Page 58 of Bones
“Night, Bones,” he said as he flicked off the light.
It took me a long time to fall asleep.
9
Iwoke up to the sound of screams.
I jerked upright, scrambling to get out of Juck's tent before whoever was attacking us lit it on fire. My feet hit the freezing hardwood floor, shocking me awake. The sliver of sky I could see through the windows was still dark.
“Hold on,” Trey said to me, holding out one hand for me to stay put. He hadn’t put on a shirt, but he had his gun drawn as he cracked the door open to peer out.
“Trey!” I heard Mac shouting. “Fire in the slums!”
“Fuck.” Trey holstered his gun and grabbed his shirt.
He glanced at me as he threw it on, but I was already moving. I pulled my pants on and stuffed my feet into my boots. When we darted out of the clinic, we couldseethe flames even from this distance. Most of the hold seemed to be running toward the south end of the Vault. Trey and I joined them, coughing as thick smoke filled the air. When we finally reached the slums, I gasped at the sight of at least half the homes burning. Screams echoed from more than one of the burning buildings and Trey’s head snapped in that direction.
“Bones!” Sam yelled from where he crouched over a body on the ground.
I looked back at Trey to see him looking at me, even as both of us moved in opposite directions.
“Be careful,” I blurted out, and he paused for half a second, something soft flashing through his eyes.
“You too,” he said, and then he ran.
I had to force myself to focus, pushing past the huge swell of fear that swept over me at the sight of him running toward the fire. I ran to Sam to see him holding a severely burned woman who was sobbing.
“Get all the injured in one area,” I said to Sam, shifting into a familiar medic mode. It wasn’t the first time I dealt with a large disaster with multiple people injured. At least this time I could actually save people’s lives.
“Got it.” Sam leapt to his feet and ran.
I crouched beside the woman, taking her hands. My healing power eagerly rushed down my arms and into her body, and the blisters and burns healed before my eyes. Griz appeared, carrying an injured man, and I switched to him as soon as the woman’s injuries healed. The woman sobbed her thanks as she sat up, and I gave her a short nod before focusing on the man’s burns. More people started bringing the injured over to me, and I lost myself in the work of healing every single one. The many injuries ranged from small burns or smoke inhalation to people gasping their last breaths, their bodies barely recognizable. I focused on the latter and tried to get the severely injured healed first.
Sweat trickled down my face. I could feel the heat of the fire, even from a safe distance away. Most of the hold had formed a bucket brigade from the nearest outdoor water spigots and worked together to pass and throw buckets of water on the fire. It didn't seem to do much until several of Madame's men showed up with long thick hoses that they connected to the spigots to spray water on the fire. They seemed reluctant to help, muttering things about “fucking rusters,” which made my blood boil.
Even with the hoses, it wasn't until sunrise that the fire began to finally die. I kept finding myself searching the nearby faces for Trey, but I didn't see him anywhere. I tried to ignore the worry that settled like a stone in my stomach. I finished all the severely injured and moved on to the moderate to mild injuries. It hurt now, like the final times when I healed Hojo. I swiped my sleeve across my running nose to see blood and bit back a curse.
“Bones!”
I glanced up to see Sam running toward me, and my heart sank when I realized he had an injured child in his arms. I quickly scrubbed my nose with my sleeve, hoping I got most of the blood.
“She tried to hide under the bed,” Sam gasped, his voice hoarse. “Trey got her out. We never would’ve found her if her sister hadn’t seen her go under there.”
Trey.He must be ok, then. I quickly grabbed the girl’s burned hands. Ithurt. My healing power had dwindled to a thin thread, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.
“Your nose—” Sam started, alarmed.
“I’m fine,” I snapped, ignoring the blood trickling from my nose again.
The golden warmth inside of me flickered. The little girl was healing, but slowly—too slowly—and then my power sputtered, leaving only wisps of smoke. Panic started roaring through me as I tried again, but there was nothing there. It was gone. The girl started crying, a thin wail that sounded like it came from far away. Her disfigured face blurred in my vision.
No! I can’t run out now. Gods, please!
I reached for that power again, desperate, but everything tipped sideways and?—
* * *
I shivered so hard my teeth rattled in my head. Something about this felt familiar.
