Son of Sun, page 15
“They still look perfect,” Nola said.
“Looks can be deceiving.” Jude leaned on Julian’s shoulder.
“Hmm.” Rebecca turned north, heading into the barren trees.
“Where are we going?” Nola asked.
“Somewhere we can shelter for the night,” Rebecca said. “If the Outer Guard don’t find us by morning, we’ll start the long way back to the Woodlands.”
“Long way,” Jude said. “Sounds great.”
Just keep running.
The thumping of footsteps pounded up from behind.
Jeremy let go of Nola’s hand, drawing his weapon.
Nola glanced back as her fingers closed around the hilt of her knife.
Stokes and Al ran side-by-side, racing to catch up to the group.
Chapter Nineteen
Nola didn’t want to look at the forest as they trekked through the trees. Didn’t want to think of how easily the domes could destroy everything around her.
Think of better things.
Like what?
Jeremy next to her, healthy and whole.
Julian cradled Jude in his arms. Jude hadn’t made it past the first few miles on his own feet. Julian had been carrying him for hours as the sun rose in the sky and began its long journey back to the western horizon.
Better things.
T and the baby.
The baby whose father had already died. The unborn child who could be killed by the domes and their horrible weapons.
“Breathe, Nola,” Jeremy whispered. “Just breathe.”
Nola took a deep breath. They had stopped running hours ago. They walked up hills and past creeks that smelled of rot. Trudged around a pond covered with a cloud of bugs and through woods so far beyond life, no leaves or needles textured the ground.
But walking, walking and trying to find one hopeful untainted thing, was what stole Nola’s breath away.
She clutched Jeremy’s hand tighter.
“Why did they make Nallot?” Nola asked.
“Murder would be my guess.” Rebecca’s uneven words were the first sign of fatigue she’d betrayed.
“No,” Julian said, “though Salinger does seem to be making a habit of reusing the Incorporation’s mistakes as weapons. As foolish as it may sound, Nallot was designed to combat invasive species.”
“What?” Nola stumbled over a rock.
“Not all domes are situated in the same fashion as yours,” Julian said. “It’s a bit complicated, I’m afraid.”
“Well, talk.” Rebecca set her sack down and leaned against a boulder, which lay nestled next to the rocky side of a low-hanging cliff. She fished in the folds of her pants, pulling out a leather drinking pouch.
“I’ve got water for us,” Jeremy said.
It wasn’t until he said the word water that Nola noticed the burning in the back of her throat.
Al sank to the ground, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and pulling out a water pouch like Rebecca’s. Sun and exhaustion had turned her face a bright shade of red.
Nola took the metal bottle Jeremy handed her, taking a slow sip that washed away the grit in her throat.
“I’d offer you some water,” Rebecca said, eyeing Julian, “but I suppose you won’t drink it.”
“No indeed,” Julian said. “Don’t worry. I’m just fine.”
“Good,” Rebecca said, “then talk while we drink.”
“Of course.” Julian laid Jude on the ground.
Nola crouched by Jude. “Can you drink?”
“If you’re offering.” Jude gave a wavering wink.
“The location of these domes was chosen for its proximity to a city small enough to be controlled yet large enough to manufacture. The mountain range, river, and high number of streams were also considerations, but not all domes were placed for the same values.” Julian paced between trees. “The far south domes were placed for their proximity to an excellent seaport.”
“Civilization has fallen,” Al said. “Who the hell has goods to ship to a port?”
“You’re too young,” Julian said. “Even though you were raised in the domes, you don’t remember the beginning. The city was needed for manufacturing, but the Incorporation didn’t plan on the city surviving in the long term. The world was already too far gone for sustainable urban survival before the first pane of glass was put into place. The Incorporation was looking toward the day when the river would have cleansed itself, the mountains would offer a home to the wildlife the domes have fostered, and the land would be ripe for farming. Placement by a port situated that domes’ citizens to be able to travel and spread across the coasts when the ocean has stabilized and become a source of safe food once again.”
“That still doesn’t explain—” Jeremy began.
“Nallot was created for a set of domes in the southern hemisphere,” Julian said. “Farther away than even I have traveled.”
“What was so special about the location that the Incorporation wanted to build somewhere that would require Nallot?” Rebecca said. “From what I hear, the world is still pretty damn big even if it has gone to shit.”
“The soil around those domes was fertile beyond compare,” Julian said. “So much so, farmers had brought in non-native crops. Which inadvertently brought in non-native species and pests. The Incorporation decided purging the area of invasive species and allowing the land to naturally reclaim the region over the course of many years would be the best solution for recreating the ecosystem for a time generations from now when citizens would finally leave the domes.”
“They destroyed all the land around their home?” Nola dug her nails into her palms, trying to keep from screaming. “Nallot melted through the trees. The land where they sprayed—”
“Will now be abundantly fertile.” Julian tapped his lips through his veil. “On a rudimentary level, Nallot turned those trees into pure fertilizer.”
A crack shook the air as Stokes punched a tree.
“You said Nallot was a mistake,” Jeremy said.
“The Incorporation does seem to forget they are not infallible,” Julian said. “They sprayed the area, clearing every plant and animal around the domes.”
