CHAPTER 37: SUSPICION AND SECRETS

"That was... absolutely incredible, man," Christopher said as we descended the stairs to the fourth floor of the main building, his voice filled with genuine awe and excitement. "I mean, seriously incredible."

"You think so?" I asked, attempting to sound casual while internally cringing at how unconvincing I probably sounded.

"Are you kidding me? I swear I’ve only seen moves like that in action movies!" Christopher’s enthusiasm was infectious, and I could see the others nodding in agreement. "Do you have some kind of martial arts background? Maybe gymnastics? That flying kick was something else entirely."

I scrambled for a plausible explanation, my mind racing through possible responses that wouldn’t reveal the truth. "Not really, but I’ve watched a ton of action films over the years. You know how it is—you start to pick up on the movements, the timing. I guess I just got lucky with the execution."

The excuse felt flimsy even as I said it, but it seemed to partially satisfy Christopher’s curiosity. However, I could tell that except for Elena, the others were clearly beginning to suspect I had some kind of athletic training they didn’t know about. Their impressed glances made me uncomfortable in ways I wasn’t prepared to deal with.

My gaze drifted to Sydney, who had remained unusually quiet throughout our descent. Normally, she’d be the first to offer a sarcastic or teasing comment but she’d barely said a word since the rooftop incident.

"Are you okay?" I asked her directly.

"Y...yeah, I’m fine," she replied, a delicate flush coloring her cheeks as she avoided direct eye contact. "Thanks for... you know, saving my life back there."

It was the first time I’d ever seen Sydney act genuinely shy, and the transformation was startling. Gone was her usual confident demeanor, replaced by something softer and more vulnerable. The change made her even more beautiful, if that was possible, highlighting features I’d never really noticed before.

"You’re very welcome," I smiled.

The journey back to the library proved surprisingly peaceful. We’d developed an almost instinctive understanding of the infected’s movement patterns, allowing us to navigate the corridors with practiced stealth. Most of the creatures seemed to have gravitated toward the lower floors of the building, drawn by sounds or scents we couldn’t perceive, leaving our path relatively clear.

When we finally reached the library, Christopher knocked on the barricaded entrance with our pre-arranged signal. The response came after a tense minute of muffled voices and scraping furniture as the people inside began partially dismantling their defensive barriers.

Tobias appeared in the gap, flanked by several of his most loyal followers.

"Elena." Alisha called as she spotted her sister among our group, relief flooding her features.

Elena started to move toward Alisha with a smile, but Tobias stepped forward, blocking her path with an outstretched arm.

"Wait," he said. "First, we need to verify that none of you have been infected."

"What?" Christopher’s voice carried obvious irritation. "Tobias, we’ve been together for the past several hours. If any of us were infected, don’t you think we’d have noticed by now?"

"The fact that you separated from the main group is precisely what concerns me," Tobias replied, his tone growing more officious. "Anything could have happened during that time. Someone might have been bitten, scratched, or exposed in ways the others don’t know about."

"Are you seriously this paranoid?" Cindy interjected. "We’ve been together constantly for the last hour and a half, Tobias. The infection timeline is well-established—people transform within sixty minutes of exposure. We’re obviously clean."

"That assumes we can trust all of you to tell the truth," Tobias said coldly, his gaze sweeping over our group with obvious suspicion. "Unfortunately, if even one of you is lying—whether deliberately or because you’re in denial about your own exposure—everyone in this library could be put at risk. I’m sure you understand why we need to be absolutely certain."

His words triggered nods of agreement from several people gathered behind him. Their faces showed the kind of fear that made people do unreasonable things, and I couldn’t entirely blame them for their caution, even if Tobias’s execution was unnecessarily harsh.

"Fine, whatever," Cindy said with obvious frustration, but she moved toward the designated inspection area where some of the other girls were waiting to examine the female members of our group.

Sydney followed without comment.

Elena, however, remained frozen in place, her hand unconsciously moving to grasp the bandaged wound on her palm. The gesture was subtle, but I caught it immediately, and my heart sank as I realized what was about to happen.

Oh shit.

I’d completely forgotten about the bite mark.

Tobias’s sharp eyes missed nothing, and I watched his gaze zero in on Elena’s bandaged hand like a predator spotting wounded prey.

"What’s that?" He asked, his voice taking on an edge that made everyone in the vicinity tense up.

"It’s nothing," Elena replied.

"There’s clearly blood on that bandage, so it’s definitely not nothing," Tobias pressed. "Remove the cloth so we can see what’s underneath."

Elena’s jaw tightened, and I could see the defiance flashing in her eyes. But as she looked around at the fearful faces surrounding us—people ready to react violently at the first sign of danger—her resolve began to waver.

With obvious reluctance, she began unwrapping the makeshift bandage. I held my breath, knowing what the reveal would show and hoping against hope that my intervention had been sufficient.

When the cloth finally fell away, Elena’s palm was exposed for everyone to see.

The sight was both better and worse than I’d expected. What had originally been a clearly identifiable infected bite—complete with the telltale corruption spreading beneath the skin—now appeared as a series of shallow puncture wounds. They looked like they might have been made by human teeth rather than the diseased maws of the infected, but they were still obviously bite marks of some kind.

Elena stared at her own hand in surprise, clearly not expecting the dramatic improvement in the wound’s appearance. Her eyes immediately sought mine and I could see the questions there, along with a growing understanding that I was somehow responsible for the change.

"What exactly are those marks?" Tobias asked, his voice sharp with suspicion as he leaned closer to examine Elena’s palm.

