~*~
I couldn't scream. I didn't have any sort of defense for myself too. Never did I think I would say this, but I wish my power was working.
I found Mai laying on the ground and was fighting off an infected on top of her. I quickly ran to her aid and kicked the undead off of her. She got up and let out her silenced pistol then shot the infected.
I waited... and waited for her to stop shooting it. Bullets after bullets, I thought they were the last ones she was going to shoot, but I had a feeling she wasn't stopping.
"Mai!" I called her, trying to stop her. "Let's go."
Mai looked distraught but she followed me eventually.
We found the guys and we continued to fend ourselves from the infected. We put down as much infected as we could but Hendery was doing most of the job.
"We can't keep doing this. More of them are just gonna come!" Hendery said as he sliced the head of an infected with his swift firebending.
No one responded to him as we didn't really know what to do next. We were trapped, circled by tons of infected trying to have a taste of our flesh.
"There's an old house over there!" Jaemin shouted and I followed where he was pointing.
"Let's go!" Hendery said.
We ran through the herd of infected as Hendery opened the way for us. He kept bursting his hot, orange fire stream to clear the path.
We eventually got to the cottage and I slammed myself against the door to open it. After we got in, the guys locked the door with a giant log of wood.
The boys sat on the ground trying to catch their breaths. I sat next to Jaemin and patted the back of his head. He leaned to my chest and I wrapped my arms around him tightly. "You did great. You're so brave. I'm proud of you." I faintly whispered.
Renjun came and joined the hug. I closed my eyes, because for a moment I thought I was too late and I would never see them again. I buried my face on their heads.
"This will never hold," Mai said as she nudged the shaking door. It kept banging and it seemed like it would break any minute from now.
Jaemin slowly broke free from the hug to look at the door, so did Renjun. "So what do we do now?" Renjun asked.
He was scared. I wanted to hug him again and tell him that everything was going to be alright, but I couldn't. That would be a lie. Because I don't know myself if we were ever gonna... make it.
I shifted my gaze to look over at Hendery, and for a second I thought I caught him watching me, but he quickly turned away.
"What do you think we should do?" I asked and he went back to look at me.
"I can't hold them forever..." He said.
For a second, I was angry at him. Maybe I always expected him to have an answer to every of my questions and he didn't have one this time.
"We're gonna die," Jaemin said gravely.
Mai walked to Hendery, clenching her fists. "Did Victor send you?" She asked, as if they'd known each other for quite some time.
Hendery nodded.
"You've gotta be kidding, he isn't as bright as he acts, is he?" Mai hissed.
Hendery looked down, not meeting her eyes. He looked more concerned than offended by Mai's remark.
"Wait, what are you two going on about?" I asked, walking closer to them.
"Where's this god-forsaken institute of his?" Mai said, completely ignoring my question.
"We have to get to the portal first up north." Hendery said, looking at me.
"What in the world are you guys talking about?" I raised my voice a bit, maintaining my calm.
Mai walked past me to the boys in the other side of the room. She kneeled down and started to talk to them. Renjun was wiping his eyes and Jaemin was trying so hard to stifle his sobbing. They hugged each other before Mai stood up to walk over to where Hendery and I were at.
"Juli, look at me." Mai suddenly walked towards me and looked me in the eye.
I didn't know what was going to happen, but I was scared. Her eyes were restless and she was acting so... strange. Mai is a person who's always calm and collected. Seeing her anxious and jumpy like this got me concerned.
"Mai, what's happening...?" I quietly said. Looking at her acting up like that made my tears fell.
"Listen to me," she cupped my face with both of her hands. She smiled weakly. "I might not be your biological mother,"
"No one fucking cares!" I said, while trying not to sob.
"God dammit just listen and shut up for once in your life!" Mai snapped me out. "You promise me you take good care of those boys,"
I nodded.
"From now on you'll be more than just a big sister."
"What the fuck is are you trying to say, Mai?" I choked a bit on my saliva, trying so hard not to cry.
"You're gonna be just fine. You're gonna be great. I know you're gonna beat this world. You're smart, you are strong, and you are so brave. I can never tell you enough of how proud I am and how much I love you. I would do anything for you. You're the most precious thing that has ever happened in my life and I wouldn't trade anything for that." She wiped the tears off my face with her thumb. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry."
"Stop, Mai. Just stop." I choked.
"And promise me that you'll always do the right things... it's always easy to do the wrong things. So if it feels easy don't do it. Don't let the world spoil you. You'll face a lot of challenges from now on and I want you to keep being a brave and wise girl that you are. Promise me that you will never meddle with godly affairs, and this includes their children, demigods. Because they will only hurt you in the end. I know that this doesn't make sense for now but everything will."
Mai let go of me and faced Hendery. "You take my children to that fucking place and swear to me you'll protect them with your life."
Hendery furrowed his eyebrows and nodded at her.
"What are you doing, Mai? Whatever is this, this is not us."
"We are survivors. It's always been my job to keep you alive and that's what I'm still going to do." Mai said.
"Let's forget all of this and go home. We'll fight those stupid bounty hunters—"
"I'm not... I'm not going anywhere. This is my last stop." Mai cut me off.
"I don't understand, Mai! Stop dodging my questions and answer what the fuck you are talking about because you're not making sense!" I raised my voice.
"Oh gods," Hendery suddenly said behind me.
I quickly shot him a glare for interrupting our conversation.
"She's infected." Hendery gravely said.
My mouth gaped open, I thought about that possibility, because of the way she is acting up and all. I took a slow step back away from her. A pain was stinging in my head and I forgot to breathe. The air suddenly felt so stuffy.
"Let me..." I tried to form words, "let me see it."
"Juli, I never meant for this—"
"Show it to me." I said, a bit more stern this time.
Mai pulled her collar and revealed it.
I gasped and covered my mouth. I took steps back even further.
It was real. She was bitten. The mark looked raw and fresh like she was just bitten a few minutes ago.
"No," I breathed out. "This is not happening, this is not happening..." I kept chanting those words unconsciously.
Mai looked over to the door. The log was going to split into two. "The door's gonna break, but if you run, I can buy you some time."
"Do you want us to just leave you here?" Hendery said next to me.
I couldn't say anything as I was still processing what the hell was happening.
"Yes!" Mai said.
"That's bullshit!" Jaemin said behind her.
"There is no way that—" I tried to change her mind.
"Come on, make this easy for me." Mai cut me off and forced a smile.
I gritted my teeth. "I can fight..." I said.
"No!" Mai bellowed, making everyone jumped slightly in surprise. "Just fucking go!"
"No..no... enough with this bullshit." I walked to her but Hendery grabbed my wrist. "Don't fucking touch me!" I tried to yank his hand off but he grabbed my other arm. "Let go of me!"
At this point, Hendery was dragging me away from Mai. I tried to fight him as much as I could but he was too strong, or maybe I didn't have any energy left to do anything.
Hendery locked my arms and was lifting me by my waist. He succeeded in getting me out of the cottage by the back door which was not surrounded by that many infected. He finally let go of me and put me back on the ground.
He held my face to face him, but I couldn't see him clearly. My vision was blocked by my tears.
He was muttering "Can you walk?" And I nodded.
He grabbed my wrist gently and started to run, guiding me.
~*~