The Dollhouse Asylum Read Online Free PDF Page B

withered frame, and she’s clutching a dismembered arm. She takes a bite from the wrist of the limb. The Living Rot, just like in Beijing.
    “It’s not over,” the reporter shouts from off the bouncing screen. He yells and we see the reason for the yell—several arms are stretching toward him from the windows of a parked yellow car. And while only a low groan comes from the cars, the sound slices into my chest and curls up my spine. “There’s nowhere safe anymore!” the cameraman shouts. Gasping for breath, he adds, “Protect yourselves!” The screen bounces, like the cameraman’s just made a leap, and he curses before the screen crashes and goes black.
    Teo clicks the TV off. “I wanted to spare you from that, but you gave me little choice. The epidemic leaked out, a mutated form this time. And when I got word from my contacts that the scientists already had a new vaccine, Jonas and I retrieved it from the hospital just in time. They were planning on giving it to government officials, scientists—people like that—but we knew those weren’t the only people who we should protect. You should have seen it.” He flashes a shy smile. “Jonas stood watch while I snuck inside.”
    Stroking my cheek, he bores his eyes into mine. “Do you see what I have given you? An asylum from the Living Rot.”
    My knees tremble where I sit, and I suddenly don’t know what to do with my hands. Grab onto Teo? Hold him tight? Thank God the both of us are okay. Those groans were not human—at least, not anymore. What do you do with people like that? I’m not even sure they can be killed or how far the Rot has spread. I choke—on vomit or spit, I don’t know—but what Teo has showed me has really taken place. The Living Rot has returned, and there’s no telling how far it has spread.
    Teo sits beside me on the bed. “I had to protect you. Your life means more than my own.”
    Teo’s simple words make my panic still. It’s somehow become a glorious moment knowing that, despite everything, he’s unveiling how he feels.
    My eyes sting—tears gather in the corners. But they’re the best tears I’ve ever felt. And it simultaneously makes me feel guilty. How can I be glad that I’m cherished when everything about the world is at the cusp of so much death?
    “So, you appreciate me?” Teo says, and I somehow want to laugh.
    “Yes, Teo. Of course I do.” Because we’re together and he loves me and I love him and—
    Dear God, how could the Rot be back?
    Little finite details seem to shimmer in place. Now that I know how Teo feels, I need to know why he made this place. And how did he know about the Living Rot to make it in time? I know he is brilliant, but how would he have the connections to know something like that?
    Teo moves away from me on the bed and starts pacing about the room. Even his walk has my attention fastened in place. His long, powerful legs only need two or three strides to make it across the room. “It was only a matter of time before something happened again,” Teo says from across the room. “After Beijing, I knew I had to make a safety net, bring in friends in the prime of their youth.”
    Teo’s comment jars me. It’s silly, but I mostly think of us as the same age. True, he’s twenty-four, but I don’t think about it much. I’ve seen Cleo and Marcus, and I guess the others are my age, too. How did he pick us?
    He takes another step toward me, an ebony fire simmering in his gaze. “There’s something else,” he says as he loops a finger through one of my curls, sending a current of longing crackling down my neck. “I wanted to tell you before, but I needed you to have the motivation to consent.”
    The word “consent” reminds me of my mom. That’s the word she uses to remind me that she is the one who rules in our home. I require her “consent” for just about anything—visiting a friend’s house, ordering pizza. But even with her strict rules, I’m horrified I haven’t thought