Even though the wound no longer bore the obvious signs of infected corruption, the tooth-like impressions were still clearly visible. To someone as paranoid as Tobias, they would definitely raise red flags.

"Is she infected?" Desmond’s panicked voice rang, and I could see him taking several steps backward while pulling others with him. His fear was infectious, spreading through the group like wildfire.

"I am not infected," Elena said again, clenching her injured hand into a fist.

Tobias looked the marks for several long seconds, his expression unreadable. When he finally looked up, his decision was written clearly across his features.

"Just to be safe, you and your five companions will be sleeping somewhere else tonight," he said.

"What?" Cindy’s voice cracked with indignation as she stopped her steps "Who gave you the authority to make that decision?"

"Someone who’s actually concerned about keeping the rest of these people alive," Tobias replied coolly, gesturing toward the nervous students gathered behind him.

Cindy glared at the faces behind Tobias—people whose fear had made them willing to cast out their former classmates based on nothing more than suspicion. She clicked her tongue in disgust and stalked away from the group, her body language radiating anger and disappointment.

Christopher sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair before following Cindy. I could see the conflict in his expression—understanding both sides of the argument but ultimately choosing loyalty to our group over the perceived safety of staying with the majority.

"Let me see," Alisha said softly, approaching Elena with obvious concern. She’d been hanging back during the confrontation, but now her sisterly instincts overrode any fears she might have harbored.

"It’s really nothing, Alisha," Elena said, offering her sister a reassuring smile despite the circumstances. "You don’t need to worry about me."

Alisha took Elena’s hand gently, examining the marks with careful attention. Her expression remained thoughtful rather than fearful, and I could see her medical knowledge helping her assess the situation more rationally than the others.

"You don’t show any signs of infection, thank God," she said finally. "But you look like you’re in some discomfort. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?"

Elena’s expression flickered slightly, and I caught the subtle shift in her posture. Whether it was exhaustion or our earlier sex, I couldn’t be sure, but Alisha’s trained eye had detected something the others had missed.

"I’m fine, sister," Elena replied. "You’re worrying about nothing, really."

But even as she spoke the words, I could see the exhaustion beginning to show around her eyes. The day had taken its toll on all of us, but Elena had endured more than most. Between the physical trauma of the bite, the stress of keeping it secret, and the intimate encounter we’d shared, she had to be running on pure adrenaline at this point.

"Are you okay, Ryan?" Rachel asked as she walked over with Rebecca close at her side.

I gave them a tired smile, trying to mask the exhaustion that clung to my bones. "Yeah... kind of. We managed to get the radio working and sent out a signal across all of New York I think. It’s something, at least."

Rebecca’s eyes lit up, her voice trembling. "R...Really? You think someone will come? Help us?"

"We hope so," I said softly. "But... we’ll need to keep sending the signal, keep the broadcasts going. And honestly—" I lowered my voice, leaning in, "—I don’t think it’s safe to stay here much longer."

Rachel’s brows furrowed. "Is that because of their decision?" She meant the group’s earlier argument, the way tempers had flared and sides were being quietly chosen.

I shook my head. "No, not that. It’s the food. I don’t know how much they managed to gather, but it’s not going to last. We can’t afford to wait here until we’re too weak to move. We have to act while we still have the strength."

Rebecca bit her lip nervously. "But... how? How do we even get out of here? We’re stuck on the upper floors. The ground floor’s crawling with Infected. The doors are busted—the building’s practically an open buffet for those things."

I nodded grimly. "I know. But there’s a way. The rooftop—there’s an emergency stairwell behind the building. It leads down to the back of the building. From there, we can get to the parking and get the hell out."

"That could work," Rachel said. "But it’s risky."

Before I could respond, Sydney appeared from around the corner, her arms crossed. "It might work," she said, joining our huddle. "But my car can only take one extra person." She paused, eyeing me closely. "Unless you’re thinking of leaving the others behind?"

Her meaning was clear—Christopher, Cindy, Jason, Elena, Alisha. I sighed. "No, I’m not leaving anyone. But we need to convince them. Only Cindy knows how to work that radio properly, and if we abandon it, we will be on our own for sure."

"Right," Sydney said, "but we’re still one car short."

I nodded. "We could get—"

"Already got it covered," she interrupted, a grin on her lips as she dangled a keyring in front of me. The keys weren’t hers.

My brow rose. "Where did you...?"

"Director’s office," she said with a shrug. "He’s not going to need his car anymore, is he?"

I glanced at the keys, then at her. "Guess he keeps on giving. First the gun, now the ride."

Sydney smirked, pocketing the keys. "May as well take what we can."

"Alright," I said, feeling a flicker of hope. "Then let’s tell the others."

Rachel, Rebecca, and Sydney moved toward the far side of the library, where Christopher, Cindy, and Jason were in deep conversation.

As I turned to follow, a quiet voice caught me off guard.

"Elena told me you helped her."

I turned, startled, to find Alisha standing beside me.

"Oh... yeah," I said, caught off balance. "I did."

"Thank you," she said, her words sincere and heartfelt. "Truly."

I tried to smile, but guilt gnawed at me. "It’s alright. I... I promised I’d look out for her."

Alisha tilted her head, her smile faint but genuine. "You’re a good person, Ryan."

I felt a bit guilty of hiding what happened between me and Elena.

But better to say nothing—for now. I just had to hope it wouldn’t come back later to bit me back.

"Come on," I said, brushing the thought aside. "Let’s go. We have something to speak about."