Page 20 of The Last Sanctuary

How had he hidden it from her for so long? How could he have been so sick and stayed on his feet? The fever stage burned through adults at over 105 degrees. She remembered that little nugget from the CDC health alerts.

Why had he purposefully kept this from her?

“Dad.” She cleared her throat. “Dad. I got it. I got you medicine.”

He groaned and opened his eyes. They were glassy and threaded with scarlet.

She fumbled with the bottle and spilled three pills into her palm. She added two more, to make sure. “This will help you feel better.”

His reddened eyes widened slightly as if he were surprised to see her. Like he hadn’t expected her to make it back. “You’re here.”

“I told you I’d be back. Here, take these. They’ll ease the pain, I promise.”

He managed to lift his head. She pressed a glass of water to his lips and helped him swallow the pills. With a groan, his head fell back against the sweat-drenched pillow.

After a beat, he said, “You start coughing, you know what to do.”

She shook her head. “Don’t talk like that.”

“You don’t want to go like this, trust me.”

“Dad.”

“It’s a better way to go. More humane.”

She pressed her lips together. Tears sparked at the backs of her eyelids. “I know.”

He heaved a ragged breath. “Do the animals first. Before you do it yourself. You know where the guns are.”

Her mind revolted from the thought. “You should rest.”

“Don’t be weak. Be brave.”

“I—I will.”

He stared up at her like she was a stranger, his eyes so bloodshot they looked crimson. The fever-heat emanated from him in waves.

He turned to the wall as he hacked up a bloody, phlegmy cough. She handed him a clean washcloth. He wiped his mouth. For several minutes, he didn’t speak. The sound of his ragged breathing filled the room.

“Dad—”

“I was weak.” His face contorted. “I was weak to let Zachariah stay. He came after you. Now you’ve got it, too.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” she said, stricken. She’d never seen him like this before, never heard him talk about anything beyond lessons and instructions and orders. “And you don’t know that. I might be okay.”

“Don’t be stupid. I saw what I saw. So did you. I should’ve kicked him out long ago… never should’ve let him stay.”

“That’s not fair.”

“He might have killed you!” her father snarled. “That’s the mistake… never trust anyone… especially the ones who call themselves ‘friend.’”

“Hewasour friend.”

“He came after you. He attacked you.”

Her heart contracted. “He didn’t mean it.”

“I don’t care!”