Page 17 of The Hollowed
“I promise,” Luci whispered, letting her hand rise until her thumb brushed the curve of his cheek. “Have a little faith in me, Alex. Aren’t you the one who’s always saying I’m some sort of genius?”
Alex chuckled, letting the dimple on his left cheek appear in full as his lips curved upwards. “Yeah…I guess you’re right.” He eased away from her, stretching out at her side. Together, they laid on their backs, staring at the ceiling.
Luna trotted over and plopped herself between their legs. There wasn’t nearly enough space for three, forcing Luci and Alex both to shift to their sides so Luna wouldn’t feel left out.
“Is Luna going to be part of the team?” Luci asked after a moment. She hated the thought of putting the dog in danger, but Luna had been venturing outside since she was a pup. In reality,Luna had more experience surviving the Hollowed than Luci.
“Yeah, definitely,” Alex said, reaching between them to scratch behind Luna’s ears. “Along with Grayson, Paxton, Sable…and Myra.”
Luci’s attention snagged on that last name. Grayson was kind enough — he and Alex were practically brothers. Paxton and Sable she didn’t know well, aside from the fact they were part of the crew Alex preferred to go on runs with.
And then…there was Myra.
“Myra? That’s…kind of an odd choice, isn’t it?” Luci asked, aiming to seem nonchalant.
When she and Alex had first started getting close, he’d casually admitted that he and Myra had history. Nothing serious, according to him, but that hadn’t stopped Myra from shooting daggers with her eyes at Luci every time they found themselves in the same room.
Did it make Luci jealous? Absolutely. She was human, after all. Realistically, she knew Alex had chosen Myra for her skills, not her company but knowing that didn’t make the thought of being out there with her any more comforting.
“C’mon Luci, she’s the best shot we have at making it to Arizona.” Alex’s gaze lingered on her for a moment too long, as if he’d caught the simmer of jealousy in Luci’s eyes. “You don’t have to worry, she’ll behave. But we don’t have a lot of time. They want us gone by morning, so I need you to pack a bag. Keep it light, a few pieces of clothing, anything shelf-stable from your cupboard. Just the basics. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Yeah…of course. I’ll go do that now.” Luci pushed herself up to her knees, then to her feet, brushing off her palms as if the motion could steady her thoughts. She waited for Alex to stand before leaning down to give Luna one last affectionate scratch along her back.
She only made it two steps forward before Alex’s hand caught her wrist. The tug was gentle but it halted her mid stride. She looked back, confused, only for him to close the distance between them in two quiet steps.
His other hand came up to cradle her jaw. It was rough from calluses yet gentle in its hold. For a heartbeat, neither of them spoke, everything they hadn’t said filling the silence. Then Alex bent forward, pressing his lips to hers.
This time, he wasn’t rushed or desperate. It was the kind of kiss that told her everything she needed to know about his fears, his hopes, and the promise that he’d fight to see her survive. When he finally drew back, his forehead gently rested against hers.
“We’re going to be fine,” he whispered, almost in a question.
Her chest tightened, but she nodded. “I know we will.”
And with that, she stepped away because if she stayed a moment longer, she wasn’t sure she’d have the strength to go at all.
Chapter 6
Alejandro
Convincing Grayson, Paxton, and Sable to join the mission turned out to be far easier than Alex had expected. Grayson, as usual, had raised more than a few logistical concerns regarding routes, timelines, and risk factors. But in the end, he’d agreed. He hadn’t looked thrilled about it, but Grayson knew what Lucilla meant to Alex. That was enough to tip his moral scale.
Paxton and Sable, on the other hand, were another matter entirely. Not because they resisted, but because they didn’t bother to. The twins hardly asked a thing before agreeing. Their eyes lit up at the opportunity to step outside of quarantine. For them, this wasn’t just a mission, it was a reprieve and an opportunity to escape the suffocating walls of the hospital.
And if they could spend that time thinning out the hoards of infected out there, then they were game.
With the team settled, Alex moved on to the part he hated most: packing. He had most of what he needed on hand, but he would need to hit the armory for extra guns and ammo in the morning. What couldn’t wait was replenishing his deteriorating stash of first aid supplies. People underestimated just how fast you could go through bandages and gauze even on a short run, and this one would last at least a week if they were lucky.
That’s what led him to the gift shop on the hospital’s main floor. Once upon a time, it had been crammed with stuffed animals, helium balloons, and greeting cards that read,Get well soon!in elegant fonts and bright colors. Now, it was stripped down to the essentials: canned goods, batteries, soap, painkillers, and medical supplies.
Alex scanned his list, grabbing items with one hand while reaching for a basket with the other. Mrs. Garcia, the volunteer cashier who’d been fortunate enough to be on shift when the outbreak began, was busy attending to another customer. Alex gave her a nod in greeting before turning back to the shelves. Time was limited, and with every item he checked off his list, he became more and more anxious about leaving.
He filled the first basket with the essentials: bandages, two boxes of rolled gauze, a stack of gauze pads, a couple bottles of rubbing alcohol, and a couple other staples that could mean the difference between making it to Arizona and bleeding out on the road. By the time he looked down, the basket was already full. Dropping it on the front desk, he reached for another.
“Heading out again, Alejandro?” Mrs. Garcia’s voice was warm and carried the same gentle cadence she used every time he came by, whether that was to help her restock the shelves or quietly stock up for himself.
The sound of his name tugged loose a thread in his memory. He could still picture his mother. She’d been just a smidge taller than he’d been the last time he’d seen her, silver threads of hair had already begun to sprout from the top of her head. He remembered a small beauty mark under her left eye but beyond that, Alex wasn’t sure he would recognize her now. Years had passed since he’d last seen his parents, and now he simply found comfort in the thought that maybe they’d been spared of all of this.
Mrs. Garcia reminded him of her, though. Not just in her looks but in the way she always called him by his full name, sometimes even pairing it with his last when she was especially proud of him.