“And?” Nola shivered.
“The domes were new at the time,” Julian said. “The council of those domes became very comfortable in their secluded location. They hadn’t been monitoring their systems as closely as they should. The glass in one of the agricultural domes hadn’t been properly secured. Fumes were trapped with the workers. Twelve people were killed that day. The Incorporation banned the use of Nallot after the incident.”
“Until now,” Jeremy said.
“They sprayed the mist miles from the domes,” Julian said. “I’m sure the Incorporation set a safe distance for its use.”
“The Woodlands are far outside that area,” Rebecca said. “They could destroy my entire forest.”
“If they have enough Nallot, they could,” Julian said. “I don’t know how they transferred the Outer Guard here from their home domes. I don’t know how much Nallot they brought from the Incorporation’s headquarters. I wish I had something comforting to say, but all I can offer is I don’t know.”
Rebecca ran her hand over her head, ruffling her short hair. “Shit we can do about it now.” She walked around the side of the boulder and out of sight.
“The barren strip,” Nola whispered in Jeremy’s ear. “If they saw it from the helicopter—”
“I know.” Jeremy nodded. “We could warn them.”
“I doubt we could find them on our own,” Julian said. “And to travel slowly is to risk being followed.”
Stokes glared at Julian, who stared placidly back through the slit in his veil.
Stokes didn’t hear me. He can’t run to the Woodlands tonight. He’s just plain human.
“Nobody wants to rest?” Rebecca called from around the corner.
“I’ll get you inside.” Julian lifted Jude from the ground.
Jude gave only a faint murmur of thanks as Julian carried him away.
“Captain,” Al began.
Nola tugged on Jeremy’s hand.
“I’m not going to lie down for a nice rest when Cass could still be out there somewhere,” Stokes said.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep.” Nola spoke louder than she needed to, trying to drown out Al’s reply.
They rounded the boulder. A gaping void in the cliff greeted them on the other side. Tufts of dead grass waited just inside the lip of the cave where the greenery had flourished until the cold snaps had killed it.
“You’re not going to find him, sir,” Al said. “This isn’t the domes. We can’t do a floor by floor search.”
“You want me to leave your fellow guard for dead?”
“We should try to rest anyway,” Jeremy said. “Who knows how long it’ll be until we get another chance?”
“I’m asking you to trust his training,” Al said. “Or did what you see in the years of us serving under you convince you of our incompetence?”
Nola scampered into the cave.
Rebecca knelt next to a ring of burned logs. “Want to gather some wood?”
“There is nothing I could have taught any of you to prepare you for this!”
Nola flinched at Stokes’ shout.
“I’ll get the wood then.” Rebecca stood and stormed out of the cave. “Shut the hell up, Stokes.”
“Back here.” Julian beckoned them toward the far end of the cave.
“Unless you’ve got a way to sniff out where—”
“Nice to have some cover for the night.” Jeremy’s voice echoed off the back wall.
The hollow in the cliff side reached less than forty feet. Julian knelt in the shadows where the rock ceiling hung too low for him to stand.
“Glad Rebecca’s good at lighting fires.” Jude’s voice crackled.
“How about another sip of water?” Nola sat, carefully lifting Jude’s head into her lap.
“Don’t know if you should waste it,” Jude said.
Nola’s eyes flicked to the leather case on Jeremy’s belt.
“We need to look in the bag,” Jeremy said.
“Which bag?” Julian said.
“Rebecca’s.” Jeremy started toward the sack by the entrance of the cave.
“Should we wait for her?” Nola asked.
“There isn’t a way out of this.” Stokes’ shout shook the cave.
“I don’t think we have time.” Jeremy opened the sack, carefully pulling out the rifles, checking each of them before laying them on the ground in a perfect line.
“I’m impressed she carried the weight for so long,” Julian said.
“She’s been carrying the weight of hundreds of people for a long time.” Jude’s laugh turned into a cough.
Nola slipped her pack under Jude’s head, braving being closer to Stokes to be nearer to Jeremy.
Jeremy pulled the handguns from the bag, checking the darts in each before placing them in a line below the rifles.
“Which kind of darts were they sent with?” Jude asked.
“The killing kind,” Jeremy said. “They didn’t even give them a non-lethal option. I don’t know why I bothered to check.”
“You’ll keep checking,” Julian said. “The spark of hope takes a long time to go out.”
“Mine’s gone,” Jude said. “Guess it figured it wasn’t worth sticking around.”
“I’ve often thought mine had disappeared.” Julian sat next to Jude. “The brightness of hope would dissipate for years at a time, only to be revived when a hint of goodness breathed in fresh life.”
Jeremy pulled the black leather case from the bottom of the sack.
“Nola survived the domes and came to care for those on the outside,” Julian said. “Even if I hadn’t had the promise of Nightland’s new home, Nola would have ignited the spark again.”
Jeremy’s fingers shook as he opened the case. Nola held her breath, waiting to see the silver syringes filled with the deep black of Graylock.
“Hope is—”
“Damn.” Jeremy gripped the case, cracking the sides. “Damn, damn, fucking damn.”
