Chapter 4

Mara

We are squatting in the same building as Virals.

Their footsteps grow faster and louder when they catch our scent.

Elias and I are already moving. We gather our supplies and haul them on our backs. Every action is second nature, and I do not panic in the process. This situation, irritating among other emotions, is nothing new.

Or avoidable.

The traps are useless now. We leave them as they are. Now they’re nothing but wasted resources.

It’s better to leave stretches of wire behind than die by vampire bite and virus.

“There’s another stairwell,” Elias says, barely winded as we run down one metal hallway after another. Stale, cold air slashes at my cheeks. “Wherever it spits us out, we drop our shit and fight like hell.”

“It’s a plan,” I agree. “How dare they interrupt our nap?”

Elias chuckles in a breathless laugh. “Have I ever said how much I value your ability to turn a dire situation into a joke?”

“No,” I laugh back as we hit the stairs with concave concrete. “But you can mention it more. Fuels my ego. Ego fuels my survival skills.”

“Good to know. Landing coming up—ah, hell!”

The Virals had caught up. I stupidly look over my shoulder and see that there’s only one. I don’t get a good look at him in the unlit space, but it is unnerving that we hear more than one pair of feet and only one body appears.

They were smart enough to lay ambushes like the Regulators. It’s animal instinct to herd their prey into a corner.

But Elias and I aren’t prey. We’re definitely not predators.

We’re warriors.

Elias and I exchange a look. That’s all we need to devise a different plan.

He goes on ahead, his footsteps echoing. I stay behind on the landing, my hands on Beheader’s two pieces, and face the stalking Viral one step at a time.

His chest is heaving with primal want, his chin slick with drool and his mouth parted just enough to reveal the fanged canines.

His eyes are blood-red, his hair choppy black.

My fingers twitch on Justice and Vengeance. Now it’s a matter of which one to draw that this Viral deserves.

“Tear your throat open,” he rasps, his nails screeching on the railing as he drags them along the metal. “Drink you to husk. Lick your veins clean. Gnaw on your bones.”

I wrinkle my nose and unsheathe Justice. “That is just gross,” I state flatly. “How about I put you out of your misery instead, vamp?”

The vampire opens his jaw as wide as it can go, his fangs fully bared, and hisses with a feral, mindless glitter in his eyes.

That would be a no.

My heart is pounding louder than the Viral’s snarl. My body wants to flee, but I hold it in place and lift Justice. I just have to swing at the right moment. I’ve done it dozens of times. I’m not afraid.

But I am.

I can ignore it.

The Viral is too lost to hunger to defend himself. All he has on his mind is to plow into me, knock me over, hold me down, and drink. And my higher ground is the perfect spot to avoid that.

His arms outstretch. My arms wind back.

He tenses to leap. I adjust my grip.

He bows his head to ram into my gut.

I swing.

The scythe cleaves through flesh and spine in a clean, brutal shear. The Viral’s head snaps back, then tears from its body. Head and body bump and tumble down the steps as the stench of blood stains the air.

My arms go slack, and I stumble backward into the wall. I slump against it, allowing myself to slide down. Justice clangs as it lands on the concrete. My heart is beating so loud, I’m not sure whether I’m breathing. And my muscles burn like hell.

“Mara!”

I look up at Elias’s shout. He’s leaning over the rail of the stairwell two floors up. I don’t hear any sounds of pursuit.

“I’m okay,” I call out, but my voice cracks. I clear my throat and resolve to stand. “I’m okay. I’m okay….”

“I’ll wait here,” Elias says with admirable patience. “Take your time.”

I wheeze out a laugh as I mount each step. “We have that?”

“I value your ability to turn a dire situation into a joke,” he calls down.

Black-red blood burns my cheek, and I scrape it off with my sleeve. “Ego successfully boosted.”

“Good. Translate it to thigh power. Chances are, they are going to ambush us somewhere.”

I grit my teeth and do as Elias suggests. I lose track of time and space in that short sprint to catch up.

When I do, his hands brace my arms to steady me. I look up to meet my green eyes with his. There’s nothing but pride in them… besides the usual apprehension, of course.

As I catch my breath, Elias checks that our bags are fully secure. The water jugs are heavy and sloshing, but they’re our key to survival, so they’re heavier in a second sense too. They’re worth it. Pain is worth it.

It must be. Otherwise….

I swallow the last of my breathlessness and nod at Elias. He nods back. We continue up one more flight of stairs to the ground floor, emerging into the foyer of the former hotel. We’re both on edge and on guard, listening for our enemies. But there’s only the scuttle of critters and buzz of insects.

“Kill or new shelter?” I ask quietly as we inch toward the entrance.

“Preferably—”

That’s all Elias can say before two Virals burst out from another door. They barrel toward us at frightening speed, hissing with their fangs bared and their fingers splayed to grab.

We already have our weapons out.

