Uranium ➵ The Old Guard

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The building that might have stood tall and sturdy one day had been crumpled into the fuel of small fires that erupted everywhere over its casing. Nobody was around to witness it except for the four that stood in their winter jackets and bags slung over their shoulders.

"Something happened here," Andy said, crouching down and picking up bits of ash mixed in with the snow.

"You think it's what killed her?" Joe asked. The group spread out, each with a cautious hand on their gun.

"This is where we traced her to so let's assume yes for the time being," Andy replied. She kicked a metal piece out of the way and continued looking for the woman.

-

The blood was smeared all over her, sticking to every bit of skin it could find. Aleandra winced in anticipation as Nathaniel lifted her shirt and cut it down the center. He dabbed a towel where the blood lay and soaked it.

"That's weird," he noted scrunching his brow together.

"What? What is it?" Aleandra asked impatiently. "I'll live right?" Nathaniel ignored her question.

"On a scale of one to five, one being like an itch and five close to death, how much does this hurt?" He poked her in the side lightly. She reacted by moving away slightly.

"Like a two," she replied and furrowed her brow. "It hurt more earlier, why isn't it now?"

"It's..." He rubbed his mouth to hide his astonishment. "How well did that medic fix you up before you got on the stretcher?"

"I uh..." she creased her brow, "I don't remember actually." Nathaniel nodded in concentration. A part of Aleandra was screaming at herself to leave the building and Nathaniel. It felt wrong to be there, why did they want her?

"I don't get it," he said turning away. "You were unconscious an-and bleeding but there isn't a single cut on your chest or stomach."

"Are you on drugs?" she asked sitting back on her elbows. "You sound like you're on drugs."

"I'm not on drugs. Why would you think that I'm on drugs? I'm a professional."

"Then explain to me what's going on logically. No one can just heal like that." She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point. She could tell he was ready to be done with her by the look he gave her. 

"No one else survived that did they?" she asked him already knowing the answer.

"No. No one else but you." Aleandra laid her head back down on the cot unsatisfied. She had seen their bodies, fallen to her death with them, she had accepted their death but she wished they weren't that way. Their corpses would remain there until somebody found their mangled shells.

"How did you find me then?" she asked changing the subject.

"Kenny wanted you for the company." The answer was plain and short, something that Aleandra had already assumed, but it showed that Nathaniel wouldn't or couldn't talk about it. Aleandra knew how it felt to be cut off from authority, she had felt it in her previous occupation before it got blown up.

"Fuck you," she spat at him. She didn't know why she said what she did but it felt amazing–like a weight had been lifted from her. A weight from years and years of mindlessness. He shot up surprised, as she would have also, but schooled his face into a more passive expression.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to say that," Aleandra apologized. Nathaniel nodded curtly and went back to checking to see where else she had been hurt.

The two stayed together in silence. Aleandra staring at the plain white ceiling lost in thought and Nathaniel taking care of her somehow healed wounds.

AN:

Hey guys, it took me longer than I wanted to get this chapter out but here you go. It's been super fun writing this book so far and hopefully, I'll finish it. See y'all!

HB