*A/N: I'm back! Sorry for the long hiatus. I meant to be more active on Wattpad while I wrote this story, but it didn't work out that way. Sorry about that. But I'm back and I got a ton of writing done! I'm going to try to post once a week or biweekly from now on until this story is complete. Thank for sticking around. And of course...
16K READS!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! LET'S GO!!!
-Spade*
•Kriss•
Heads turned when I stepped onto the makeshift walkway over the train tracks. Voices quieted to murmurs as I followed Asher. The medical tent was larger than the others. It took up both the rail level and the raised level of the subway tunnel. The tent was a patchwork of canvas, nylon, and other materials sewn together and secured to ropes and beams.
On metal bench in front of it sat Paxton. He was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, clothes covered in red, the splatter dotting his cheeks like freckles. He lifted his face to Asher.
Rich green eyes were haunted, bloodshot. Gone was the friendly man who carried me to safety when I was nothing but a dehydrated, feverish husk of a person. Now, anguish sat heavily on his shoulders.
Asher paused at Paxton's expression, stumbling as if he'd physically punched him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Paxton sat up slightly and firmly shook his head. That was all the prompting Asher needed to continue walking.
His eyes visibly softened after drifting to me, lips tilted up in one of the most pitiful attempts at a smile I'd ever seen.
"Connor...is he...?" I trailed off. Pax caught on.
"He's alive," His voice was rough. "I wish we had stronger painkillers to give him, but morphine is nearly impossible to come by these days. He passed out eventually. We couldn't save anything below the knee."
I was going to be sick.
"Will he make it?" I asked quietly. His shrug made my stomach drop.
"There's still the threat of infection, but we'll do the best we can."
It would've been too much to hope for a definitive answer.
"I am so sorry, Paxton." I blurted. The moment I said it, it felt wrong. How on earth was 'sorry' going help anything?
"Don't be, none of this is your fault." I didn't miss the pointed look he shot Asher's back. I bit my lip. "Take it easy, Kriss." Pax said, leaning back on the bench. I nodded.
The 'ponds' were situated away from the housing tents and past the medical tent. Hidden behind large makeshift curtain, it was a simple collection of dozens of pools and basins. Some were large plastic ones, others were kiddy pools. There were even beer kegs with tops open, filled with water.
Memories hit me like a bus: running barefoot in the grass, the chilly spray of a water hose on a hot summer afternoon, arguing with friends in the backyard about how to put together the pool we bought on sale from Costco.
A middle-aged woman sat in one of the makeshift baths, scrubbing a child's mop of hair with a lumpy bar of soap. She caught sight of my battered, bloodied form and froze. Dropping the soap, she rinsed the boy's hair with renewed purpose and ushered them both out of the shallow water.
I instantly averted my eyes, but neither of them seemed the least bit bothered about walking around naked to a metal bench of towels. The boy stared at me curiously, wrapping his arms around the woman's neck. He blinked at me and gave me a small wave with his chubby hand. My heart clenched.
YOU ARE READING
Apex
Science FictionA race of colossal aliens, the Tsosyrans, took over the planet in a matter of months. Humanity has been all but exterminated. The humans left alive have been caged and sent to facilities for scientific study. Kriss, a young woman who was captured, h...
