Within These Walls

Chapter 37

"Gunner! Jones!" Marcus calls from somewhere ahead of me. "Give Alec a hand. The rest of you follow me. Head for the trees, but stay close to the buildings. And keep a lookout for more trouble. If you think you can handle a gun . . ."

He continues to give instructions in a tone that brooks no arguments. The herd of teenagers begin to move forward. A boy runs into me from behind and mutters under his breath. I stare at the syringe in my hand, a million thoughts racing through my head.

Metamorphosis inhibitor serum. It has to be the antidote for the Blank condition. Which means it could save Carson. It could make him normal again.

"Come on," Adam whispers behind me. He's too preoccupied with what's happening around us to notice my syringe.

I take in our surroundings for the first time. We're at a huge construction site, surrounded by buildings and structures at different levels of completion: some, like the one we emerged from, have doors. Others even have windows reflecting the fading sun's rays. Most resemble skeletons of intertwining steel beams.

In the far distance, pine trees enclose the site from all directions. Beyond that is a low mountain covered in a green fuzz of trees. Around us, excavators, cement mixers, and all types of vehicles and equipment sit on the gravel, but there are no signs of the construction crew. No signs of life anywhere. It's like the workers dropped their tools and left in a hurry.

But we're not entirely alone. It won't be long before the guards catch up to us. I know we have to be out of here before that happens, but I don't budge. I can't leave Carson behind. I have to get this serum to him.

"Why aren't you moving?" Willow asks as she catches up to us.

A couple of guys help Alec past us, holding him sandwiched between them. His pallor makes the sweat on his face shiny. He's so out of it that he doesn't notice us. Rocks crunch beneath my sneakers as I move off to one side to let the others pass. Adam follows me like a watchful guard dog, and I wonder if Marcus put him up to it.

I hold the syringe out to Willow. She tears her gaze from Alec and looks down at it. Her face lights up with recognition as she takes it from me.

"Where did you get this?"

"It was inside the case. It's from Sam."

She huffs a breath. "You were always his favorite."

There's no bitterness in her voice now. I glance at her, but she's busy studying the syringe. "Can it turn someone back after they blank?" I ask.

"I don't know. Sam said the metamorphosis inhibitor delays or prevents the transformation. He's been working on a permanent fix. Maybe he found it."

"If we give it to Carson, can it save him?"

Her face clouds over. "No. No. That's suicidal."

"I can't just leave him behind, Willow."

"April! We'll come back for him. You promised him you would, remember? But right now, we have to get out of here."

"But—"

She grabs my arm, forcing me to look into her fierce eyes. "Using your head is the one thing you're good at, and that's what you need to be doing right now. You unlock that door and you take the risk of getting us all killed. Do you want that on your conscience?"

"No," I whisper.

Her grip relaxes. Her expression is soft and expressive, and it's hard to believe she was looking at me with such hatred only hours ago. "I want to save him, too. He deserves so much more, but we're no use to him dead. We're as good as dead if we turn back now."