Page 29 of The Hollowed

His hand dragged through his hair, tugging like the pain might wake him from the nightmare. But the wound was there, and the pounding at the door only was growing louder.

Alex’s chest rose and fell and when Luci finally looked at him, she caught the glassy shimmer in his eyes he couldn’t blink away. He was trying to stand tall, to hold on to the strength everyone expected from him but his tears betrayed him.

Grayson noticed it too. He gave a soft, warm smile, the kind that held years of brotherhood. “It’s alright, man,” he said quietly. “Go save your girl. Let me do this for you.”

Alex shook his head again, his fists clenched at his sides. Luci’s stomach twisted as the truth hit her like a brick at full speed. This wasn’t just about losing another soldier. Grayson was the only brother Alex had ever known.

She dropped to her knees without thinking and tore her backpack open so fast the zipper nearly broke. Her fingers fumbled until she found the metal case she had sworn to protect at all costs. Without another thought, she entered the code and flipped it open, letting the cold mist roll out as the seal hissed.

“Luci, what the hell are you doing?” Alex questioned, panicked.

Ignoring him, Luci’s eyes locked on Grayson. “How much do you weigh?” she asked breathlessly as her mind began racing through calculations, doses, risk margins.

Grayson blinked at her in confusion. “What?”

“Answer me!” she pressed, her voice breaking. “If there’s even a chance I can save you, I have to try.”

Alex took a half step forward, torn between hope and dread. “Luci — ”

She cut him off, shaking her head. “No. Don’t you see? If I don’t try, then I’ve already become like this world. Cold, cruel — willing to let someone go because it’s easier. I won’t do it.” Her voice cracked, but her hands were steady as she pulled one of thefragile vials free. “Not when I can still choose to be better.”

For a heartbeat, the pounding at the door faded beneath the weight of her words. The infected were coming. The rooftop trembled with their fury, but Luci refused to let it decide who she would become.

Chapter 12

Alejandro

Alex moved on instinct alone. He didn’t have time to process Luci’s words with every second slipping through their fingers. He dug into his bag and found the emergency syringes he normally carried to administer morphine. His hands shook as he shoved them into hers. Luci gave quick orders, forcing Grayson to sit while the pounding at the door grew louder. The wood began to splinter under the weight of the infected on the other side.

“I need you to keep his neck steady,” Luci commanded, her voice brittle but stable as she drew the fluid from one vial and topped off the syringe with another.

Alex’s stomach twisted. He knew this wasn’t how it was supposed to work. Luci had told Myra as much when she said the vaccine was designed as a preemptive dose, not a last minute miracle. But this was Grayson on the line, and the veins in his eyes were already shifting from red to dark purple, the Hollowed virus running its course.

“Please tell me that’s not going in my neck,” Grayson mumbled as sweat rolled down his temple.

Luci forced a wobbly smile. “I thought you guys were supposed to be tough. It’s just a needle.”

Alex swallowed hard and leaned in closer so he could steadyGrayson’s jaw with both hands. His vision blurred with tears, but he kept his gaze locked on his oldest friend. He refused to look at Luci’s trembling hands.

“Yeah, man,” Alex said, forcing half of a smile. “Remember when you got shot overseas? You acted like it was just a scratch. After the whole damn thing you were still joking about needing a bigger scar to impress people.”

Grayson huffed a broken laugh, though it ended in a cough. “Chicks dig scars,” he responded.

With Grayson distracted, Luci pressed the needle into his jugular. Her hand shook as she forced herself forward, slipping the needle through his skin and into his vein. Grayson winced and his muscles tightened against Alex’s grip, but Alex kept his hold steady. “You’ve been through worse, Grayson,” he whispered. “You’ve got this.”

The door shook violently as Luci depressed the plunger. The vaccine flooded in, and Alex prayed harder than he ever had in his life that this would be enough.

For a breathless moment, everything stilled. The pounding at the rooftop door dulled, and the only sound in Alex’s ears was the rush of his own heartbeat. Luci kept her trembling fingers pressed to Grayson’s neck, taking his pulse while they waited for some sign that the vaccine was working.

Alex’s grip on his friend never wavered. His thumbs pressed firm against Grayson’s jaw, his gaze searching his face for the smallest hint of relief. “Come on,” he whispered. “Come on, Grayson. Stay with me.”

But then Grayson’s veins darkened further, spreading outward from the bite in ugly black tendrils that crept all the way up his cheek. His pupils throbbed with a sick purple haze, and his breath hitched in a guttural sound that didn’t belong to him anymore.

He was still turning.

“No, no, no, no…” Luci stammered as tears filled her eyes. “It has to work. I — I thought it would work.”

Grayson’s hand shot up, catching Alex’s wrist. His grip was still human but not for long. “Alex,” he whispered. “Stop. It’s done.”