None of us can catch a wink during the night. When morning arrives and the creatures quiet down, Zarius and I head off to inspect the damage that's done to the school.
The rest of our group remains behind. The lines of exhaustion under their eyes are growing thicker as the days pass, especially after last night's attack. They are passed out on the floor, sleeping out in the open. The wind is less chilly now as the sun rises in the sky, partially obscured by patches of white clouds.
Zarius wants me to stay with the group, but I insist on going. Death has always been a part of life, but even more so now with the apocalypse. Even if the bodies crumble to ashes and return to earth, I realize that death itself is not the greatest loss in life. When the hope inside us dies out, that's when we truly lose to the creatures.
And that's what pushes me to go forward.
Eventually, Zarius agrees, but only if I stay behind him. Walking down the stairs, my hand reaches for his, lacing my fingers through his and giving them a squeeze. Although he has a destined mate, he likes me and so do I. Deep down in my heart, a part of me knows that he's going to leave me someday, but before that happens, I'll take whatever time I'm left with him.
He pauses in his steps. "Are you certain about this, Delia?"
I square my shoulders with a determined nod. "Let's go."
We push against the doors, and what we find in the cafeteria is appalling; the result of a bloodbath. The creatures have dispersed and gone into hiding, leaving behind bodies that are severely mangled.
We work through them quickly, hoping to find someone with a pulse. It's difficult to identify the bodies, since their faces are beyond recognition. As we search the other floors, it gets even more depressing when we realize there's no one alive.
The heavy feeling intensifies in my chest. It's hard to look at these people, knowing that I used to roam the hallways with them. Talk to them. Laugh with them.
Now, I can't help but wonder to myself if my death might come knocking on my door similarly; by getting killed by the creatures in such a gruesome way. I don't want it to happen to me. No one does.
I'm scared, but that only fuels my determination to find a solution around this. For Maddie, Mia and Jace.
And Zarius.
My hand tightens around him instinctively. He glances down at me, wearing a concerned frown. I must have looked incredibly upset, because he doesn't say a word and quickly steers me back to the stairs.
Halfway back to the rooftop, we bump into my teacher–Mr. Daniels. He's oblivious to our presence, ambling his way down a corridor slowly. I thought for sure he was catching a nap earlier, so what on earth is he doing down here?
There's something awfully strange about him, especially the way he staggers and drags his feet around. Zarius and I exchange a curious look before chasing after Mr. Daniels quickly, realizing that he has disappeared into one of the classrooms.
The door is half shut. I pull it open to find him sitting behind a teacher's desk, resting his head against the cushion headrest. His eyes are squeezed shut as the lines across his forehead twitch in pain.
I gasp at his condition. He doesn't look good. His face looks extremely pale, and he's breaking out in a cold sweat. "Mr. Daniels?"
He cracks an eye open as I approach him. His voice croaks with effort. "Oh, Ms. Walters. It's you."
"Sir." Disquiet creeps into my tone. "What happened to you?"
Mr. Daniels exhales heavily, knowing he can't hide it anymore. "Nothing good."
Zarius remains behind me, just silently watching and listening to our conversation. Mr. Daniels's hand clutches to the side of his waist over his black shirt, and it's only when I see his blood seeping through his fingers do I finally catch on.
He's hurt.
How could we not have noticed it?
I suck in a deep breath, feeling a wave of hot guilt and remorse dousing me. "Why didn't you tell us you are injured?"
Mr. Daniels simply gives me a faint smile. "Didn't want to frighten that poor little girl again with an old man that's bleeding. Mia, isn't it?"
"Mia," I agree. "How bad is it?"
He lifts his torn shirt, showing me two nasty claw marks right above his hip bone. I inspect closely, noting how deep they are. In fact, they look discolored, which is a clear sign of infection. This kind of wound probably requires stitches too, but there's no medical professional here to patch him up.
"I didn't feel the pain at first," Mr. Daniels admits, "but now it's hurting like hell."
When he sees me staring at him worriedly, he assures me with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry, kid. I'm tougher than you think. The time that I have spent on the national team has built me stronger mentally and physically."
"That was many years ago," I point it out. "You must miss playing competitively."
Even though he's injured, the memories of the good old times make him swell with pride. "You're right, but once I got married and we had a son, I settled for a job with a stable income in a small town. I wouldn't trade my family for anything in the world."
Seeing the look of love on his face as he describes his family, I smile. "Have you gone home to look for them?"
His face falls, despondent. "No. They flew back to the UK to visit my wife's parents before this whole thing happened. I haven't heard from them since then."
"I'm so sorry, sir. I hope they're safe."
