Barely Alive by Bonnie R. Paulson

compound had achieved a muted effect with colors covered in a white-gray film. The new home-base building didn’t appear to have been touched, but two buildings to the left of us had been ravaged and left for dead. Doors hung from hinges, glass littered the ground, and unidentifiable contents lay scattered near the fronts.
    But there was no movement. Even the flames hadn’t overtaken the front of the warehouse.
    I waved my hand at Heather. “Come on.”
    In seconds she scrabbled out beside me. She didn’t spare a parting glance for the blood splattered room behind us. Her hand sought mine and she gripped my fingers. My nerves hadn’t disappeared, if the electric zing was any indication. Hot.
    “ I need a phone.” Heather tugged me toward the standing building.
    I pulled against her. I didn’t want to go in there. Getting as far from the compound as possible was my first objective. I’d eaten, so I’d be safer around Heather… or she’d be safer around me. Then I remembered my phone. “Here.” I reached inside my pant pocket with my free hand – no way was I letting go of her hand – and handed her the cell phone I’d failed to return to Dominic. “Use this.”
    Heather released my hand to clap hers together. She took the phone, holding it with reverence. While she looked down and smiled, I noticed the bags under her eyes and the downturn to her lids. She’d been up all day yesterday, all night again and then the majority of the day. Humans were sleep hounds and needed rest or their value dropped significantly.
    And she hadn’t eaten. I knew for a fact Dominic hadn’t fed the girls. I’d been with them the whole time.
    “ Heather, why don’t you call them and we’ll get going, get you something to eat, okay?”
    She glanced up at me, her eyes sparkly with tears. Yep, she was tired.
    Emotions made me uncomfortable. Girl ones knocked me on my butt. I eyed her up and down. “You know what? You’re tiny. Let’s try piggy-backing it for a bit. The ride won’t be smooth, but you can try and get some rest.”
    With each degree she relaxed, not in immediate fear of being eaten or attacked. Weariness dragged her down, slower and slower. I bet she weighed a buck-twenty-five tops.
    She nodded and dialed. Phone to her ear, she waited out the ring tones. Enhanced hearing made it difficult to avoid eavesdropping.
    I glanced to where Dominic had tried to rape Heather. Two syringes rested side by side. But he’d only injected Heather with one.
    I smoothed the emotion from my face and pretended I couldn’t hear the faint clicks between rings.
    Ring. Click. Ring. Click. Ring. Click. Ring. Click.
    Hell, how annoying. If someone didn’t answer soon or the voicemail didn’t pick up, I was tempted to fling the phone across the yard.
    But nothing happened. No voicemail, nothing.
    She frowned and poked the end button. “Someone’s on the other line, I think.”
    “ They don’t have voicemail?” I didn’t care. An expectation hung in the air. I glanced around the buildings again and stepped around the side of the building, pulling her with me.
    Shaking her head, she followed me, distracted. “They don’t use it and they have call waiting but refuse to answer. Bugs the heck out of me. Where are we going?”
    “ Something’s off. We need to get out of here. Are you ready?” I asked as a courtesy. She didn’t have anything to pack. Even less to keep her there.
    A quick tuck hid the phone inside a front pocket of her shorts. My mouth went dry. She had to be kidding me. What if I needed the phone? I guess I’d have to go in there and retrieve it.
    I turned my back to her, bent my legs so she could reach, and closed my eyes when she wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing herself to me. She gave a small jump and I double-bounced her legs up around my waist. Hello.
    One foot in front of the other. She was lighter than I’d planned. My strength had increased even more after my feast and my strides ate the