The Withered Series (Book 1): Wither by Amy Miles Page B

 I, for one, am not
willing to just roll over and die.  Are you?”
    He
stares at me long and hard but I fight to show no emotion beyond the
flaring of my nostrils in repressed anger.  Devon nods in
agreement when Alex glances at him and for the first time I realize
that I was mistaken.  Devon isn’t the one in charge. Alex
is.
    When
the pilot turns to look at Victoria I almost feel sorry for the ashen
woman.  She looks faint and trembly.  I can almost see the
moral dilemma waging in her eyes but she cowers under Alex’s
stern gaze and nods.
    “What
we do is for the good of the group.  You all need food and
water.  A safe place to sleep.  How can we provide that for
you if we become infected?  If Eva needs blood and we can’t
give it to her, then what? We just let her die because we didn’t
prepare?”
    Bile
rises in my throat at the sound of Alex’s justification.  “You
think that makes it ok?”
    “Yes.”
 I flinch as Devon closes the gap between us. His button down
dress shirt is soiled and the pocket torn away.  His pants are
filthy, as if he has been rolling in the mud.  I can’t
help but wonder what he’s been up to behind that closed door.
 “You know those gangs are stealing blood.  Why?
Because it’s the only way to survive. If that’s what it
takes, then so be it.  I can sleep at night knowing that I did
what it took.”
    “We
aren’t stealing their blood, Avery,” Alex says in a
softer tone.  “We’re borrowing it.”
    “Borrow?”
 I snort and shake my head.  “How exactly are you
planning on giving back to those people?”
    “By
allowing them to live.”  
    The
cold insensitivity of his statement sends chills down my spine.  “And
Eva?  What if she has complications beyond her need for blood?
 Will you just let her die for the betterment of everyone?”
    Alex’s
adams apple bobs as Devon looks to him with indecision.  “She
is part of the group.”
    “So
are they.”  I point toward the closed door.
    “No.
They are outsiders.”
    I
am rocked by Alex’s blatant callousness. Maybe I didn’t
know him as well as I thought.  I rise to my feet.  “So
am I.”
    “Not
anymore.”
    “Why
not?” I press, stepping forward.  “Isn’t that
why you brought me here? To use me as a blood donor, too?”
    His
hesitation doesn’t go unnoticed by everyone in the room. Even
Eva has rolled onto her side to listen as she pants between
contractions.  I want to go to her, to ease her fears but this
needs to be dealt with.
    “I’m
right, aren’t I?  You grabbed me off the street in the
hopes that I could be a match for someone here.”  I whirl
around, looking each person in the eye.  “Well, who is it
then? I must be a match otherwise I wouldn’t be here right
now.”
    Alex
averts his gaze.  Devon remains stony faced.  Victoria
looks bewildered.  A look of hurt betrayal tints her grimace.
 She may be an idiot but at least of this crime she’s
innocent.
    “You’re
a universal donor,” Sal speaks up from the back of the room
where he lounges against the wall.  
    “I
see.”  Lifting my finger, I run my thumb over the healing
slit that I noticed when I first woke.  “You tested my
blood while I was unconscious.  Clever.  I’ll give
you that much.”
    “It’s
not like that--” Alex starts but falters under my damning
glare.
    “Oh,
no.” I shake my head, my hands quaking at my sides. My pulse
beats like a bass drum in my ears as I turn on him.  “It’s exactly like that.”
    Devon
bears his teeth as he towers over me.  I don’t back down.
 Alex pushes Devon aside with far more ease than I would have
liked and steps between us.  “Yes, you’re useful,
dammit but that’s not why I kept you.”
    “Then
why?” I press into his face, forcing him to look at me as he
spins his lies.  Although I’m several inches shorter than
him, he reacts instantly to the animalistic growl that bursts from my
throat as he tries to grab my hand.  I whip my