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There’s a second where neither of us moves

"What--oh" It’s Nurse Dunn

I can actually feel my heart stop on the next beat I knohat the others feel now, because ht inside, save for a single word: shit

How is he already done treating the kid I just brought in?

He’s breathing hard, his pale face flooded with furious color And just when I need it most, my brain just walks off and abandons me My body has to rely on instinct to protect it, and instinct is telling it to pick up one of the jars from the counter and--

"Easy--easy--it’s okay," Dunn says, balking at the way I raise lass jar He seems to remember what I am suddenly and puts his hands out in front of him "Pal, it’s okay You justI didn’t see you in here What’s--"

His eyes flick between the computer screen and my face A roar of blood moves between my ears, and I can’t speak, I can’t think of an excuse fast enough Why did I co of one? Da the door

"Did someone tell you to come in here?" he asks I can’t read his expression now His words sound strained He thinks I’ll hurt him, kill him, burn hi the roo their skin don’t just stand still and calmly let their bodies be burned to cinder and bone He’ll take the whole place doith hi smell of burnt flesh to etting out of this room?

"Okay," Dunn says when I don’t answer

My heart is slaainst my ribs He doesn’t knoasn’t an order for me to come in here Not yet Maybe he won’t think to radio in and ask someone

Can I scare him into silence? I think so--I take a step forward and he takes a generous one back The Trainers taught us to fight with fists as well as fire They wanted strength in body, not strength in mind But he would knoouldn’t he? That we aren’t supposed to do anything without orders, that my will has supposedly been crippled Two issues with that: he can’t be as scared of me as I think, but when he finds out the rules don’t apply to me, he will tell someone There’s no way he won’t These adults are all on the same side