The Lair

CHAPTER TWO

Lily

Lily’s stomach turned over as she climbed out of the passenger side of the Hummer. Carter had parked it right in the middle of the otherwise empty parking lot. The parking lot was separated from the surrounding forest by a tall, chain-link fence, and it butted right up against the side of the mountain. Set into the mountain was a door under a sign reading “United Underground.” Beside that was a pair of huge garage doors, one of which was slowly rising. Carter had told her that nearly a hundred people lived at Base Camp, but the collection of kids huddled just inside the door didn’t seem close to that number—maybe because they were all so thin. Or maybe they were just small compared to the huge, open space inside the mountain.

Lily rounded the Hummer to help McKenna climb out. They’d been cramped in the SUV for a long time. Even though it was big in there, she needed a minute to get her legs under her and suspected McKenna would, too.

She automatically put her hand under McKenna’s elbow. Not that she knew what it was like to be pregnant, but if her legs were stiff, she could only imagine how McKenna must feel. Besides, it gave her something to think about other than the hundred people staring at her. The guy with the gun—Merc, Carter had called him—led them through the open doorway without getting too close. Or lowering his weapon.

The doors opened directly into a huge loading bay, a cavern carved out of the mountain. The ceiling was twenty feet up and made of smoothed stone, like the floor. Columns, maybe five feet across, dotted the floor every forty feet. Though the area near the doors was lit by overhead fluorescent lights, she couldn’t tell how far back it went. The cave just slipped away in the darkness.

“What’s with all the RVs?” she asked in a whisper.

A row of maybe twenty vehicles lined the communal area at the front of the cavern. They were fanned out in a semicircle below the last row of fluorescent lights.

“This used to be a mine in the Before, a long time ago,” Carter said. “When the ore played out, United Underground took over. They used the space for climate controlled storage. They stored everything from legal documents to RVs and boats. When we first moved in here, the guys and I stayed up near the front, in United’s offices, but when we started bringing Greens back, we brought RVs up from the deeps for people to live in.”

“The deeps?”

Carter’s steps slowed and he pointed off toward the darkness. “Deep storage, farther in. There are hundreds of storage units we haven’t even broken into yet. Once we get out of quarantine, stay up here, where there’s light. You don’t want to get lost until you know your way around more.”

When that guy whom Merc told him about had started to become a Tick, that’s probably where he’d hidden while he was transforming. He’d slipped away into the darkness, which Ticks loved best. What had it been like for that guy? Had he known his humanity was slowly slipping away? Had the craving for blood been so strong he hadn’t cared that he was becoming a monster?

Lily suppressed a shudder and pushed aside her thoughts, concentrating on taking in her surroundings. When Carter had first told her about Base Camp, that there was a place where kids were banding together to fight against the Farm system and the Ticks, it had all seemed very romantic. Not glamorous, but noble at least. And better than life on the Farm.

But the other teens seemed worn and suspicious. Hungry. And this cave they lived in—it may be safe, generally, when there wasn’t a Tick trapped inside with them, but it wasn’t hospitable. It was dark and even though it was warmer in here than it had been out in the Hummer, the air was cool and damp so that it already seemed to be seeping through her clothes.

Still better than a Farm. Still better than “donating” blood to feed the Ticks.

Carter led her and McKenna over to a portion of a cave, which had been walled off, and through a door. This must have been United Underground’s business offices. There was a large reception area and then a hall with closed doors on either side. Merc came in behind them, his grip on his rifle relaxed.

“Where are you going to keep us in quarantine?” Carter asked.

Merc nodded down the hall. “Thought we’d use your old office. No one moved in while you were gone, so it’s still empty.”

“How long will we be there?” McKenna asked, following Carter down the hall.

She was wiggling a little as she walked, so Lily asked, “Is there a bathroom in there? Or can we go first? We were in the car a long time.” McKenna wasn’t the kind to bring that sort of thing up, and even though Lily didn’t have to go right now, she had no idea how long they’d be in quarantine.

“There’s a bathroom back there in reception—” Carter pointed down the hall. “But we can’t flush it without water, which we don’t have set up yet. There’s another office next to the one I stayed in. We’ll set it up with a bucket. Someone will come and empty it twice a day.” He paused to rap his knuckles on a door. “Merc will get it set up, right? And we’ll be here.”