"Me too." He shifts in his seat with a groan, but still gives me a weak smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure you kids are safe first before I leave."
Even though he's hurting, he's trying to ease my worry and continue to play his role as a teacher. But that's what breaks my heart.
I straighten up and retreat to where Zarius is standing. "Is there anything you can do for him?"
He shoots me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Delia. I'm not a healer."
I bite my bottom lip, feeling at a loss of how to help Mr. Daniels. The next time the creatures come after us, how is he going to defend himself with those wounds?
But first things first, we need to stop the bleeding. "I'll go get a first aid kit from the nurse's office."
Zarius nods and follows me to the first floor. The nurse's office is messy, but I quickly find the first aid kit wedged between the bottom of the shelf and a fallen table. After pulling it out, I snatch up some painkillers and a couple of mineral bottles from a stash. I make a mental note to return for the rest of the supplies later.
Once we get back to Mr. Daniels, he chugs down the painkillers, antibiotics, and water first, while I attempt to clean and dress his wounds. It's messy work, and I wish Maddie was here to do it instead. She's better at this kind of stuff than I am.
Once I'm done, he gives me a nod of appreciation. "Thanks, Ms. Walters. You did a great job."
"Cordelia," I correct him. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"You should go back to the others. I want to take a quick nap here."
"Okay. I'll get Maddie to come down here—"
He cuts me off quickly. "That's not necessary. Go back and rest while you can."
"But sir—"
"Daylight doesn't last forever, Cordelia Walters. You don't waste a second of it."
He has pulled out the teacher's card by calling my full name, letting me know his words are final. I stare at him for several seconds, before finally giving in. "Alright."
"And Cordelia?"
"Yes, sir?"
He cracks a sad, feeble smile at me. "No matter what happens, promise me you'll stay alive? Nothing makes me happier knowing if one of us walks out of this hellhole alive."
My chest tightens at his words—at the fact that he's thinking of my wellbeing even though he's the one in pain right now. "Don't say such things, Mr. Daniels. We've made it this far, so we'll definitely get out of this mess together."
He doesn't answer me.
Instead, all he settles for is a sad smile.
***
An hour later, Zarius and I leave the school grounds in a car that's barely running on some fuel. My maniac driving has improved a little compared to the first time I drove. We drop by a petrol station to fill up the tank before heading to the nearest mall to grab a couple more supplies.
Zarius is confused when he finds me sifting through at a couple of clothing racks in an apparel store. He plucks a bright yellow bikini off a rack, inspecting it in disgust. "What are these, Delia? It looks...strange."
I yelp and snatch the thing away from him before bursting into laughter at his unintended hilarious question. Moments like this make me forget about the apocalypse temporarily. "You don't recognize this? I thought you would have seen enough of them for a lifetime on the shores."
"I—" He squints harder at the bikini I'm holding in my hand and the racks until realization hits him. "Oh."
"That's what I thought." Snickering, I chuck aside the bikini and settle on a full body swimsuit. Zarius watches me. His head tilts in curiosity as I run to a mirror and hold up the piece against my body.
"What are you doing?" he questions. "And where are we going?"
"The Milliken Pond. The place where I brought you the last time," I answer. Emotions are warring inside me, but I really need to do this. "I want you to...teach me how to swim again."
He's taken by surprise. "Swim? You're willing to enter the water now? Voluntary?"
"Yes," I nod. "Teach me so that I can learn how to morph again and wield merfolk powers like you do. I want to learn how to fight better."
A full-blown smile blooms across his face, as he looks more thrilled than I expected. "Of course," he says happily. "I will teach you everything I know. I'm happy you're finally willing to overcome your fear and accept our merfolk's blood in you."
After selecting the swimsuit that I want, I dash off to the changing room to wear it under my own clothes. When I return, Zarius stares pointedly at a bikini rack. "Why are you not wearing one of...those?"
"What?" I squeak, before scowling at the two-piece bikinis. "Oh, hell no. Not even in a million years."
He raises a questioning brow. "Why not?"
I bark out a laugh, thrown off by his unexpected question. "That's not something I can wear. I mean, I would look like a buffalo when I put those on."
"Is that so? I beg to differ from that statement."
He returns his gaze to my body, running his curious eyes up and down. The way he openly checks me out makes my skin tingles and my cheeks flush red. Regardless of species, males will always be males.
I snort out loud. "Come on, you big dork. Let's just go."
After grabbing enough spare clothes for the trip, we hurry back to our car. Just as I reach for the handle, Zarius grabs my arm suddenly. "Wait—"
His words drown out. A sudden loud explosion catapults us backwards, roaring in fiery, and flames engulf us.