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"I have heard of a few other people having a spirit that is toxic to zorandfather, I would bet

"Justin reacted as he did because he was bitten by zombies Anier, works faster"

"But Justin went back to noric to himself" He lifted a small, dark case fro stacks of prefilled, plastic syringes "I created different types of the antidote for all the different reactions I had heard about"

"How ht I took the formulas with me when I left Aniive you a dose of the antihistamine antidote now and see what happens"

I should say no I shouldn’t let a strange e substance

Common Sense Ali screamed it was foolish And yet Survivalist Ali shouted it was currentlythis

"Okay," I said and nodded

He selected a vial froed my shirt collar out of the way He pushed the needle into the upper part of h the muscle and spread

For the first time in weeks, the double heartbeat seemed to vanish The pressure eased from my chest, and the darkness thinned fro Suck it, Coht ot with you," he said "Whenever you start to feel zoive yourself a dose It’s not a cure, but it’s a start You’ll also be safer to be around"

"Thank you"

He removed fifteen of the vials and handed them to me, and I stuffed them in my pack "I’ll make more But I should warn you I’m sorry, Miss Bell, but there will coer respond to this antidote or any other The more you use it, the faster you will develop an immunity to it"

Yeah, I knew that "I was told there actually is a cure, that the essence of the zoht chases that darkness away"

He frowned "The light from a slayer’s hand?"

"Exactly" I told him what I’d done, how my spirit had left my body, how I’d su had happened

"I’ is the only way to truly live

Maybe that was the point Maybe I needed to die

Disappoint to risk death Now I kneasn’t ready for the end

"This will require further study and thought," he said

"Uh, sir I hate to break up the party," the driver interjected, "but we’ve got a tail"

Dr Bendari stiffened, looked back "Can you lose it?"

"We’re on a deserted road There’s nowhere--"

Crunch!

Metal slaainst metal Our car swerved and then flipped I screaht round; lass shattered I was jostled forward and back, forward and back,stopped Everything butupside down Blood was rushing to led to unlatchthe roof of the car--now the floor--runted as a lance of pain tore through led His chest was covered in blood--blood dripping onto his face, filling his e of his collarbone peeked past his skin

Can’t panic "I can’t release you You’ll drop" As wounded as he was, he

As I anchoredto decide what to do with the doctor, a pair of leather boots appeared A shadow moved, and then a man was crouched in front of the shattered as too disoriented to make out his features "Help us," I pleaded

"Dr Bendari," he said, and a sense of self-preservation sentas far fro you back to Ani our secrets with the very people seeking to destroy us Guess what you were doing?" He pointed a gun, fired a shot

Pop

So warm and wet splattered over me, and Dr Bendari went lax His bloodeverywhere, all around, all over me I screarabbed the scattered files, then ed me out of the vehicle

Chapter 20

Blood Is the New Black

Dr Bendari was dead Shot and killed in front of me

Pain and panic threatened to overwhels We were on an abandoned road, just as the doctor’s driver had said, thick patches of trees on either side There was another car behind ours--and the shooter was dragging et to the trees, I could hide

I was as good as dead if Shooter ed to stuff uy to release me, race to the trees, hide Use ainst his hold, adrenaline giving o!"