Page 44 of Born Chaos

“What’s going on?” Roman asks, sliding his hands into his pockets as he walks over to join us.

“It’s happened,” Warren says. His face is ghost white and his entire body is trembling. “I can’t… I can’t…”

“What’s happened?” Roman asks, his brows furrowing.

“I started feeling weird this morning,” he says, looking ashamed as he looks up at his boss. “I thought maybe I was getting sick. And then, an hour ago, it was just gone.”

“He’s lost his gift,” Sigrid states gravely.

A chill shoots through me.

No.

No.

It’s easy to not get too panicked about an emergency when it’s happening to strangers. We’ve all been freaked out by what’s happening to the gifted and the vampires. But until this moment, it wasn’t real.

“The barrier, it’s gone,” Warren says, his voice rough. “Anyone could cross it, and I won’t have any idea.”

Roman curses. “And we still have no leads on fixing this?”

“No,” Sigrid says gravely.

Roman looks back at me. “We hadn’t found any answers at the hospital,” I tell him.

“And how are you feeling?” Roman asks Sigrid.

“For now, fine,” she says. Her words are tight. “But just yesterday, three more gifted lost their abilities. Every one of them said the same. That they feel numb. It’s spreading.”

“And I know five more vampires slipped into comas yesterday,” Roman reports, his hands on his hips.

“Shit,” I breathe. I didn’t know that.

“We need to figure out what all of these people have in common,” Sigrid says. “If this is some kind of disease, we need to understand where the source is, how it’s spreading.”

“Doesn’t work so well for the vampires who are unconscious,” I say, thinking of all those who are laying up in the ICU. “But it’s a start.”

“I will put together a team,” Sigrid says. “We’ll interview all the victims. There has to be something consistent.”

Roman nods. “I’ll look through the profiles of the vampires. Maybe something will stand out.”

Sigrid crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes falling to the floor. “Chicago is lost. It is no longer what it was. We’re not safe here anymore. There is no longer peace in the city. We’re losing more people every day. Two families packed their belongings and left yesterday.”

“We’re not giving up,” Roman says in a low voice. “This isn’t over.”

Once again, I feel like the chaos has followed me. Chicago sounded so wonderful before I arrived. And now it’s falling apart.

“I just pray we find our answers before it’s too late,” Sigrid says. And she heads for the door, placing a hand on my shoulder as she passes. “Stay safe, my dear.”

“You too,” I offer, suddenly filled with dread that she might be next. Or anyone else I care about. “Warren, I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault,” he says, sounding so incredibly sad. He wraps me in a quick hug, but all its strength is gone. “Take care.”

Roman and I turn, watching them leave.

I feel heavy. Worn out. Defeated.

But screw that.

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