Chapter 25
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243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMknZK3R8T
Cameo tied the last knot on the ropes that bound Thomas’s hands and feet together. The two boys were in the storage compartment of the fourth bus. The treacherous boy was laughing maniacally in his ear. Cameo knew the boy was insane, but he didn’t have time to do anything about it.
“You’re demented, Wilson.”
The lunatic continued to cackle.
“They’ll either lock you up or someone will kill you.”
More horrible laughter.
Cameo ripped a piece of duct tape off of the roll he found in his backpack and slapped it over Thomas’s mouth, stifling his giggles, but not squelching them entirely. Giving Thomas one last shove, he backed out, slammed the door shut, and locked it. Turning around, he saw Infinity standing with arms crossed, rain saturating her hair and clothes.
“You’re gonna get wet,” he said.
“You’re bleeding,” she whispered, reaching up to touch his blood-stained chin.
“I’m fine,” he grimaced, every word reopening the cut.
“I told you not to hurt yourself,” she sighed.
“I guess I’m not very good at listening,” he smiled and moved to touch her face, but his arm sent a stabbing pain through his body and he cried out.
“Stop,” she murmured. “You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine,” he repeated, squeezing his eyes shut. She knelt next to his hand and reached up, running her fingers around the outer edge of his throbbing wound.
He sucked in a breath. “Это больно, как дьявол.”
“See? You’re not fine.”
“Fine, I'm not fine.” He threw his good arm up in the air. “Happy?”
“No.”
“Women!” he exclaimed and rolled his eyes.
Infinity laughed. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” he grumbled. “Now, come on. I am not sleeping in that bus with a bunch of teenagers, especially not when we have a perfectly good bunk in that first bus!”
“Lots of other people are,” she countered.
“Yeah, well, that’s their problem.” He gently grabbed her with his good arm and pulled her to her feet.
“Technically, as General, inadequate bunks are your problem.”
“Can I resign?” he asked jokingly.
“Very funny. And no.”
“Fine,” he said, pulling her close. “I’ll get these in while I can, then.” He kissed her, pressing her into him. Rain ran through their hair and into their eyes, but neither of them noticed. Infinity wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her lips up next to his ear.
“My mom is going to be so mad,” she whispered.
Cameo laughed for the first time in days. The sound brought tears to Infinity’s eyes.
“Oh, Cameo,” she sighed as she kissed his lips. “What would I do without you?”
“Тебе было бы лучше, вот что,” he muttered, softly enough that she didn’t hear.
Forgetting his purpose, his mission, his endgame, he pulled her closer than before. He kissed her harder, needing her to know that he loved her and needed her. She smiled against his lips, brushing soaked strands of his dark, shaggy hair out of his face. He smiled too, finally feeling something other than shame and regret. Taking a small step forward, he erased any space left between them. His hands pressed against her waist, hers against his neck, minds and bodies dissolving into one.
The rain fell harder, yet he didn’t care. Standing there on the pavement, his chin burning and his arm throbbing, his lips pressed against hers, he couldn’t care about anything else. Blood from his arm mixed with the rain, collecting in a lightly tinted puddle around their feet. He shifted his injured arm, the pain screaming in his brain, but he fought to ignore it.
Suddenly he clutched at his head, mouth open, falling to his knees. He pressed his hands over his ears. Infinity stood over him, petrified.
“No, no, no!” she gasped. “Cameo, this isn’t funny!”
“Бесконечность! Пожалуйста, мне больно! О, почему это больно? Помоги мне! Это вредит! Пожалуйста, Бесконечность, помоги мне!” he screamed. His voice tore through his throat, yet sounded so far away. He struggled to breathe, fighting to stay awake. He doubled over, one hand on the ground, the other clutching his stomach. “Помощь! Голоса, ты слышишь голоса? О, больно, Фин, больно.”
Infinity slowly backed away, then turned and ran to the nearest bus. It was nearly dark, and she tripped over something, nearly falling. It was Cameo’s taser, the one he had used in the fight.
Thomas. This was all his fault.
Holding back a scream, she burst into the bus. “Tanner, come quick! It’s Cameo! I don't know what’s wrong,” she sobbed out, trying not to cry.
Tanner jumped out of his seat. “Where is he?” he asked harshly. Infinity pointed to where he lay. Tanner leapt out of the bus, not bothering with the stairs, and skidded to a stop next to Cameo, who was still curled into a tight ball. Tanner grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to sit up. Tears were streaming down his face and he was whispering in incomprehensible Russian.
“Голоса, голоса! Помогите, остановите голоса! Фин, Этаниэль, Гизмо, кто-нибудь! Убить Томаса! Он голоса!”
Tanner placed his hand on Cameo’s forehead.
“He’s burning up. He’s got to be over a hundred degrees. I’d guess the infection from his arm made it into his bloodstream. Infinity,” he said, twisting around to face her, “go grab Ethaniel.”
She nodded, glad for a task. Racing to the second bus, she wrenched open the door to the compartment. When Harley and Ethaniel showed up, the teens had given them their own compartment.
“Ethaniel!” she whimpered. A figure sat up in the darkness.
“What?” a gravelly voice spoke from the void.
“Help! It’s Cameo, and Tanner needs your help!”
The figure vaulted out of the alcove and into the rain. Ethaniel raced over to where Tanner and Cameo were kneeling, and Infinity noticed he wasn’t wearing a shirt, so she could clearly see the stark white bandage that covered a large portion of his torso, including his gunshot wounds.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked frantically.
“I don’t know. We have to get him to bed. And we can’t leave here until he’s healed,” Tanner said gravely. “That means no war until then. Help me get him to stand up,” he commanded. Ethaniel grabbed Cameo’s waist, Tanner took his uninjured arm, and together the two boys hoisted Cameo to his feet. Bracing the feverish boy between them, they slowly made their way to the first bus, where Infinity was waiting.
“Is he going to be okay?” she whispered.
“Maybe. I’m not worried about him physically,” Tanner said, “because I know he’s strong. I’m worried about him mentally. I don’t know what he’s going through, but it might be more than he can take.”243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywoXp9M5Bf
