Mag-log inChapter Twenty-Five: The road to Eastwood Medical Center was almost unrecognizable. Abandoned cars blocked parts of the street. Shop windows had been shattered, and signs hung crookedly above empty doorways. Somewhere in the distance, an infected person let out a low, unsettling groan. I kept moving. My bag felt heavier than it should have, although I knew it wasn't the weight slowing me down. It was the thought that I might be walking into something I didn't understand. Peter had told me not to look for him. Someone had left a card at my fence telling me to stop. And now an unknown transport was preparing to leave Eastwood with one person unaccounted for. I wasn't going to assume the missing passenger was Peter. But I wasn't going to ignore the possibility, either. When I reached the old shopping complex, I stopped behind a damaged delivery truck and checked the road ahead. The hospital stood beyond a row of buildings. Its main entrance was blocked by abandoned vehicles,
Chapter Twenty-Four: The radio crackled again just as I was about to leave the control room."Elena, come and listen to this," Daniel said.I turned back.He adjusted the frequency, and a man's voice came through the speaker, clearer than before."Eastwood Medical Center transport team, respond. Departure is scheduled for five thirty. All remaining personnel must be accounted for before the vehicle leaves."A second voice answered."Understood. What about the remaining patients?"There was a pause."Only those on the approved list are to be transferred."The transmission ended.I stared at the radio.An approved list.My mind returned to the card someone had left at my fence.STOP LOOKING FOR PETER.Then I remembered Peter's warning.Someone found a list of names connected to research on the infection. Mine was on it.Could the transport be connected to that list?I didn't know. But I couldn't ignore the possibility."What time is it?" I asked.Daniel checked the clock."Just after t
Chapter Twenty-Three: Peter's voice disappeared beneath the static.I grabbed the radio."Peter? Can you hear me?"Nothing.I adjusted the frequency and tried again."Peter, it's Elena. Answer me!"The radio crackled.Then his voice returned, weaker than before."Elena, listen carefully. Someone found a list of names connected to research on the infection. Mine was on it."I froze."What list? Who found it?""I don't know. But your name was there, too."My fingers tightened around the radio."That makes no sense. I've never worked for Blackwood. I've never been involved in their research.""I know.""Then why would they have my name?""I don't know that either. That's why I'm warning you."I glanced at Daniel, who stood beside the control panel, listening."Peter, where are you?""Don't come looking for me.""I'm not going to abandon you.""I'm not asking you to abandon me. I'm asking you not to come here.""Why?"A long pause followed."Because I don't know who I can trust anymore."
Chapter Twenty-Two: "Don't open the gate!"My voice cut through the silence as Daniel reached for the control panel.Outside, Sarah stood against the fence, one hand gripping the metal bars and the other pressed against her stomach. Her clothes were dirty, her hair tangled, and her face so pale that, for a moment, I thought she was about to collapse again.Then she looked directly at me."Please, Elena."Two words.That was all she said before her knees buckled.Daniel caught my arm. "You know her?""I know enough to be careful.""That's not an answer.""It wasn't supposed to be."I pulled away from him and moved toward the security monitor.Sarah lay on the ground outside my gate, barely moving. The camera showed no one else nearby, but that meant very little. The last time I'd trusted what I could see, I'd nearly lost everything.In my previous life, I had learned that desperation could make people dangerous.Hunger could turn a neighbor into an enemy.Fear could make a good person
Chapter Twenty-One: "The one they were trying to protect."Michael's words hung in the room.Outside, my father was still shouting through the speaker, demanding that I open the gate. The infected were getting closer, and my family was running out of time.But I couldn't take my eyes off Michael."What did you mean when you said you never saw her face?" I asked.Michael rubbed his palms against his trousers. "When I was at Blackwood, I heard the doctors talking about a patient they kept in a separate room. Nobody was allowed to enter without permission from Dr. Vale. Even the other researchers needed approval.""Was the patient infected?""I don't know.""Then what do you know?"He looked toward the monitor, where Victor Vale was still standing outside."I know they were afraid of losing her."Daniel stepped forward. "Afraid of losing a patient?""No. Afraid of losing whatever they were learning from her."Grace frowned. "That doesn't make sense. If she was sick, they should have bee
Chapter Twenty: The man had taken the paper and smiled at my security camera. Now I needed to know who he was. I replayed the footage on the monitor, watching his face carefully. He looked directly into the camera as if he knew I was watching him. Then he folded the paper and slipped it into his jacket pocket. LET HER GO. Four words. No name. No explanation. But whoever had written them knew something about my shelter, and that worried me more than I wanted to admit. "Do you recognize him?" I asked Daniel. He leaned closer to the screen, studying the man's face. "No," he said after a moment. "But I might have seen him before the outbreak." "Where?" "Blackwood Research Center. I can't be certain, though." Michael, who had been sitting quietly near the wall, suddenly stood up. "Show me the footage again." I glanced at him. "Why?" "Just show me." I replayed it. Michael's expression changed as soon as the man's face appeared. His shoulders stiffened, and his fingers curl







