Read Online Into The Fire (The Ending Series) by Lindsey Fairleigh, Lindsey Pogue - Free Book Online

after the
conversation I’d just overheard, I wasn’t letting her inject me with anything.
“Uh, thanks, but I’m not big on shots.”
    She shook her head and pressed her lips together. “It’s just
Toradol. You’ll thank me for it. I shouldn’t really be giving you this anyway,
not with the concussion, but in your case, it’ll do more good than harm.”
    For the briefest moment, I gazed at the syringe in longing. Pain
relief… And then, I backed away another step. Any crazy drug could’ve been
in that plastic tube. I didn’t know what MG and the doctor were involved in,
but it had sounded like they were planning to induct me—involuntarily. “Like I
said, I’m not a fan of needles. I can live with the pain.”
    The doctor raised one shoulder. “Suit yourself.” Handing me
the prescription bottle, she said, “Ibuprofen. You can start taking them in the
morning. And, whatever you do, don’t go to sleep tonight.”
    I groaned, already feeling like I was about to fall asleep
standing up.
    “I mean it,” Dr. Wesley said. She gave my former dream
invader a meaningful look. “Gabriel?”
    MG raised his hand, boy scout–style. “I’ll make sure she
stays awake by any means necessary. I promise.”
    Again, the doctor’s lips pressed together in a thin, flat
line.
    Wearing a wide grin, MG said, “And on that note, we’ll just
be on our way.”
    Before following him down the hallway, I spared a few
seconds to study the doctor, trying to discern what her deal was. She’d gone
from standoffish to helpful to considering me as a candidate for something
unknown to me and wanting to attune a neutralizer to my blood .
She returned my stare, her own eyes searching. What’s she looking for?
    It wasn’t until I’d rounded two corners—one left, one
right—that I caught up to MG and fell in step beside him. He slowed so I didn’t
have to jog to keep up with his much longer strides. The corridors were far more
vacant than any hospital, doctor’s office, or clinic I’d ever visited before
the Virus, and the emptiness gave me the willies. That, and the electricity.
    Evenly spaced lights shone from the ceiling with a bright,
artificial glow. They hummed. It was annoying. For several months, I’d been
without electricity of any kind. There had been no overhead lights in the
middle of the night, no showers spraying deliciously hot water, no microwaves,
and no washing machines. My people and I had reverted back to the basics and
had grown accustomed to a simpler way of life. I couldn’t get over how loud the
electricity was; it buzzed incessantly, threatening to drive me insane.
    “What? No elevator?” I asked as I stepped through a doorway
behind MG. Seconds later, the door thudded closed, leaving us alone in a gray-
and white-toned stairwell.
    MG chuckled. “We make an effort to conserve the energy we
have.”
    Right , I thought, keep telling yourself that. To
power the hospital alone, they needed a mini power plant. I frowned. Where are they getting the energy?
    “It’s just one flight down. The elevators use too much power
to be worth it,” MG explained.
    “Hmmm…” I mumbled, slowly making my way down rubber-edged,
cement stairs. With every step, it felt like glass shards were slicing through
my tender, mushed brain. My face scrunched in an extended cringe.
    MG caught my arm, stopping my descent. “I can get us a car
if you don’t think you can make it.” Worry coated his voice, cracking through
my pain and temporarily shelving my wariness.
    I met his eyes—his gentle, caring eyes—and wondered if
whatever he and Dr. Wesley were involved with wasn’t really a bad thing…or
maybe it was a really bad thing. The plan was to play it cool and get
the General’s permission to leave. The backup plan was to play it cool, then
get the hell out of this place once the sun went down.
    “I’m fine,” I told MG. “You know, it’s crazy that you could
just do that…get us a car.”
    “I forget that