Page 54 of The Hollowed

The lead guard leaned in closer. “We’ll search this one while he’s unconscious.”

Alex’s eyes widened, but before he could free himself, another soldier stepped forward.

He felt the sting of a needle jab into his neck.

“You mother…” Alex managed before his muscles went slack and the strength bled from his limbs.

The last thing he saw before darkness swallowed him was the guard’s smug smile and the glint of rifles pointed at his chest.

Chapter 23

Lucilla

After being thrown inside one in a row of isolation rooms, Luci’s panic spiked. She’d screamed until her throat was raw, kicking her heels against the metal door until her toes ached. It hadn’t mattered in the end because no one answered and no one came.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She’d told herself a hundred times that she was prepared for anything, but now that she was sitting half dressed beneath the sterile glow of fluorescent lights, she knew without a doubt that she wasn’t prepared for this.

After what felt like hours, a hiss from the intercom broke the silence. “Take a seat on the patient table and remain still,” a man’s voice ordered. “The doctor will be with you shortly. And for your own good, don’t try anything.”

Luci’s jaw tightened, but she moved anyway, crossing the short distance to the thin bed bolted against the wall. She sat straight and kept her hands in her lap. Compliance felt like the only weapon she had left.

Minutes passed before the door finally opened. A woman stepped inside in full quarantine gear, but instead of the cold detachment Luci expected, the woman’s voice was gentle.

“I’m sorry,” the doctor said, her words muffled but sincere asshe approached. In one of her hands was a pale blue hospital gown that she set on the bed beside Luci. “They should have given you this before. No one deserves to be left like that.”

Luci blinked, startled by the doctor’s kindness. It had been so long since she’d heard an apology from anyone affiliated with Prometheus that she almost didn’t understand what the woman was saying.

Luci hesitated and debated taking the offering but the alternative of sitting half naked and vulnerable under their eyes was worse. With a stiff breath she pulled the gown over her head. The paper thin material rubbed uncomfortably against her skin.

When she settled back on the bed, Luci lifted her eyes to the doctor. “Where’s Alex? Is he okay?”

The woman adjusted her gloves. Her face remained unreadable behind her face shield. “We’ll address your concerns later,” she said gently, letting her words slide past the question. “For now, I need to evaluate you.”

Frustration burned through her, but before she could push, the doctor continued.

“Discovering the vaccine is truly an extraordinary feat, Dr. Castillo. You should be proud.” She stepped closer then and her gaze scanned Luci with an expression closer to curiosity than suspicion. “How long ago were you bitten?”

Luci shifted and tugged at the edge of her gown. “Two days ago.”

“Any fever, chills or muscle pain?” the doctor asked.

“No.” Luci shook her head. “Well, maybe a little bit of a fever but that might have been from the bite itself, not the virus.”

The doctor hummed under her breath and jotted down notes on the datapad in her hands. “And did you administer the vaccine before or after exposure?”

“Before,” Luci answered. “I wasn’t sure when the onset of immunity would be, but I guess it’s immediate.”

The doctor’s eyes softened, a flicker of genuine admiration behind her mask. “You may have just changed everything.”

Luci swallowed hard before she pressed again, unable to stop herself. “I need to know about Alex and Luna. Where are they? Can I see them?”

The doctor paused, letting her pen hover over the datapad. She didn’t meet Luci’s eyes this time. “Right now, we need to focus on you.”

Luci’s thoughts scattered until a realization cut through the panic in her mind. They needed her and not just as a patient. They needed her because she was proof the vaccine worked, because only she knew how it worked, and without her, they had nothing.

Luci’s hands tightened on the edge of the bed, and she lifted her chin, steadying her voice until she was sure she could speak with conviction. “You either tell me where Alex and Luna are, or this conversation doesn’t continue.”

The doctor paused for a moment. Behind the mask, Luci could see the woman’s hesitation and a brief moment of calculation before she exhaled and lowered her datapad slightly.