Page 71 of The Hollowed

“You don’t have to include patients who died under your care,” she said.

But Luci shook her head. “No, I shot a man,” she clarified. “And he died.”

She couldn’t tell whether Dr. Martinez or Myra and Cipher were more stunned.

“Okay,” Dr. Martinez responded calmly before reaching for the datapad on the table beside her. “I’ll make a note of that. Now, do any of you have questions for me?”

“How did you manage to defect from Prometheus?” Myra asked, her tone full of curiosity. “They don’t exactly make it easy.”

A faint smile appeared on the director’s lips, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It wasn’t difficult after the outbreak. This facility wasn’t a primary asset, and Prometheus had bigger fires to put out, bigger places to control. We were…forgotten, in a way.” She folded her hands neatly atop the table. “But in all sincerity I never agreed with the way they handled things. Not before and certainly not now.”

She let that hang in the air for a moment before she continued. “We’ve survived this long because we make a conscious effort to do better,” she added. “And be better.”

Luci let the sentiment settle in her chest before she finally spoke. “I just… I don’t know how we’re supposed to know ifyou’re trustworthy,” she admitted. “What we have could change everything and I need to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

Dr. Martinez leaned back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap. She didn’t rush to answer and instead, took a moment to choose her words wisely.

“Everything in life is a risk, Dr. Castillo,” she said gently. “And I’m afraid there’s nothing I could say that would completely take that fear away. But what I can tell you is this: you’ve been treated the same way we treat all our new arrivals. This isn’t a prison, it’s a community. We treat each other with humanity because that is our last weapon in this world.”

Her voice softened, but Luci could still hear the authority behind it. “You must understand that letting you in was our risk. This partnership, if it’s going to work, has to begin with trust or it won’t begin at all.”

Luci wished it were that easy, that trust could simply be offered like a hand extended in peace. But trust had cost her too much already. Still, what choice did they have? There was nowhere else that could offer them what this place might.

She glanced at Alex, searching his expression for resistance or anything to justify holding back, but all she found was resolve and a shared understanding that this had to be done.

Luci exhaled and her shoulders sank slightly as she turned back to the director. “I’ve developed a vaccine against the Hollowed virus,” she said. “And it works.”

The surprise was evident on Dr. Martinez’s face. “I don’t mean to disrespect your intelligence, Dr. Castillo,” she said slowly, “but that’s impossible.”

Luci knew the director wasn’t responding from a place of cruelty but rather from a place of caution, so she stood and lifted her shirt just high enough to reveal the nearly healed crescentshaped wound on her ribs.

“I was bitten,” she said quietly. “And I survived.”

“Holy shit,” Myra said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Alex shifted slightly in his seat and leaned forward. “Do you believe her now?”

Dr. Martinez’s lips parted, but no words came at first. “Dios mio…” she whispered before standing and crossing the room to better examine the wound. “I stand corrected. This is…it’s…”

“A miracle,” Luci finished for her before letting her shirt fall back into place. The director met her eyes again and Luci held her gaze for a moment. “I know.”

“This changes everything,” the director said quietly. “Whatever you need, it is yours. I would do anything to protect my people.”

Luci didn’t hesitate. “We want protection and a place in your community. I took an oath to save lives, I just want the chance to honor it.”

“Dr. Castillo’s being modest,” Alex said. “We do want protection, but we also need assurance that Jace will be cared for and given a transplant. Furthermore,” he paused cautiously, “Prometheus claimed to have intel on Luci’s brother. They used it to manipulate her into leaving the hospital. If he’s alive, we need your help finding him.”

Dr. Martinez didn’t think twice before responding. “I’ll have my technical team begin a search immediately. If he’s still alive as they claimed, we’ll find him.” She braced her palms on the table and steadied herself before continuing. “We can offer you all sanctuary, but you must understand that Prometheus will see this as betrayal. They’ll come for you — for us.”

Luci’s jaw clenched, but her voice remained calm. “We understand, but do you? You said it yourself, you have people to protect.”

The director paused and considered her words for a moment. Then, without flinching, she replied, “My people are prepared to fight. We don’t bend our knees to fascists.”

Myra let out a breath and leaned back in her chair. “Then we have a deal?”

Dr. Martinez gave a single, deliberate nod. “I need Dr. Castillo to agree.”

Luci looked around the table and finally understood that this was what bravery really meant. It wasn’t fearlessness. It was choosing to stand tall despite being afraid. It was being willing to risk everything for something greater than survival.

For freedom, justice, and for each other.

Alex, Myra, Cipher, Jace, and Luna. They weren’t just allies. They were all she had left.

For a moment she thought of Grayson and his last words. She used that strength to meet their eyes.

“Let’s give Prometheus hell.”