“I think so. We’d better put her under.” Alex pulled out a vial of the tranquilizers. With Amy’s help, he drew up a syringe. Just enough to knock out a grown man, not enough to kill her. She’d be stronger than most humans and resistant to the drug because of the virus. He’s learned that much from the army.
He was about to get back into the car and stick it in her arm when a low growl sounded behind him. The hair on the back of his neck rose. “Amy. Get in the car.”
“But—”
“Now,” he commanded.
She slipped away, and he waited for Dylan to make her move. A crunch of gravel was the only warning he got before she tackled him from behind. She hit him like a ton of bricks, and they both went down hard. His teeth slammed shut, and blood filled his mouth as he bit his tongue. Bitch.
Crazed or not, she was going down. He’d managed to keep hold of the syringe, but the real problem was keeping her teeth out of his flesh. She snapped at his neck, getting a mouthful of leather jacket each time. Working one hand underneath him, he bucked his hips violently and tossed her into the air.
Dylan was thrown to the side where she landed with a yelp of surprise. He launched himself across her body, pinning her to the ground. She wriggled like a worm on a hook, growling the entire time.
Alex searched for a patch of open skin to stick the needle in, but she didn’t give him a chance. Her one hand shot free, and she raked at his scalp with her fingernails, drawing blood. Alex yelled in pain, unable to get up for fear she’d get a bite in.
Suddenly, Amy was there. She grabbed Dylan’s free hand and yanked up her sleeve. “There! Do it now!”
Alex jabbed the needle into Dylan’s exposed forearm and injected the tranquilizer. She snarled, her struggles growing worse for a brief moment, and he hoped the medicine was strong enough. “Please work. Please work.”
It did.
Bit by bit, she quieted. The growls ceased, replaced by soft mewls. Her muscles slackened until she lay like a rag doll, and her eyes drifted shut. Within seconds, she was fast asleep, her breath whistling in and out of her lungs at a rhythmic pace.
Alex slumped with relief. “Thank God.”
He eased himself off her, wincing at the fresh pain in his side. The struggle had torn open the wound, and it was bleeding all over again. “Ah, crap. Look at that.”
“It’s okay,” Amy said. “I’ll patch you up quickly, but we’d better get to the Fort. You both need proper attention.”
“Agreed,” Alex said, heaving the limp form of Dylan into the backseat. “The sooner we get there, the better.”
After Amy performed her magic, Alex hit the road again, propped up by another shot of painkillers. These weren’t strong enough to knock him out, just dulling the worst, so he was able to function.
They’d gone past Radcliff, and he took the road leading to the Fort. He was wondering what he’d find there when he spied a barricade across the way. Not just any roadblock. An army blockade complete with tactical vehicles including a light tank and a small building to the side. A high, chain-link fence stretched into the distance on either side, and gate blocked the way through. Floodlights brightly lit the entire area, and armed guards patrolled the area.
Alex slowed, approaching the waiting soldiers with caution. They watched him come closer, their rifles held across their bodies in a position of readiness but not an outward threat.
One approached his window and asked in polite tones. “Can we help you, Sir? This is a private military institution.”
“I…um…I thought this was a safe zone? For civilians?” Alex asked.
“Are you seeking entry?” the soldier asked, staring into the car at Amy who watched with wide-eyed wonder.
“Yes, we are,” Alex answered.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Alex Donahue, nobody special, Sir. This is my sister Amy,” Alex said.
“And that?” The soldier pointed at the snoring Dylan, his mouth quirking at the corners. “She’s real tired, isn’t she?”
“Actually, we found her in Louisville, where she helped us out. Her name is Dylan. Not sure of the last name.”
“Are any of you injured? Infected with the Vita virus?” the soldier asked.
Alex hesitated. Now that they were here, he wasn’t so sure of their reception. “I’ve been stabbed, Sir.”
“Stabbed?”
“Yeah, a couple of guys tried to rob me.”
“I see. Anything else? And you might as well be honest. Lying won’t get you anywhere,” the soldier said.
“It’s the girl, Dylan. She’s infected, but we have her tranquilized as a precaution,” Alex said, hoping he hadn’t doomed her. “We heard you have a cure here. Is that true?”
“Where was she bitten, and how long ago?” the soldier asked, ignoring Alex’s question.
“On the arm, and it was about a day and a half ago,” Alex said. “Thirty-five hours, or so.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Yes, Sir. She told us all about it,” Amy interrupted.
The soldier smiled. “Well, she’s in luck. If she’d gone over forty-eight hours, it’d have been too late.”
The soldier pointed at the massive steel gate. “Go on through, but be warned. Once you’re inside, you’ll have to give up all your guns and supplies. No hoarding. We share everything here. Got that?”
“Yes, Sir. I understand.” While Alex didn’t relish giving up his weapons, Dylan needed that cure. If that was the price they’d have to pay, so be it.
The soldier tipped his head and stepped aside. “Welcome to Fort Knox.”
Epilogue - Dylan
“Aren’t we having fun yet?”
“Lemme go, lemme go. Please!”
Dylan laughed, her gaze flickering to her victim’s throat. It looked soft and inviting. Vulnerable. With a growl, she lunged forward and sank her teeth deep into his jugular. Blood squirted into her mouth and washed across her tongue.
