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I look away, focusing on the water as it turns a darker shade of red. “It’s okay. It’s the truth. I thought Amos had shared this news with his—our—allies.”

“No, my dear, he did not.” Angie finishes up with the linens, satisfied there are no more germs or bits of dirt that could cause an infection. “Do you think your skin could close up his wound?”

I shrug, careful not to splash any bloodied water on my legs. “I don’t know if it’s been tried before. Doctore—Dr. Tuwile—did unspeakable things to me, but I wasn’t always conscious for them. I’d like to try this. If there’s the smallest chance it will help Amos.”

“Let me see how much anesthetic we have,” Ruth says, but I cut her off.

“Don’t waste that on me. I know what it feels like to have my skin torn from my body. It hurts. But I can bear it. For him, I can bear anything.”

“How romantic,” Ruth sighs, tears dripping from her eyelashes. “But are you sure?”

I nod, standing up before I lose my nerve. I place the bloody water on the nightstand, pull my shirt over my head, and lie myself face down on the bed next to Amos’. Taking deep breaths, I attempt to relax myself. Tensing my muscles will only make this hurt more.

“Take as much as you need,” I say with my face buried in a pillow. The last thought I have before pain consumes every inch of my body is of Amos. His golden eyes taking in every bit of my naked body last night. The pleasure he made me feel. The ecstasy. The love. I will do anything to feel that way again. To be safely wrapped around his body. Stuck in a time and place that only exists for us.

Chapter 39

AfterRuthandAngiefinish stitching my skin over Amos’ stump, my back is pretty much all healed up. I leave the room, needing some air as I cling to the hope that my skin will help close Amos’ wound. The sting of my newly healed skin is the only reminder of what was likely a gruesome sight less than an hour ago. But I heal fast. Faster now than I ever did in the bunker. Perhaps the healthier lifestyle and diet are more agreeable than the life I spent as a lab rat with limited access to a dank and dark basement.

Dana is the first person I see as I descend the stairs, leading into a cozy living room. I stand over her, watching as she cleans her rifle. Without looking up at me, she says, “We moved the prisoner to the shed. Two of my people, Marcus and Alex, are on guard. Do you want to talk to him?”

My intention was to stay far away from Jonah, but my head nods before I can even think about it. Dana makes quick work putting her rifle back together and swings the strap around her back. I follow her out the same side door we had entered over an hour ago, walking past the red Honda and a small vegetable garden.

“What is this place?” I ask Dana, remembering what Amos had told me about where we had been heading to.

“One of our safe houses. The old manor house was hit by Dr. Tuwile’s men. Thankfully, we got everyone out of there before the raid, but the surrounding houses…we suffered too many casualties.”

“I’m so sorry. Amos and I left as soon as we heard about the planned attacks. We found a car crash. No survivors. Amos mentioned the name Earl when we found a…body.”

Dana’s steps halt abruptly, choking on a sob. “Oh, Earl. He was a good man. One of our leaders. During the attack, he and a few others took one of the cars and tried to take out as many of the bastards as they could. We weren’t sure if…well now I know. Thank you for telling me.”

I place a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She reaches back with a squeeze of her own before continuing down the grassy path. “Amos has told me so much about you and yet, I knew there was something big he wasn’t telling me. You not only used to live with Dr. Tuwile’s people. You are his super soldier.”

Dana didn’t ask, which means she likely figured it out or Jonah had been talking. I nod anyway. “Amos saved me from that hellhole. Brought me to The Valley.”

“What I don’t understand is why? The Valley is one of the most well-protected survivor communities on this side of The Wall. They rarely ever bring in new survivors and never those from Dr. Tuwile’s crew.”

“I was not in his crew. I was…” Memories of pain, anger, grief shock my system for a moment, leaving me breathless.

“Our prisoner, Jonah, says you were…friends.”

“More than friends. That stopped the moment he chose Dr. Tuwile over me. I don’t know what he’s doing here. Why he saved our lives. Why I even want to talk to him.”

Dana stops a few feet from where Marcus and Alex stand guard outside the shed where Jonah is imprisoned. “Closure is likely the reason.” She doesn’t wait for my response, only orders Marcus and Alex to open the door and give me privacy. “Only open the door back up when Lori says she is ready.”

I walk past Dana, and she stands aside for her guards to open the door to the shed. Marcus stands back, holding out his gun in case Jonah tries to make a run for it. When Alex waves me in, I take hurried steps past her and into the dimly lit shed.

Jonah sulks in the back corner, crouching over his knees. He doesn’t look up until the door closes behind me, the lock bolting back in place. I clear my throat, delaying as I find the right words to say.What do I even want to say?But Jonah beats me to it.

“Is Amos okay?”

Hearing Jonah say the name of the man who’s become my friend and lover in the last eight months is a strange sensation. An out-of-body feeling that makes it hard to tell if my feet are firmly pressed to the ground. Jonah is here. Jonah saved my life. He saved Amos’ life. Though there is still the possibility that Amos could turn into a zombie if the virus made it into his bloodstream.

“He’ll be okay,” is all I say.

Silence fills a void between us, one I want to stay in place because any more words would mean I forgive Jonah. That I’m grateful for him. And yes, I am, for what he did today. But how can I forget about the four years of torture he let me endure all because he believed Doctore was building a future for us? For humanity. I can’t forget those four years, no matter how hard I try.

Before Jonah can break the silence again, I ask, “Why did you help us? You could have easily let that man rape me and kill Amos. Taken me back to Doctore. I’m sure he would have rewarded you with more Roman titles of honor. And why did you tell me to sever the spinal cord of your men? Were they infected?”