"Don't worry, Lilly Flower, my Elijah, and Nicolas will keep us safe." Miss Gina poured hot water into a mug, dipping a tea bag inside.
I didn't answer Miss Gina. Everything I had to say at this point was negative, and I didn't want to take out my aggravation on her.
Ben's group never arrived and forty-five minutes had passed since our phone call with Mark and Jessica.
"So we go back to Jeremy's abandoned car and wait. When Mark and Jessica get there with everyone, you need to try to talk them into leaving, but if they don't listen, I'll take them out from the trees." Nico examined the scope on his rifle.
"Fat chance." I was trying to imagine how their plan could work, and it just seemed like a chaotic mess.
"We need to try to get them to drive away." Eli glanced at me.
"What if they're so far gone they don't get back in their cars, and they end up running into the forest acting like lunatics?" I asked.
"Then we hunt them down and kill them. They can't be that hard to find. They're loud as hell and not thinking rationally." Nico's lips pressed into a hard line.
"Here, Gramma." Eli held a handgun and shotgun out to her. "This is only for emergencies."
Miss Gina grinned, nodded, and grabbed the guns without question, placing them on the counter.
"Aren't you scared?" I asked Miss Gina.
"Oh, yes, my child, but I've known this day was coming for many years now. I saw it in a dream when I was thirteen." Miss Gina wrapped her cool hands around mine. "You're a strong one, Lilly Flower. After this day, no one will ever hurt your precious heart again."
I stared into her comforting brown eyes. She and Eli had the same depth behind their gaze. Infinite.
Eli massaged my shoulders. "Lilly is staying for good, Gramma."
"Oh, Elijah." Miss Gina laughed, swatting his shoulder. "I already know. She's family. Just like Nicolas."
"Thank you, Miss Gina," Nico said from the couch as he inspected more weapons.
Eli continued to massage my shoulders. "Do you want to go with us, Lil?"
I wanted to say, 'Hell no. I'll be in our room. Come get me when you're done,' but instead, I said, "Yeah, I'll go."
Miss Gina's strong hands wrapped around my forearm as her eyes lit up. "I'm so proud of you, Lilly Flower. You just saved my boys."
I glanced between Eli's huge smile and hers, and yeah, I was lost.
"So if you come along, I might have a better plan. How do you feel about being the bait, Lilly?" Nico filled a bag with guns.
"No." Eli's tone was absolute.
Nico didn't look up. "Dude, hear me out. We make a bonfire and all Lilly has to do is sit at the bonfire and welcome the people who show. We need to mark the ones on Hype. I don't want to kill anyone who could survive this. I only want to kill the killers. After we're done, we need to burn all the bodies since we have no idea what type of contagion we're dealing with."
"I said no." Eli repeated angrily.
"Dude, I won't let them hurt—"
"I'll do it." I grabbed Eli's hand and faced him. "Let me help. I don't know if I can kill anyone, but I want to help if I can."
Eli narrowed his brow. "Are you sure?"
From the look on his face, I could tell I'd surprised him. I stood, wrapping my hands around his neck. "Yeah, I'm sure. You'll be close, right?"
Eli relaxed under my touch as his hands slid around my waist, tugging me close. "I'll be right by your side."
"My, my, aren't they going to make beautiful babies, Nicolas?" Miss Gina took a drink from her tea.
I stiffened. Babies?
Nico chuckled. "Yeah, I guess."
"Not now, Gramma." Eli pulled me in for a hug just before he whispered in my ear. "Don't worry. I'll never make you do anything you don't want to do."
Once again his words shocked me. What the hell had I told him? This was beginning to irritate me.
Leaning my head back, Eli watched me carefully. He probably thought I would run again, but after my episode in the woods, I'd made an important decision. I would never run from Eli again. He was my future. Whether my future lasted one hour or fifty years. Eli was the one I wanted by my side.
"You owe me an explanation later." I searched his face.
Eli's eyebrows raised as he realized my meaning. "You got it."
I gave Miss Gina a big hug. "Be safe and shoot anyone that tries to hurt you."
Miss Gina didn't release me when I tried to let go. "Lilly Flower, protect my Elijah. I love him so."
Was that a warning? She obviously knew something I didn't. I would frigging kill anyone that tried to hurt Eli.
"I promise I'll protect him with my life." I held her close. "Eli's my angel."
When she released me her eyes were glassy with tears as she patted my cheek. "Such a perfect child."
