Agent 57 (Book 2)

29. Wait that's a stupid question

I got Sadies tomorrow so I'm likely not going to update, just a heads up.

Cody's POV

Chase paces up and down the hallway in front of me. I lean over in my chair, head in my hands bouncing my leg up and down. Neither one of us seem to be able to sit still at the moment.

Both Devin and Jason are in the hospital. In the Intensive Care Unit. And Thirteen? She's still missing and it's been four hours.

Footsteps interrupt my thoughts and I look up as Zero comes walking over towards us with the doctor in tow. I stand quickly to my feet and Chase turns so he's facing them. Grim looks on all our faces.

"Chief." Chase somehow manages to address Zero politely without just flat out asking him what we're both dying to know.

Zero just simply nods at both of us in greeting and motions for the doctor to fill us in on what's going on.

He glances at his clipboard as he speaks. "The dark-haired boy-Jason will be just fine. The blow to the head was not as critical as we previously believed. Whoever hit him seemed to actually be showing some restraint. We've put him in a medically induced coma until the swelling in his brain goes down."

Both me and Chase share looks of relief and then confusion. We saw the video surveillance clips ourselves.

Garrett was holding back? Why?

"The other boy-Devin." The doctor starts up again and our full attention is now directed at him. "His injuries were definitely more severe, and even though the stab wound in his chest missed his heart by mere inches, it didn't hit anything vital."

"So he's going to be alright?" Chase questions, as if reading my own thoughts.

The doctor grimaces and shakes his head. "I'm afraid not." He says simply and I feel my stomach plummet. "The blade he was stabbed with-or rather the dagger-seems to have been coated in some form of poison."

I feel my blood freeze in my veins and I take a couple steps backward, falling into the uncomfortable chair.

Coated in poison? How could she not tell us that?

But it all seemed to click into place, her words from before.

"Yeah well I don't use my dagger on anyone but the enemy..."

"Did I cut you?..."

I had never seen her carry a sheath for it before...until the day she came back for us. I didn't think anything of it at the time. She had no intentions of staying the first time she teamed up with us, but when she realized she'd be coming back for who knew how long...she wanted that sheath with her so it would decrease the chances of us getting cut by that thing.

"What kind of poison?" I ask, my voice distant and disconnected. A feeling of dread creeps on me...like I already know the answer.

The doctor shakes his head again. "I have no idea. It's not like any poison we've ever seen before."

Of course not. That'd be too much to ask.

"Whatever it is it's meant to kill slowly, and painfully. Luckily your friend's still alive, but he won't be that way for long if we can't get a cure for the poison."

"How much time do we have?" Chase presses.

"I'd give him two days tops." The doctor replies. "But it's likely even less than that. I've never seen this poison before and have no idea what it's going to do."