Chapter 9
Lucilla
Luci kept to herself as the others worked diligently to try and get a car running.
It was an ancient model that was too small to fit them all comfortably, but it was the only one that ran on gasoline that they’d been able to find thus far.
They’d cleared the level it was on without trouble, aided by the fact that only a handful of crawlers lurked nearby.
That’s what Alex and the others called the infected who were pitifully slow and too decayed to move at any real speed.
Paxton and Sable, the group’s go-to plasma mechanics, were currently hunched over the engine, muttering to each other as if deciphering a foreign language.
After a long time watching them poke around and frown, Luci began to doubt that they truly knew what they were looking for.
Still, there was something comforting in their pause.
For the first time in hours, she could stop, breathe, and take in the city from a high vantage point. Perched on the ledge, she nibbled at the strawberries she’d salvaged from her fridge before leaving. They were sweet and soft, just beginning to turn.
The city below was eerily still, save for the occasional shriek of an infected in the distance.
Luci hadn’t realized until now how much they’d adapted since the outbreak.
She had assumed they were all mindless, driven purely by rage and hunger.
But they weren’t. The doctor in her couldn’t ignore the way they moved now, how calculated they seemed, and that small observation made her wonder if there was still some fragment of humanity buried inside them after all.
“Can I ask you something about the vaccine, or is that completely off limits?” Myra’s voice broke through Luci’s thoughts, pulling her gaze away from the horizon.
Luci turned, taking in the sight of her. Myra was the kind of beautiful Luci never thought she could be, because unlike her, Myra radiated a rare, effortless sense of confidence.
In the afternoon light, her skin glowed like warm amber, smooth and rich against the shadowed backdrop of the parking garage. Her lips curved and bowed perfectly while her long lashes fluttered almost seductively despite the sweat collecting on her forehead.
“Ask away,” Luci replied, her lips pressing into a faint smile. She wasn’t prepared for questions but if they had any, they deserved answers.
“Is it a cure?” Myra asked, her grip tightening on the gun in one of her hands while the other swiped away a bead of sweat from her temple. “Can it bring back someone who’s already infected?”
Luci shook her head. “It’s preemptive. If you’re vaccinated and you get bit, you won’t turn,” she explained.
“Why?” Myra asked with a raised brow. “Isn’t the whole point to, like, save everyone?” Her tone was clipped but not sharp enough to be rude.
“No, we can’t save everyone,” Luci replied evenly. “I played around with the idea, but there are ethical standards. I couldn’t justify bringing the infected back.”
Myra’s brows knit together again. Her lips parted as if to argue, but she closed them just as quickly. Whatever counterpoint she’d wanted to throw out died before it reached her tongue.
“The infection stops their hearts and starts the decaying process. But even after the infection restarts the heart, the rotting doesn’t stop.
We’d be dragging them back from the dead.
It’s what’s known as the Lazarus rule — doctors aren’t supposed to play god.
” Luci’s eyes flicked toward the others then.
From the looks of it, they’d finally managed to pull the ignition coil from the engine.
“Besides,” Luci continued, “there’s no guarantee they wouldn’t retain their memories after being cured. Imagine waking up to remember yourself eating people alive or worse.”
A flutter of understanding crossed Myra’s face. “Well…shit. Sounds like you had a lot to think about in that lab of yours.”
For a second, Luci almost thought Myra might be impressed.
“But hey,” Myra added with a sly smirk and wink, “if you ever figure out how to erase memories, put me first on the list.”
Luci laughed softly, shaking her head just as Alex called her name. She left Myra with a faint smile and walked over to where the others were still bickering over the open hood.
“Does this look broken to you?” Alex asked, frustration lacing his voice as he handed her the dusty ignition coil.
Luci turned it over in her hands, brushing away grime with her thumb. “It’s not broken,” she said after only a few seconds. “Just corroded. You’re never going to get it to spark like this.”
Before anyone could question her, she dropped to one knee, dug out the extra toothbrush she’d packed from her bag and a small bottle of rubbing alcohol, and set to work scraping away the oxidation. As soon as the line was clear, she rewrapped a frayed wire and tightened a loose connection.
Less than two minutes later, she handed it back.
“There, it should work fine now.”
The group exchanged glances that were equal parts surprise and impressed before Paxton said, “Remind me never to underestimate you again.”
Luci smirked and brushed her hands off on her pants. “Noted.”
She let them struggle for a bit and watched as Paxton and Sable fumbled to seat the ignition coil back into place above the spark plugs.
But patience had never been her strong suit, especially when she could already see where they were going wrong.
With a quiet sigh, she stepped forward, plucked the coil from Paxton’s hands, and snapped it into place.
“Did you at least check if there’s any gas in the tank?” she asked, wiping her hands on her pants again.
Paxton and Sable exchanged a look, the kind of sheepish glance that told her they’d both assumed the other had done it.
“Seriously?” Alex snapped playfully, gesturing for them to move.
When his eyes found Luci’s again, the irritation had melted into something softer.
“Did you learn all of that at the Institute?” he asked as he closed the gap between them.
Luci shook her head. “No, my dad used to drag Noah and I into the garage every weekend. He’d bring home some wreck from the junkyard and make us help him fix it if we wanted our allowance.
Back then, it felt like torture, but I guess I would be thanking him if he were still alive.
” Her voice softened at the end as a smile passed over her lips.
It was easier than letting the grief surface.
Alex’s voice dipped a little lower. “Was he a mechanic?”
“Close,” she said, shaking her head. “Mechanical engineer. Mom was a nurse. I guess I’m a little of both.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Alex said before pausing for a breath. “They’d be proud of you, Luci. I hope you know that.”
Luci’s lips curved into a smile, but no words came.
Her parents had drilled one lesson into her and Noah during the duration of their upbringing.
No matter what, they had to stick together.
And yet, when the outbreak hit, Noah had been at work.
And she couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that she’d failed him and in turn, her parents.
She swallowed the thought, choosing instead to ask, “What about your parents? What did they do before they died?” She crouched to greet Luna as the dog trotted toward her, avoiding Alex’s eyes.
“Oh — my parents aren’t dead,” Alex said. Then, almost reluctantly, he added, “At least, they weren’t before the outbreak.”
Luci’s head snapped up. “What do you mean?” she asked, startled. “I assumed you were an orphan like me.”
Alex shook his head and a sharp line formed where his jaw tightened.
“I’m not sure I qualify as an orphan. One day I was at school and a few academy agents came in, pulled me aside, and told me my parents had been relocated.
They didn’t say where, just told me I had to go home, pack my things, and leave with them. ”
Luci’s mouth parted slightly. The world had been cruel to both of them, but his loss was different. It was less final but no less merciless.
“That’s awful,” she whispered as she stood back up. After a moment of silence, she softly added, “But maybe they survived. Doc says it’s worse here than in other places. Maybe they’re somewhere safer.” It was a fragile offering of hope but she extended it anyway.
Alex’s expression softened and a faint smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah, maybe,” he said, like he wanted to believe it too.
A heartbeat later, Sable walked towards them, wearing an expression far guiltier than Luci was comfortable with. Her blonde ponytail swished through the air as she planted both hands on her hips.
“I’ve got good news and bad news,” she announced, her tone carrying a dangerous kind of amusement. “Bad news, there’s no gas in the tank.” She paused, letting the disappointment hang in the air for a second before her smile lifted. “But the good news is that I know exactly where we can find some.”