home in the middle of the desolate terrain, Finn didn’t stop. The structure was on its last leg and open to the elements.
“Too risky,” he hollered back.
I gave his waist another squeeze in agreement.
As the pain worsened, my mind played back the events of the last week. Sergeant Hawkins, the soldiers, Danielle and her baby, mind jumping with Dr. Simon and Chase. It all felt like some sort of twisted dream. But it had been real, and the pain was a constant reminder.
I knew they must have made it back to the bunker, and hoped they would treat Danielle well. She didn’t deserve any more pain than she’d already suffered. My father always said people cross our paths for a reason, and Danielle was the only person I knew since we’d arrived topside, who’d survived an Arvy bite.
Would they be able to find a cure from her blood? Or develop some kind of immunity to the infectious Arvy bites? That would be a game changer and might take their focus off finding me.
Who was I kidding?
There was no way they’d stop looking for me. I was too great an asset, especially after they saw firsthand what I could do. No, I had to find a way to disappear.
Venge was growing stronger, day by day, and what they’d seen in the bunker was nothing compared to what she was now. Even I was terrified of her power.
But one thing remained true. I would rather die than become a slave to them. Or allow them to hurt Finn or my family.
