The Divine Infection

Chapter Eighteen: Exhilarate

Pulling a hand through my hair, I look around the small, empty room. He's gone. He's left me. Is that it?

I push up out of bed, quickly pulling on yesterday's still-damp clothes - it's not as though I have anything else to wear, is it? - and then leave the room quickly. I can hear loud snoring across the hallway - Tom, Pip and Frenchy are still asleep - and talking coming from the front room. Ducking into the room, I see Alex and Jake talking between themselves. Alex is the first to notice my presence, and grins, winking over at me.

"Somebody got some last night!" He laughs. Jake wolf-whistles, and I feel my face heating up.

"Have you seen Barrone anywhere?" I try to ignore their jokes, centering my attention on Barrone. He can't be away to check out RedempCorp's main base just yet, that's not for a couple of days yet...but I just have a really bad feeling.

"Yeah, uh, the General sent a few of his little guards around for Crilly, Jim and Barrone. Said something had come up, so they needed to leave now-"

"What?" I cut Jake off quickly, panic settling in. He's going to get himself killed, heading out there! Dammit, I know how hard it was out there in a large group trying to survive, how will three people survive?! "So...they're gone?"

"I think they're just talking to the General first. You could still catch them, if it's really important." Alex tells me. I nod, proceeding to turn and make my way down the hallway, when Jake's words stop me.

"Just don't go doing anything drastic, Leigh. They need to do this. As close to Barrone as you are, he can't do this with you hanging off his arm, and you can't put yourself in any danger."

"Yeah. I know." I nod, my back to the pair as I stare blankly down the dark hallway.

"They're leaving from where the General's offices are, last I heard." Jake adds. I nod again, and then walk quickly down the hallway. The front door clicks shut quietly behind me, and my footsteps become quicker with every step I take, until eventually I'm running down the refuse-strewn street and towards the General's offices. The sky is still a velvet blanket of indigo above my head, telling me that it's still early in the morning, but that doesn't slow me down or distract me, nor does the aching in my legs and arms from running so much. I can't let him go out there and get himself killed for something stupid. Nothing will stop this outbreak, so it's stupid that anyone would put their life at risk to try stop it!

Out of the corner of my eye, I see two tall figures in the same armour as the guards from yesterday, and slow right down to a halt. The two guards continue to walk along, both holding large guns over their shoulders, and I duck back behind the corner of a building, waiting for them to pass. The whole time, my heart is hammering away double-time in my chest. I'm going to get there too late, they'll be gone by the time I show up! And I can't let Barrone get himself killed!

As soon as the guards have passed, I rush forward, sprinting out across the silent road and down the street. It's silent as the grave, no one is here. Just two guards, and me. I continue running as fast as I can, until I see a large, vaguely familiar building beside the large metal wall separating us from the hell outside the city. I can see a black van parked in front of a large tunnel, the back doors open, and I can hear voices coming from the van. Ducking back out of sight behind a tall iron fence, I watch silently as a guard walks to the back of the van, followed by two dark-haired figures talking between themselves, and a silent and scowling sandy-haired man.

"Barrone." I sigh in relief. They haven't left yet, thank god; but by the look of things, they're about to, especially as Crilly and Jim say something vague to Barrone and then get in the front of the van. I hold my breath, and watch as the guard walks away, back into the building. Leaving the back doors wide open, Barrone walks around to the front of the van, presumably to speak to Crilly and Jim about something for a moment. Taking this as a perfect opportunity, I push to my feet, quickly running out across the dusty, grimy, crumbling road and towards the van. Barrone's voice is audible now, and as I slow my steps and then silently slip into the back of the van, I listen to what he's saying.