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بيت / Romance / REBORN 7 DAYS BEFORE MY BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND LEFT ME TO DIE / CHAPTER 23: THE VOICE IN THE TOWER

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CHAPTER 23: THE VOICE IN THE TOWER

مؤلف: Ava Sinclair
last update تاريخ النشر: 2026-11-01 01:26:18

The radio shouldn't work.

EVA cut all external radio on Day 19. To stop infected from tracking signal. No one had spoken on open channel in 69 days.

But the crackle came again.

"...if anyone hears... this is Jax... water tower... east... I'm not dead... please... chain... I..."

Killian lunged for the handheld from his pocket, the one he took from Jax's body. Or from the body we thought was Jax.

Static. Then voice. Young. Coughing. American kid, 19, not Shell soldier voice.

"Jax? Jax Guard 447, do you copy? This is Killian Thorne, Bunker 3. We have your note. We have chain. Over."

Silence for 4 seconds. Then gasp.

"Killian? Holy... Holy shit. You're alive? Bianca? Is Bianca alive? Chain... did you find chain? I left chain on... on him..."

Bianca grabbed radio, knocked syringe of real formula over. 5ml wasted on floor.

"Jax! Jax it's me! It's Bianca! Are you at water tower? The cache? 40 cans?"

"Bianca! Yes! Tower! I'm at tower! But not 40! Listen! Listen, cache compromised! Don't come! Repeat, DON'T COME! 40 cans gone! Raiders took it Day 60! Only fuel left! And... and I'm bitten! I'm bitten 2 days ago! Same as... same as body you found! That was Marco! My friend! He was going to you!"

The bunker went cold.

Killian's bloody hand tightened on radio. "You're bitten? Where? How long?"

"Ankle. Day 86. 2 days ago. While hiding fuel. I'm... I'm in tower top. Door barricaded. I have fever. 39... I think 39. I saw Marco die. He wanted to bring chain and note to you. He didn't make it. I couldn't... I couldn't walk 3km... I failed..."

EVA spoke, scanning radio signal.

"Signal triangulation: Water tower, 2.9 kilometers east. Signal strength weak. Battery estimated 11 percent. Human voice analysis: Dehydration, fever, blood loss. Probability of infection progression 87 percent."

Bianca looked at me on floor, leaking amniotic fluid at 20 weeks twins, at Tiny Elena at with fever 38.6 now, at Killian bleeding from 4cm claw.

And at radio that said Don't come.

At 07:28, I made decision. From floor. Leaking.

"We go."

Killian stared. "Elena, you ruptured. You can't stand. EVA said bed rest. No stress."

"I ruptured," I said, voice low, not screaming now. "That means twins come in hours or days, not weeks. If they come at 20 weeks here with no hospital, they die. 100 percent. If Jax has 200 liters fuel, we can run generator full. Full heat. Full incubator for Tiny Elena and for my twins when they come early. We need that fuel more than formula."

Bianca cried, "He said bitten! He is infected! Day 88 bites turn in 6 hours! He was bitten 2 days ago, he should be dead or mimicking!"

"Then he is not infected strain," Killian said slowly. "EVA, what strain has 2-day incubation with fever but still human speech?"

EVA paused. Longest pause ever. 3 seconds.

"Unknown. No data. All recorded Day 88 mimic strains turn in 4 to 9 hours after bite. 48 hours with coherent speech is... anomaly. Could be immune response. Could be different infection. Could be... previous exposure to original formula?"

Later on, Tiny Elena seized.

Not full seizure. At 1.48kg, seizure is eye roll, lip blue, tiny body stiff.

"She's seizing!" Bianca screamed, holding her, silver chain tangling. "EVA! Heart rate!"

"Infant heart rate 178. Temperature 38.9. Seizure likely febrile. Need cooling. Need antibiotic."

I had 80ml fluid lost. Twins pressing down. Pain starting, low back, first contraction? At 20 weeks?

Killian stood, decision in his face. The same face when he went for drone drop. He tied his bleeding arm with my scarf, tight.

"I go alone. You two stay. You keep Tiny Elena cool with water. Keep Elena legs up. I run 2.9km to tower, get fuel if there is, and check Jax. If he is human, I bring him. If he is mimic, I... I know what to do."

"No," Bianca said, holding Tiny Elena who stopped seizing but now limp, cross still in hand. "You just came back with 11 cans. You bleed. You can't go again. Let Jax die. We have 11 cans. That's 22 days for 1.48kg."

Killian looked at chain on Tiny Elena. "Chain came from tower. Jax kept it 84 days. Marco died trying to bring it. We don't leave people."

Not quite long radio crackled again, weaker, battery dying.

"Killian... if you come... bring chain... I want to... I want to give it to Keon myself... sorry I ran... please..."

Battery beep. Then dead.

Silence.

At 07:36, Killian kissed my forehead, his blood on my cheek. Kissed Tiny Elena's head, too hot. Kissed Bianca's hands.

"Keep door sealed. Acoustic camo on. No matter what you hear outside, don't open for 2 hours. If I don't back in 2 hours... EVA knows code to open food vault."

He took one oxygen tank, left one. Took empty jerry can for fuel, 20 liters only, can't carry 200. Took pistol with 3 bullets. Took chain note.

He didn't take chain. Chain stayed on Tiny Elena.

At 07:37, airlock hissed. He was gone again.

Two times in one day. Day 88. 3.2km then 2.9km. Total 6.1km through mimic horde.

Bunker sealed. Now 12 outside gone, but 1 inside leaking twins, 1 with fever 38.9 and seizure history.

At 07:40, EVA spoke.

"Adult Elena : Contraction detected. Interval 12 minutes. Duration 22 seconds. Preterm labor started. Twin A estimated weight 340 grams. Twin B 310 grams. Non-viable outside incubator without full power. Fuel critical."

I lay back, legs on pillow, feeling warm fluid keep leaking, feeling twins move down, too early.

Bianca put Tiny Elena, burning, on my chest, between my breasts, skin to skin to skin, her fever to my leaking body.

"Stay," Bianca whispered to all three babies, her voice finally broken, American broken, not brave nurse anymore. "Just stay. All of you. Just stay until your dad brings fuel."

At 07:44, outside bunker mic picked up sound.

Not knocking.

Footsteps. Many. Running. Toward bunker? Or toward tower? Toward Killian?

And on radio, faint, from tower, Jax screaming. Not human scream. Mimic scream. Or pain scream.

We couldn't tell.

Inside, I had contraction. 11 minutes after first.

Tiny Elena at 1.48kg burned at 38.9.

And 2.9km east, Killian ran toward voice that might already be dead.

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