March City: Rebellion of the Gifted [Book 2 | Complete | Fantasy/Sci-fi]

Chapter 6: Disease

"This is madness, Lira!"

Daae's next shot struck the pillar next to Ari's face. She flinched. She could feel the hot air on her cheek.

"I won't ask again, Ari." Lira's voice was subarctic. "Put your hands above your heads. No abilities. Walk in single file into that shopping unit. Have you exhibited any symptoms?"

Kept at shot point and forced unceremoniously into a nearby barred unit, Ari could only stare from behind the metal bars.

"What's going—"

"Answer my question!" Lira said, her cheeks turning pink. Ari had never seen the cool, collected Lira like this before. "Are any of you unwell? Any of you have symptoms?"

"Symptoms of what?" said Rale.

"We're fine!" Fris said, looking bewildered.

"That's not what I asked," Lira hissed, her grey-green eyes narrowed into slits of ice.

"What's going on?" said Ari.

Lira surveyed her through those unblinking icy eyes, all trace of familiarity gone. Her lips pressed so tightly together they nearly disappeared off her thin face. Ari's stomach fluttered as the pause elongated.

"Forty students," Lira said, returning to her unnervingly soft voice Ari knew from before. "There were forty students in my care when we first reached this place. In the past thirty-six hours, ten of them came down with some kind of illness and became uncontrolled. They killed four other students before we managed to subdue them. Ten more are exhibiting early symptoms, so they are in quarantine. The group has essentially been cut by two-thirds. Thirty-six hours."

Mina gasped, holding her hands to her mouth, her face pale.

"Our creators didn't plan on releasing us from March City, then," said Rale, appearing unperturbed by the deaths. "Or at least, not in our current states. I'm not surprised people came down with something. This place is probably full of pathogens. Only March City is so tidy and sterile, and even then maintenance day gives us plenty of antitoxins and immunity stimulants."

"We can't go back," said Fris.

"Of course not," said Rale, scornful. "I notice you haven't quarantined yourself, Dancer. Special benefits?"

"No. We're paired, what remains of us. If one displays symptoms, the other is duty-bound to report and quarantine them, and kill them if the disease progresses too quickly. The quarantined students are already exhibiting symptoms."

Rale whistled, eyebrows raised.

"Five students are dead," whispered Ari. The students down in Area Six had died, too, when Hine surged, but it hadn't filled her with this suffocating, nauseating sensation.

"Correction: fourteen are dead," said Lira. "Soon to be fifteen. The ten that went rabid couldn't be controlled."

Rale said, "So by 'subdue' you mean—"

"They posed a significant danger to the remaining students. We burnt the bodies."

"Oh, god," murmured Mina, going green, her hands clamping around her mouth. It took Ari a while to realise why. The smoke trail above the shopping centre. It wasn't a signal.

"We're getting desperate here." Daae's face darkened. "Unknown world outside. No source of food. Sick students with no access to medication."

"But what is this sickness?" said Ari, shaking her head.

"I have no idea. But from the looks of those ten students, symptoms start with paranoia and feverishness. I thought it was just disillusionment because of our escape, but they lashed out at other students. Their powers were beyond their scope—"