ceiling. “I’m not entirely sure, but it seems flu-like. We haven’t had it here in years, but it’s very much a human condition. It’s caused by a virus, and he has an extreme case of it from the looks of him. But it’s not usually deadly for young people. How long has he been sick?”
“Not long,” Tage said from beside me.
Pursing his lips, Garreth looked over Roman again. “Early on, the flu makes you feel like you’re dying. Body aches, chills, fever. His fever is causing the seizures because it spiked too high, but he’s fighting hard and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard of anyone passing from it. We’ll watch it closely and in a few days, he should be better.”
“Thank you,” I said as my sister and Saul stepped into the room. Garreth looked them over. “They’re human. Both of them,” I answered his unanswered question.
Garreth shook his head with a slight smile while he stared at each one of us in turn.
“I told you.”
“I guess seeing is believing,” he mused. “You’re an odd bunch. Night-walkers and humans...” He paused, handing the water bag to me. “See that he drinks every half hour. He needs to stay hydrated. If something changes, send a human for me. It’d be best if you and he stayed inside this room,” he said, motioning toward Tage. “I’ll be back at dark and can stay with him if you’d like. The illness tends to worsen at night, and I know that the two of you will be hunting.”
Motioning between me and Tage, I assured him, “We won’t bother anyone, and we’d appreciate it if you’d help him tonight.” We needed to find food for the people. Although I hadn’t seen many of them, the guards, who were likely the strongest among the people other than Garreth, seemed gaunt and thin. There was a hollowness even in the giant’s cheeks.
A smile split his face. “You let me focus on your friend. You focus on finding food. I look forward to the meat. Good luck tonight.”
“Thank you,” Tage and I said as he ducked out the doorway.
Mercedes looked around the place. There was a small wooden table with two chairs, Roman’s bed, and a wooden chest at his feet. A few utensils hung on the wall next to an assortment of charred pans. “I can see if someone will let us have some food for today,” she offered.
“You noticed the food was gone?”
“I did. Tage told me it sank in the river,” she answered, looking down.
“I’ll look for firewood. There’s a pit outside.” Saul shoved his hands in his pockets.
Tage smiled. “I’ll go with you, Saul. We can look for animal trails while we’re collecting wood.”
I almost laughed out loud at Saul’s expression; half surprised and half angry. Squeezing Tage’s hand wasn’t enough for him. He caught me by the waist and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. “Be back soon.”
Saul glared at the two of us from beside the door before disappearing outside. Mercedes huffed, following him.
“Stay with Roman. Saul and I will get firewood from the forest,” Tage added, kissing my temple.
“Be careful.”
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from this hill hole, kitten.”
Mercedes was at another door thirty feet away, asking for anything our new neighbors could spare. There wouldn’t be much, if anything. I hated to break that to her, but she was from Blackwater, where resources were richer and neighbors dutifully helped one another. She would understand soon enough. Saul was striding down the pathway that was carved up the mountainside. I jogged and caught up with him quickly. “Leaving without your chaperone? Not the smartest idea.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” he replied gruffly.
Laughing, I pointed toward the forest. “ Something has these people scared enough to build a twenty-foot tall wall around their homes. I wouldn’t take that lightly. You were Infected once. We wouldn’t want that to happen again.”
“We both know you wouldn’t care if I was out of the
“Not long,” Tage said from beside me.
Pursing his lips, Garreth looked over Roman again. “Early on, the flu makes you feel like you’re dying. Body aches, chills, fever. His fever is causing the seizures because it spiked too high, but he’s fighting hard and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard of anyone passing from it. We’ll watch it closely and in a few days, he should be better.”
“Thank you,” I said as my sister and Saul stepped into the room. Garreth looked them over. “They’re human. Both of them,” I answered his unanswered question.
Garreth shook his head with a slight smile while he stared at each one of us in turn.
“I told you.”
“I guess seeing is believing,” he mused. “You’re an odd bunch. Night-walkers and humans...” He paused, handing the water bag to me. “See that he drinks every half hour. He needs to stay hydrated. If something changes, send a human for me. It’d be best if you and he stayed inside this room,” he said, motioning toward Tage. “I’ll be back at dark and can stay with him if you’d like. The illness tends to worsen at night, and I know that the two of you will be hunting.”
Motioning between me and Tage, I assured him, “We won’t bother anyone, and we’d appreciate it if you’d help him tonight.” We needed to find food for the people. Although I hadn’t seen many of them, the guards, who were likely the strongest among the people other than Garreth, seemed gaunt and thin. There was a hollowness even in the giant’s cheeks.
A smile split his face. “You let me focus on your friend. You focus on finding food. I look forward to the meat. Good luck tonight.”
“Thank you,” Tage and I said as he ducked out the doorway.
Mercedes looked around the place. There was a small wooden table with two chairs, Roman’s bed, and a wooden chest at his feet. A few utensils hung on the wall next to an assortment of charred pans. “I can see if someone will let us have some food for today,” she offered.
“You noticed the food was gone?”
“I did. Tage told me it sank in the river,” she answered, looking down.
“I’ll look for firewood. There’s a pit outside.” Saul shoved his hands in his pockets.
Tage smiled. “I’ll go with you, Saul. We can look for animal trails while we’re collecting wood.”
I almost laughed out loud at Saul’s expression; half surprised and half angry. Squeezing Tage’s hand wasn’t enough for him. He caught me by the waist and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. “Be back soon.”
Saul glared at the two of us from beside the door before disappearing outside. Mercedes huffed, following him.
“Stay with Roman. Saul and I will get firewood from the forest,” Tage added, kissing my temple.
“Be careful.”
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from this hill hole, kitten.”
Mercedes was at another door thirty feet away, asking for anything our new neighbors could spare. There wouldn’t be much, if anything. I hated to break that to her, but she was from Blackwater, where resources were richer and neighbors dutifully helped one another. She would understand soon enough. Saul was striding down the pathway that was carved up the mountainside. I jogged and caught up with him quickly. “Leaving without your chaperone? Not the smartest idea.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” he replied gruffly.
Laughing, I pointed toward the forest. “ Something has these people scared enough to build a twenty-foot tall wall around their homes. I wouldn’t take that lightly. You were Infected once. We wouldn’t want that to happen again.”
“We both know you wouldn’t care if I was out of the
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