ARA
Kaden's eyes slowly raised to meet my own. Then, with a groan of pain he surged forward. As soon as his hand touched mine I threw my weight backwards, bringing him crashing over the railing. For a moment we both lay still on the ground.
"I thought you were gonna leave me."
"I thought so too."
I surveyed Kaden's body. He'd been bitten on his shoulder; a chunk of flesh was gone. Blood stained his shirt and flowed down his arm. His eyes were closed, his face twisted with pain.
The dogs howled below us. How long until they found the stairs?
Not long.
"Kaden, we need to move." His eyes came in and out of focus.
"Kaden!" I shook him, and he cried out in pain, his eyes clearing for a moment. "We need somewhere safe to hide."
"The jewelry store, it's just... around... " His words slurred but it didn't matter, I could see the store. I dragged him half-walking, half-stumbling, when I heard howling behind us. Over the railing, I could just see the escalators leading to the second floor. The dogs bounded up it, their long bodies stretching and contracting, covering the distance at a vicious pace.
They were coming for us.
I hauled Kaden forward now, not caring if I hurt him. The storefront was only feet away, but I could hear the steady slap-slap-slap of the dogs' paws on the floor.
I yanked him over the threshold and dropped him unceremoniously, then jumped for the metal chain-link casing to pull the door closed. The giant wolf-dog tore around the corner.
I threw my weight onto the chains.
As the dog's enormous paws hit the casing, the chains crashed to the floor, throwing me backwards. He bit and clawed at the metal, but it held. The rest of the pack slammed into the chains as well, maddened by the blood covering us. I noticed a second grate, a sheet metal wall that slid out from one side. I slammed it closed, casting us into darkness and muffling the snarls of the dogs.
The store had been gutted, the glass displays smashed and the floor filled with glass shards and yellowed paper. I took only a moment to check there was no back door before I knelt beside Kaden, who lay unmoving. I ripped off my sweater and began to tear up the clothing, trying to make some sort of bandage to stop the flow.
"Sam."
I jumped at his voice. He spoke to the ceiling, his voice soft.
"No, it's Ara."
He grimaced and rolled his head to the side. I tried to tie the fabric to his shoulder, the way my father had taught me, but the blood seeped through the cloth, making my fingers slippery and clumsy. I had never bandaged a wound this large before.
Kaden spoke again, his voice rough. "No, Sam. He's my brother."
I paused over him. Although they didn't look alike, there was something protective in the way Kaden treated Sam.
"I didn't know that." And I don't know why you're telling me now. I pulled the bandage as tight as I could, and Kaden grimaced. "You'll see him soon."
Kaden looked at me with hard eyes. I'd never been a good liar, but I was even worse at comforting. So much for a feminine touch.
"He's my half-brother. We were the only two to survive in our family. He lived on his own for three months before I got to him." He gasped suddenly, his whole-body tensing, then he spoke through clenched teeth, as if the only way to escape the pain was to speak.
"I only joined the clan because of him, I thought it would be safer, but now I don't know..." He began to rant, growing louder at times then mumbling incoherently. A sudden coldness covered me as I realized what I should have from the beginning. The dogs were infected. One of them had bitten him. What if Kaden was infected now? I didn't know how the plague had spread, only that it had, suddenly and viciously, until humanity was almost gone. The only survivors were animals, who grew larger and more aggressive, their eyes milky and bloodshot. I'd met several in the mountains with Father; a mountain lion, a herd of elk, some rodents. All we killed and burned.
I scooted away from Kaden, but when I did, I was shocked to find my arms covered in blood to my elbows. Not just Kaden's blood either. I had several deep cuts in my palms. I had been doctoring Kaden; our blood had mingled. What if I was infected? I pushed the thoughts away. If we were both infected, from everything I had seen in The Dark Days, there was nothing we could do. There was no cure. Once your eyes turned white, death was a mercy.
After a few minutes, the howls died away to whines and shadows pacing the floor, then nothing, the silence broken only by Kaden's labored breathing and the low whistling of the wind as it swept through the Mall through the shattered glass ceiling.
I knelt beside the streak of red where I had dragged Kaden into the shop, and peek through the crack. No sign of the dogs. I glanced back at Kaden form. He was tall, well over six feet, and well-built. I would never be able to carry him all the way back to the others.
I needed to go for help.
The metal screen screeched as I pulled it back inch by inch. The mall stretched into the distance, the dark storefronts and hidden corners unnerving. Storm clouds gathered beyond the open ceiling, choking out what light remained of the day. I pulled the second door closed behind me, sealing Kaden in.
Like a tomb.
Now only the chain curtain stood between me, the empty mall, and the dogs. I opened it enough to slide out and then pulled the curtain down behind me. I paused to listen, my heart pounding in my chest. Then, like a flushed bird, I took off down the hallway, my footsteps too loud in the empty space. Were the dogs waiting somewhere for me? The thought pushed me faster, until I was flying, my feet barely touching the floor.
Every dark store I passed was another trial, every corner and shadow seemed to conceal the form of the black wolf-dog.
I heard voices up ahead, and relief filled me. Issac, Sam, and Jeb would help Kaden.
But a flicker of warning made me pause, some leftover instinct keeping me from turning the corner and calling out. Again, the voices rose, and this time ice slithered down my spine.
It wasn't Issac and Sam.
There were other men in the mall.