Carter held open the next door so that Lily and McKenna could go in. A desk was pushed against the wall. A punching bag hung in the corner. It was windowless, of course, since it was underground. The walls were lined with bookshelves, most of which were empty except for a bunch of bobbleheads on the shelves right at eye level. There was a leather sofa, three chairs, a useless desktop computer. No sign, however, that Carter actually lived here— when he wasn’t out rescuing girls from Farms.

McKenna wrapped her arms around her chest and sat on the edge of the sofa, bouncing a little, like she was excited or really had to pee.

“Can you let us know as soon as you get the bucket set up?” Lily asked just as Merc was starting to close the door behind them.

She wasn’t used to feeling so protective of McKenna. She’d known her in the Before, although they hadn’t been friends. Not by a long shot. But she no longer had Mel to take care of, and watching out for McKenna gave her something to focus on. Something to think about besides the fact that there were a hundred people out there who expected her to lead them to greatness.

A few minutes later, Merc came back to tell them the bucket was ready. A few minutes after that, they were all back in the office, the next few days stretching out before them.

McKenna flopped back on the sofa. “Quarantine? This sucks. How long do you think they’re going to keep us here like this?”

Lily found herself looking at Carter, wondering the same question. “If it was me,” he said now, “I’d keep us in here for three days at least, watching for symptoms.”

McKenna groaned a little. “That’s obnoxious. None of us are sick. Besides, I thought you were their leader.”

“No. It’s smart,” Lily said quickly. She didn’t know for sure if Merc or anyone else was listening at the door. If he was, she didn’t want to rehash the whole issue of whether or not Carter was the leader—particularly the part about her not being an abductura. The longer they kept that under wraps, the better.

“But none of us has been exposed,” McKenna groused.

“We don’t know that,” Lily said gently. Funny, just a few days ago, she would have been annoyed by McKenna’s whining. Now, she knew this was just how McKenna acted when she was afraid. Under the circumstances—McKenna must be terrified. She was pregnant and alone. Joe was probably dead. Frankly, it was a miracle she could function at all. “We were all really close to Ticks not that long ago.”

“It’s not airborne,” Carter said quietly. “It’s passed from one victim to the next by bodily fluids. Like the vampire virus. A Tick has to bite you or—I don’t know—swap blood somehow. We should all be safe.”

But his voice sounded desperate rather than confident. That’s when Lily knew he’d figured out the same thing she had.

But McKenna obviously hadn’t figured it out yet, because she said, “So, what? If one of us does show symptoms, they just leave us in here to die?” McKenna broke off mid-rant; she must have noticed both Lily and Carter staring at her. “What? Get sick and die, right? That’s how it goes.”

“Yeah, for most people.” Lily pushed herself to her feet and moved to stand over by the shelf. Right at eye level was a bobblehead of a superhero—one of the ones she didn’t recognize. She reached out and gave his head a nudge and then watched it bob for a second before turning around, but she still couldn’t make herself look at either of her friends. “But if I show signs—I mean, any signs, any fever at all—you’ve got to take me out right away, okay?”

“What?” McKenna gaped.

“Lily—” Carter took a step toward her, but she held out a hand to stop him.

“You know I’m right. So we might as well get it all out on the table.”

McKenna wobbled to her feet. “What are you guys talking about?”

Lily opened her mouth, but couldn’t make herself say it aloud. Instead she turned back to the bobbleheads, trusting Carter to fill in the blanks for McKenna.

“She’s talking about the regenerative gene. There’s some rare gene that only about one to two percent of the population has. If you have that gene and you’re exposed to the Tick virus, you turn into a Tick.”

“Yeah, I know that. Just because I was a cheerleader in the Before doesn’t mean I didn’t watch the news.”

“According to Sebastian, when Genexome Corporation did the research that created the Tick virus, they started with Roberto’s genes, with his DNA. They created a virus that mimicked some of the characteristics of the vampire virus. Roberto was trying to create an army of monsters that he could control. So he made a virus that also affected the victims’ mental capabilities and he did away with the territorial thing all vampires have going for them, but he still started with the same gene.”

“So?” she asked.