Elias aims and shoots. The arrow springs free with equally frightening speed. It punches through the chest of a Viral with black hair and unnaturally blue eyes. He staggers, clutching the wood stuck in his ribs. Elias shoots again, and it goes through the vampire’s skull. He crumples in a blink.

Meanwhile, my fight is more close-quarters. There’s no time to click Beheader together, so I only wield Vengeance. I want this done quick.

I swing with a war cry, but at the last second, the brown-haired, brown-gold-eyed male jerks. Instead of slicing into his neck, the scythe bites into his bulky shoulder. He snarls furiously—and takes advantage of my lapse of shock.

He’s not a Viral. He’s a Subject.

With his free arm, the Subject grabs my throat. I gasp and release my spear. It sticks and hangs grotesquely in his shoulder for a moment before squelching free and clattering on the ground.

I choke as his grip cuts off my airflow. My hands scrabble at his face uselessly, too exhausted to claw, and he laughs—intelligent, cruel intent. His maw opens, hissing as his lips peel back to show fangs. He pulls me closer, forcing my head to the side to bare my neck.

I’m not dying today!

I head-butt him.

He snarls, but it barely spares me a second. Still, I make myself go limp and heavy instead of fighting. The change in weight earns me another half a second, so I drive my knee up. He recoils to avoid it, and it unbalances us. His other hand catches me.

Now both his arms clutch me. All I can see is the depths of his gold eyes, alive with malice.

And then life winks out with the sound of nightmare itself.

Vengeance juts out from his skull, which is now halfway cleaved.

I gasp at the sudden stillness as Elias rips it free. The Subject flops to the floor in a heavy, dusty heap, his brain matter exposed.

I don’t look as I take Elias’s offered hand. He heaves me up and steadies my stumble.

“A Subject,” I say in a strangled choke.

“I know,” Elias says grimly as he stares at the body. “It’s been a while.”

I sheathe Vengeance, my hands trembling so badly I keep missing the loop. Elias steadies me again. I was shaken. Simple as that. “I’ve never—one’s never gotten—”

“I know,” Elias says again, patient, setting my scythe right. “They’re smarter because they’re the originals. Faster. Hungrier for the hunt rather than desperate to feed. And they don’t hunt alone. Let’s get outside. Open ground makes it easier to fight.”

My head jerks a nod, and I follow him on wobbly legs. Night had fallen, and the city is a misshapen black shape against a purple-blue backdrop. Specks of stars are barely visible. The moon is somewhere behind us, no doubt also obscured.

“Light?” I suggest as I blink in the darkness, too rattled to know that it’s the stupidest thing to say.

“No,” Elias says with endless composure. “That would just draw them to us. We need to leave the city.”

The words hit my chest like a punch. I stare at his silhouette, but he doesn’t turn to look at me, just studies ahead, adjusting his bag absently.

“Leave?” I repeat. “We just got here! We’ve barely explored this Quarter. Elias, our colonies are expecting us to come back with something.” I cross my arms, hiding my fear behind defensiveness. “We’re not leaving until we find something we can take back that will help our people. Elias, why would we—”

“Because the city’s too big for the two of us,” Elias interrupts with a sharpness that makes me recoil. “With the Regulators and all the Virals we’ve come across in such a short time, we won’t get out with any supplies—or our lives. It’s not worth it.”

With that, Elias turns and starts striding down the vine-laden street like he owns it. His footsteps echo off the empty buildings. The scent of rot permeates the air more strongly than ever, coiling in my nose, clouding my mind, and pulsing at my temples.

Or maybe I’m just pissed off.

“What,” I breathe, “the hell?”

I bolt after Elias, my pack and weapon swinging, and grab his sleeve.

He grunts in surprise when I yank him back a step. “Mara—”

“Elias,” I growl. “You’re lying.”

Elias jerks my arm free but doesn’t take off again. “I’m not lying, Mara.”

“Well, then, you’re withholding something. What is it?”

That isn’t a question. It’s a demand.

Elias knows it, but the bastard chooses to ignore it. And it damn near breaks my heart.

In the moonlight, I can faintly see his expression. It’s pained. He is hiding something. Why?

My voice goes soft, and I take his sleeve gently. “Elias,” I whisper, hoping he’ll look at me. “What’s wrong? You saw something, didn’t you?”

Elias swallows hard and doesn’t answer. “I saw a symbol that…. This city, it’s… doomed.”

I try not to get even more exasperated. “That’s a pretty obvious observation, Elias Reve. This giant hellhole is named Downfall for a reason.”

Two Virals explode out of an alley, their eyes glowing bright as embers. We draw our weapons, drop our packs, and meet them head-on.

Neither of us notices a third vampire appearing behind us.

Unexpected hands grab me and yank me close. I scream as an arm wraps around my neck.

Footsteps pound elsewhere, too echoing to discern where.

A male’s voice shouts, “Cassius, release her!”