Page 56 of Land of Shadow

“Well, I’m here if you need to talk. I also give great massages.” He gives me a wolfish half smile.

“That’s good to know. Aang’s been complaining about needing one, so I’ll pass the info along.”

That gets a full smile from him. “You do that.” He reaches for my hand and presses a scrap of paper into it. “Let me know if you need anything.” He releases my hand, the sudden warmth of him gone in an instant.

I spend the rest of the day in the lab. The others have stopped complaining about the sample. Instead, they’ve thrown countless hours and a multitude of methods of study at what we’ve been given. They’re working hard to find the cure. I, on the other hand, have veered into a different area of study—how to harm the misshapen blood cells.

“Where are you going?” Evie asks as I head toward the doors. “A walk? I was just thinking about stretching my legs before it gets dark.”

I’m actually going outside to see what happens to the blood when sunlight hits it, but I suppose I can do that with company. I remember enough pop culture vampire lore to give this a try, and since I’ve been making extra study of the gargoyles Heckle and Jeckle, I’ve noticed they never move anywhere into direct sunlight. Maybe there’s something to it. Something that could help.

I’ll just have to take care Evie doesn’t see what I’m doing with the sample. I can’t have her asking questions that could lead to trouble. “Sure. I’d love company.”

She wraps her golden hair on top of her head and clips it in place. Smart, given how windy it is. Then we walk out together. Gage seems surprised, but he waves as we turn to the right and head away from the White House, the wind at our backs.

Evie inhales. “Fresh air. I swear the lab is so stuffy sometimes even though it has a dozen layers of air scrubbers and recirculators.”

“It can feel heavy in there. Maybe because we aren’t making headway. I don’t know.” I have the glass slides in my pocket with precious bits of blood sample on them. I’ll pop them out into the sun once we’re done with the walk and Evie’s safely inside.

“We are.” She pulls her jacket, the collar a bright pink fur, closed. “I think we’re in that stage where we can’t see the forest for the trees, you know? I hate that part.”

I know what she means. Before any discovery, the scientists invariably report how they felt lost in the weeds. Like the thread they were searching for was right in front of them, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t grasp it. Is that us? Are we on the cusp of discovery or are we trudging along in the dark, going nowhere, learning nothing?

A heavy sigh escapes me at the thought.

“We’ll get there.” Evie bumps her shoulder into mine. “We have everything we need to find an answer.”

“Except viable samples,” I say wryly as we take a left, the sun warming us as we move along parallel to Capitol Hill.

She wrinkles her nose. “Yeah, except that. I’ve actually been going back through some of the earlier studies, looking at possible mutations. The virus has been improbably static in its makeup, but maybe somewhere in the past there was a mutation, but no one noticed. If I can find some evidence of that …” She trails off as we hear gunshots.

The wind changes direction, blowing my hair across my face. That’s when the sounds of yelling make it to our ears.

“What’s going on?” She turns, looking for the source of the noise. “A protest or something?”

More gunshots, and then piercing screams. My heart stutters, beating a panicked rhythm. Instinct kicks in. We’re in danger, and it’s close.

“We should go back.” Movement down a side street catches my attention, and then I see people running, some of them screaming. “Evie, we have to go!” I yank her arm, and we take off toward the hotel.

The gunfire is everywhere now, and smoke wafts through the air. When I inhale, my throat immediately begins to itch, my eyes watering.

I snatch the hem of my jacket and press it to my nose, but the damage is already done. I can barely see, and Evie and I are coughing so much it’s slowing us down. The screams grow louder, the smoke thicker. I stumble, my feet catching on the curb, and I fall.

Scrambling to my feet, I realize I’ve lost Evie in the fog.

“Evie!” I yell, but the sound seems to be swallowed up by the smoke. “Evie!” A coughing fit takes me, and I double over, my nostrils on fire right along with my throat.

Someone barrels past me and knocks me to the ground, and then more come. I crawl across the sidewalk and huddle against a storefront, covering my face with my jacket, though I can’t escape the gas.

The gunfire grows louder, and I can barely make out people in military fatigues and gas masks marching toward me.

Shit! I have to get out of sight until this is over. I try to hold my breath and get back to my hands and knees, but I cough almost immediately as I begin to crawl. Everything is burning, even my skin is starting to feel singed. I keep going, forcing myself to move despite the pain. Once I turn the corner of the building, I lean back against it.

“Get up,” a tinny voice commands.

That’s when I feel the muzzle of a gun against my temple.

“I-I’m not?—”

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