“So, if Mel didn’t have the regenerative gene, when Sebastian fed off her she would have just died. Instead she turned into a vampire. That means she has the gene. And Lily and Mel are identical twins. Genetically identical. So she has it, too.”

“Oh.”

For a second, no one seemed to even breathe. Finally Lily gave the bobblehead one last nudge and turned around. No superhero was going to save her. “So there it is. That’s why it’s a good idea for me to be held in quarantine. And probably why you guys should stay in a separate room.”

Damn, she should have thought of that before now. She made a move toward the door to go talk to Merc, but Carter stepped in her way.

“No. Don’t go borrowing trouble. We know you weren’t exposed.”

“No, we—”

“Yes. We know. I was with you the whole time. You weren’t bitten. Besides, it took us two days to drive here. I’ve been watching for symptoms that whole time and haven’t seen any. And I know you haven’t, either.”

“How do you know—”

“The way you kept asking McKenna if she was cold, too? And the way you kept holding my hand to your cheek? You’ve been watching for signs of a fever. Not very subtly, either.” He brought his hand up to her face and cupped her jaw. His other hand slipped to her waist. For just a moment, her heart pounded with something other than fear. “You’re fine. Don’t worry.”

The anguish in his voice as he said it matched the way she felt. Then he dropped his forehead to hers, and she had to close her eyes against her tears. It was all she could do not to press her body against his and just lose herself in his touch. But it seemed wrong under the circumstances with McKenna there. Especially since McKenna had just lost Joe. So instead, Lily swallowed hard and stepped back. Carter trailed his fingers down her arm and clasped her hand.

“Did you really think I hadn’t noticed?” he asked.

Lily gave a shrug. “You’re the one who’s always talking about how smart I am. I guess I just hoped I’d figured it out before you. I didn’t want to freak anyone out unless—” She couldn’t even bring herself to say it.

“Well, we don’t have to worry about that,” he said brusquely. “You’re fine.”

Okay, time to get past her squeamishness. She didn’t want to say it aloud, but she couldn’t afford not to say it, either. “Look, about that. If something does happen—”

“Nothing’s going to happen. We’re here now. We’re safe. That’s not something we have to worry about.”

“Sure. Right now. But if I am exposed, I want you to promise me—”

“It’s not ever going to happen.” Carter’s voice was like steel.

Lily dropped his hand, wanting to throw up her own hands in exasperation. “Fine. We’ll pretend it’s not a possibility. But just so we’re clear, if I ever am exposed to the virus, if I ever do start to turn, I want you to take me out before I can hurt anyone else.”

“Jesus, Lily, you can’t ask me to kill you.”

“I’m only asking you to do what you would do for anyone else.”

“But you aren’t anyone else. You’re you.”

“If I’m exposed to the Tick virus, I won’t be me anymore. I’m asking you to do the right thing. I’m asking you to protect the people I care about if I’m not in a position to do it myself.” Just to be sure, she turned and looked at McKenna, too. “Got it?”

McKenna gave a queasy nod. “Got it.”

Carter didn’t respond, but just stood there, his jaw clenched so tight she thought he might crack a molar. She stepped closer to him and looked him in the eye. This close, his eyes were startlingly blue. She thought of all the things they’d been through together. She thought of the boy she’d met in the Before two years ago—that impossibly handsome, recklessly charming guy. That guy she’d crushed on and then made herself forget. And then she thought of the guy who showed up at her Farm to rescue her and Mel just over a week ago. She knew now that he was so much more than just that hot guy she’d crushed on. He was a hero. A guy who’d put his life on the line to save her and to lead this ragtag band of human teenagers. And he claimed to love her.

“Look,” she said bluntly, “I’m not going to just hide here in this cave. I didn’t escape from that Farm and come all this way so I could cower. I came here so I could make a difference. So I could fight. You have to accept that.”

Carter pulled her back into his arms and tipped her jaw up so she met his gaze. “Fine. And you have to accept that I’m not gonna let you get exposed. Ever. I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe. No matter what.”

He didn’t give her a chance to answer. Which was probably just as well, because she didn’t know what she’d say. She was used to taking care of others, not having anyone take care of her. Having Carter in her life was going to take some getting used to. Just like the cold of the cave. Just like the knowledge that she had the Tick gene, that she had the potential to become a bloodthirsty monster.

That was okay, she was adaptable.