Cross My Hart and Hope to Die

Chapter 24

"Hush, Attie, it's going to be okay." There was a cage. I was inside a cage. A dark figure loomed over me. Where am I? What was I doing here? The figure backed away towards some sort of cart with gleaming silver medical instruments displayed. "When all of this is over, I'll have my good friend take care of your memory, and when the time is right, it will return. Now hush and take your medicine."

I startled awake and blinked several times trying to remember where I was. Oh right. The memory of a metal building, thugs with guns, and two hot men came to mind. I threw my hand across the bed to look for Mohawk. He wasn't there. I guess he had already risen for the day. My stomach growled, and I had a pounding headache. Damn alcohol. At least I wasn't queasy.

I tossed the covers aside and looked down at my naked body. Shit. I needed new clothes. Maybe there was something in the room worth trying on. I started to dig through the closet and dresser drawers. Black is going to be my best friend. I found a pair of black leggings, black shorts, and a black tank top. I wasn't sure whose room this used to be, but we were the same size. I went back to the bathroom to gather my leather jacket and my boots. Those I wasn't going to be giving up.

There were harsh voices coming from downstairs. What was going on? Were the guys fighting over something? I leaned over the bannister, still up on the top step, and gazed into the living room. There were military men everywhere. Chogan, Xavier, and Carlos were pinned to the ground by at least three men each. They were struggling to get up. The old man and blind kid were huddled on the couch, guns pointed at them.

My heart stopped beating. Shenae was nowhere to be found. Had they come because I murdered those men? Was the world really not infested with these "biters" and I had just committed a felony by killing three people? That means the guys would be charged with being an accomplice. Shit. This was bad. Maybe I could go down there and explain the situation. Tell them the others had nothing to do with what happened at the other house.

A creak came from above me. I jerked my head around to see Shenae standing in the doorway of the room I just left, quietly motioning to me. I was torn between going downstairs and saving the guys or following the teen girl to see what she had to say.

"Where are the women?" One of the military men shouted towards the group. That didn't sound good. Shenae motioned again, frantically. I slinked back to the room, and we quietly shut the door.

"It's the army guys from the fort. I don't know how they found us. Apparently they want to take us back someone told them there were two women here. Women are in short supply these days. I don't know what they want from us." Shenae was holding back tears, but she stood straight and strong. I realized she was waiting for me to say something back.

"I don't know how to get us out of this situation. There are too many. Even for me to try to take on alone. I don't think my healing abilities would save me from multiple gun shots." I shook my head and gnawed on my lip. I contemplated just escaping out of the window. I still didn't remember this group of people, so really, what were they to me? There was an urging instinct again to preserve my own hide and leave.

But I remembered Chogan last time, curling into me. Carlos stating that we were siblings and daring me to deny any claim, and Xavier, sensing my need to clean up and be left alone from interrogating sentences. There was the little blind boy and old man, who hugged me when I arrived because they were so happy to see that I was okay, despite the blood and dirt all over me.

I knew I couldn't just leave them to whatever fate the military had in store for them, and I was ashamed at myself for even thinking about abandoning them, even if it had only been for a moment. Shenae was studying my face. She was waiting on me to make a decision.