We all changed into clothes that covered our entire bodies. Nico was wearing full-on hunting gear. Eli would've done the same, but we needed to look like partiers.
"I need to grab spray paint." Eli ran into the barn.
"Spray paint?" I asked.
"To mark the people on Hype. You and Eli need to spray their backs, so I know who to shoot. I have a silencer, and hopefully, if they're high enough, everyone will think the people I kill just passed out or something. I need you to play it off that way." Nico raised his gun to look through the scope and pointed at something in the distance. "See that aluminum can over there?"
Searching, I finally spotted a tiny metallic glint in the distance. "Barely, but it's at least a football field away."
"Yep. Watch this." Nico took four quiet shots. The first shot shook the can's reflection, and the last three shots blew it to pieces.
Color me impressed. "That's incredible."
"Yeah, my dad taught me." Nico continued to look at the world through the scope.
I still hadn't apologized to Nico for being a Grade-A bitch earlier, but now wasn't the time. I didn't blame him and this wasn't his fault. Jessica would've done drugs no matter what, and I couldn't control what she put in her body. Just like I couldn't control what my parents put in their bodies.
I could only control myself, and I had to hand this one over to fate. Shit happens and Jessica's time was up. It sucked, but so did life.
Eli emerged from the barn with two small cans of orange spray paint. "Ready?"
Nico lowered the gun, glancing at me. "You ready, killer?"
I forced a smile. "Let's do this."
Eli met me at the car. "You good?"
I smoothed a hand over my ponytail. "Yep. It's not easy, but it's gotta happen. I have to learn sometime."
"I'm starting to fall in love with your girlfriend, Eli." Nico chuckled as he sat in the Charger.
"Me too." Eli's gaze sent tingles spiraling all over my body.
In my heart, I knew Eli was it for me. No other guy could ever capture my heart like he had.
With the sun rising higher, the three of us found a decent-sized clearing in the field and built a large bonfire. We gathered plenty of wood to burn all the bodies after our mission was complete.
Luckily, Jeremy's abandoned car was full of supplies. In the trunk, there was an overkill of cookies, donuts, chips, and other sweets. Not really a shocking find after everything we knew. We also discovered a cooler full of drinks and alcohol. We set the cooler in the party area and placed a couple of blankets around the field to give it that final touch.
After an hour of hard work, Nico called Mark, and he actually answered. From the location he described, Mark and the others were only thirty minutes away.
For a few minutes, the three of us sat on a blanket and watched the fire, contemplating everything that was about to happen.
"I want you to keep this." Eli handed over my gun as I leaned back into him.
I didn't cringe or shy away. I needed my gun, and I'd planned on having it anyway. Taking the gun, I placed it inside my hoodie next to my spray paint.
"Nico?" I had to do this now. Who knew what could happen?
I couldn't tell if Nico was meditating or praying, but his hands fell from their clasped position in front of his mouth before he looked at me.
"I'm really sorry for screaming and yelling at you earlier. I was going through some shit, and I took it out on you." I bit my lip. "You didn't deserve the way I treated you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me?"
Nico glanced back at the fire and nodded. "You don't even have to ask for my forgiveness. You already had it. This has been crazy for all of us."
"Thanks." I blurted out my next words. "And I'm giving you permission to shoot me if I get bitten."
Nico's forehead creased as his face became etched with sorrow. He didn't respond, instead he glanced at Eli.
Eli's arms tightened around me, but I refused to look at him. It would just make me miserable.
"Promise me." I didn't take my eyes off Nico. "If I get bitten, shoot me in the head and make it fast. I don't want to suffer, and I don't want to attack anyone. Promise me."
Nico studied me closely to make sure I meant business, and I did.
"No." Eli's voice cracked, but neither of us acknowledged him.
Nico nodded slowly with resolve. "You have my word."
Eli jumped up as I fell backward. He yanked Nico off the ground by the front of his jacket. "Don't you fucking dare."
Nico didn't back down. His face stayed stoic as his jaw hardened. "I always keep my word."
Eli's wild eyes fell on me, seeking help. "Lilly, take it back."
When I didn't answer, Eli dropped Nico. "Fine. Do the same for me."
"Only as long as you return the favor." Nico fixed his jacket and sat back down.
"You know it, but if you kill her before I get to say goodbye, I'll kill you either way." Eli sat down next to me, studying my face. "Are you ready for this?"
"Yep." Trying to control the mess of emotions swirling inside, I grabbed a water bottle from the cooler and shimmied my shoulders to the beat of the music. "Who's ready to party?"
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