“Jeremy.” Nola took his hands, pulling the case low enough for her to see inside.
No glittering syringe waited for her. A thin bottle of white pills was all the padded ridges of the case contained.
We need more Graylock.
A guilty weight sank in Nola’s chest.
We can wait. Jude can’t.
“What’s wrong?” Julian pulled his veil back over his face as he moved toward the mouth of the cave.
“There’s no Graylock in the triage kit,” Jeremy said. “They were sending every Outer Guard out with two doses.”
“A couple of Outer Guard were killed in the city,” Jude said. “Their doses were taken. Salinger had a fit about the possibility of outsiders dosing themselves. Graylock doesn’t move beyond the glass anymore.”
“I took four.” Jeremy closed the case and unfastened his belt, hooking the box in place. “It might’ve just been me.”
“Or someone else on the outside could have more doses,” Nola said.
“This whole world has gone so far to shit, I don’t think you’ll ever know.” Jude’s eyes drifted shut. “Guess Salinger doesn’t care how many guards die. They’ll just breed more.”
“We have to do something,” Nola whispered.
“We can keep him comfortable.” Rebecca returned with an armful of wood. She dropped the load onto the cold coals. “We’ll keep him warm and fed.”
“If no one’s chasing you,” Jude said, “try and bring my body back to the Woodlands. I might not have family, but Stokes will give me a proper send off.”
“We’ll do our best,” Rebecca said.
“There is another option,” Julian said.
“We don’t have enough Graylock,” Jeremy said. “Even if we could get him back to Nightland in time, we don’t have three full doses. He’d die without the third injection.”
“There were ways to save lives before Graylock.” Julian moved back into the deep shadows of the cave, pulling off his hat. “It wouldn’t be an easy road, and I don’t think you could return to the Woodlands, but there is a way for you to survive.”
A chill knot of fear settled in Nola’s throat.
“I have one dose of ReVamp with me,” Julian said. “The injection would be enough to save your life. We’d have to leave immediately for Nightland. Our doctor would be able to administer the other doses.”
“You want to stick him with a needle and run for it?” Rebecca said. “Hope the spider and his men don’t follow you home?”
“I mean no offense, but I don’t think we would be followed,” Julian said. “We can move much faster on our own.”
“Move faster to where?” Stokes stepped into the mouth of the cave.
“To save your guard’s life,” Julian said.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Stokes stomped over to Jude. “Get up, Jude.”
“I don’t think I can, Captain.” Jude didn’t open his eyes.
“I know your opinion on vampires,” Julian said, “and I will freely admit that some of my kind deserve the revulsion you feel. But this man will not live through the night. If he prefers to die, I will not argue with his choice.”
Nola gripped Jeremy’s hand.
Julian reached into his pack, pulling out a narrow container. “What sort of a monster would I be if I had a way to save a life and didn’t offer to help?”
“He’d never be able to walk in the sun again.” Al stood in the entrance to the cave, her hands clasped under her chin.
“But he would still be alive,” Julian said.
“He wouldn’t be Jude,” Al said.
“He would,” Nola said. “ReVamp is different than Vamp. He’ll be healthy and strong. He won’t be able to go into the sun, and he’ll have to live off blood. But he’ll still be the same person.”
“You can’t know that.” Jude’s words came out a rasped whisper.
“I do,” Nola said. “My best friend was given ReVamp. It saved his life, and it didn’t change him.”
Jeremy pressed his lips to the top of Nola’s head.
“I don’t want to die, Captain,” Jude said.
Stokes stood over Jude. His dark brow wrinkled in something between loathing and disgust.
“You’ve been a good guard, Jude,” Stokes said.
Nola moved to step forward, ready to plant herself between Stokes and Jude. Jeremy wrapped his arm around her, keeping her pinned to his side.
“Your work isn’t done yet, Guard,” Stokes said. “So you take that damned shot, and you get ready. Because we’ve got one hell of a fight in front of us.”
Chapter Twenty
“It’s not a pleasant process.” Julian knelt beside Jude. “I’m afraid there will be a fair bit of pain.”
“Can’t be too bad when you lay it out next to dying,” Jude said.
Nola wrapped her arms around Jeremy, trying to push away the horrible memory of ice taking hold of her veins.
The ice has already changed me. It can’t happen again.
“Once I’ve administered the injection, we’ll have to leave.” Julian took the syringe from its case.
The metal of this syringe seemed somehow less frightening than those that held Graylock. Whether it was from the metal gleaming less brightly, or the faint, shimmering liquid held within the glass, Nola didn’t know.
“You’re just going to take Jude away?” Al knelt next to Jude, holding his hand.
“He’ll have to be protected from the sunlight,” Julian said. “Though it won’t be completely deadly to him right away, it’s unwise to risk exposure.”
“So stick him with a needle and run. Go back to hiding in your mountain. Wait to see if the Woodlands are destroyed.” Rebecca knelt next to the coals, striking two bits of stone together, throwing sparks onto the crumpled bits of brush. “I’d come to think better of you than that.”
“I don’t think any of us are dumb enough to think we can hide from the domes,” Jeremy said. “But Julian’s right, we have to get Jude to Nightland.”
