left shoulder, stiffened her right leg, and hobbled forward.
After what seemed like hours, she spotted the fish market. The area was more crowded and lively than she remembered. She suspected the survivors were full of pent-up energy after the hurricane and were happy to be outside again. Kids were throwing a Frisbee around and playing soccer with a ball fashioned from duct tape. Skateboarders and kids on bikes flew by, missing her by mere inches.
She sadly realized the laughter and smiles would turn to cries of anguish within days, or sooner, as the epidemic gained a foothold. For many, a desperate hunt for food would replace the games they were now playing. Others would decide to fight them off to protect their food supplies. Would anyone share?
Abby finally made it to the market, staring up at the sign: Ribbentrop Fish. The Freshest Fish in Brooklyn . With a small smile playing on her lips, she entered the market, lugging the dead striper along.
The store now served as a shelter. Mattresses, heaped with jackets and blankets, were strewn on the floor. She stuck to the narrow pathways between them, and when a blanket moved, she realized someone was lying underneath it.
Abby felt her stomach drop. In the far corner, a leg and arm were sticking out from the bedding. She quickly recognized the Colony East uniform. It must be Toby. She choked back a sob. From the moment she learned he had been kicked out of Colony East, she had harbored a nagging feeling she would never see him again.
Her heart racing, she moved closer, but wondered if it really was him. The foot looked too small. Her hope lifted when she saw 1094 stitched in yellow on the sleeve. That was Toby’s Colony East ID. Suddenly, the blanket flew back as a girl jackknifed up. Abby gasped and lurched back. The girl reached under the covers and brandished a knife.
Losing her balance, Abby tumbled backward. Sweat trickled down into her eyes, and she blinked through the sting of salt and grime. The girl appeared to be twelve or thirteen. She had spiky brown hair, a nose piercing, and a hard stare that warned, “Mess with me at your own risk.”
The girl must have sensed that Abby posed no threat, because the threads of veins flaring in her neck slowly flattened, and her shallow breathing deepened.
She lowered her knife and slowly rolled up the sleeves of the Colony East uniform, revealing tattoos of purple moons and streaking comets.
Abby sucked her cheeks and mashed her tongue against the roof of her mouth to work up enough saliva to form words. “That uniform belongs to my friend.”
“You’re Abby Leigh, right?” the girl whispered.
Stunned, Abby nodded.
“My name is Lexi. We have to go meet Toby.”
1.07
EMORY CAMPUS
The girls of Unit 2A advanced their iPods to the next mobile lesson and followed Murph outside, heading to first meal.
Doctor Martin was Lisette’s History of Science professor, and his boring voice crackled through her earbud. “Darwin published his theory of evolution with compelling evidence in his book On the Origin of Species … .”
Lisette gaped at the devastation. The storm, which had kept them confined to their dorm for the past three days, had turned Emory Campus into a dangerous obstacle course. Ahead, the boys from Unit 2B walked inside orange cones set up to keep them away from the downed trees and power lines. Lisette caught a glimpse of her friend, Richard, and wished she could show him her loose tooth, but she’d have to wait until recess.
All around her, the cleanup was in full swing. Chainsaws whined as Navy crews cut up toppled trunks and tree branches. She shivered when she saw ensigns replacing a broken window in Medical Clinic 3.
She had spent three months in the clinic when she had first arrived at the colony and never wanted to go inside that scary place again. Scientists, trying to find an antibiotic that would cure AHA-B, had injected her with liquids that made her toes and fingers burn and tingle.
After what seemed like hours, she spotted the fish market. The area was more crowded and lively than she remembered. She suspected the survivors were full of pent-up energy after the hurricane and were happy to be outside again. Kids were throwing a Frisbee around and playing soccer with a ball fashioned from duct tape. Skateboarders and kids on bikes flew by, missing her by mere inches.
She sadly realized the laughter and smiles would turn to cries of anguish within days, or sooner, as the epidemic gained a foothold. For many, a desperate hunt for food would replace the games they were now playing. Others would decide to fight them off to protect their food supplies. Would anyone share?
Abby finally made it to the market, staring up at the sign: Ribbentrop Fish. The Freshest Fish in Brooklyn . With a small smile playing on her lips, she entered the market, lugging the dead striper along.
The store now served as a shelter. Mattresses, heaped with jackets and blankets, were strewn on the floor. She stuck to the narrow pathways between them, and when a blanket moved, she realized someone was lying underneath it.
Abby felt her stomach drop. In the far corner, a leg and arm were sticking out from the bedding. She quickly recognized the Colony East uniform. It must be Toby. She choked back a sob. From the moment she learned he had been kicked out of Colony East, she had harbored a nagging feeling she would never see him again.
Her heart racing, she moved closer, but wondered if it really was him. The foot looked too small. Her hope lifted when she saw 1094 stitched in yellow on the sleeve. That was Toby’s Colony East ID. Suddenly, the blanket flew back as a girl jackknifed up. Abby gasped and lurched back. The girl reached under the covers and brandished a knife.
Losing her balance, Abby tumbled backward. Sweat trickled down into her eyes, and she blinked through the sting of salt and grime. The girl appeared to be twelve or thirteen. She had spiky brown hair, a nose piercing, and a hard stare that warned, “Mess with me at your own risk.”
The girl must have sensed that Abby posed no threat, because the threads of veins flaring in her neck slowly flattened, and her shallow breathing deepened.
She lowered her knife and slowly rolled up the sleeves of the Colony East uniform, revealing tattoos of purple moons and streaking comets.
Abby sucked her cheeks and mashed her tongue against the roof of her mouth to work up enough saliva to form words. “That uniform belongs to my friend.”
“You’re Abby Leigh, right?” the girl whispered.
Stunned, Abby nodded.
“My name is Lexi. We have to go meet Toby.”
1.07
EMORY CAMPUS
The girls of Unit 2A advanced their iPods to the next mobile lesson and followed Murph outside, heading to first meal.
Doctor Martin was Lisette’s History of Science professor, and his boring voice crackled through her earbud. “Darwin published his theory of evolution with compelling evidence in his book On the Origin of Species … .”
Lisette gaped at the devastation. The storm, which had kept them confined to their dorm for the past three days, had turned Emory Campus into a dangerous obstacle course. Ahead, the boys from Unit 2B walked inside orange cones set up to keep them away from the downed trees and power lines. Lisette caught a glimpse of her friend, Richard, and wished she could show him her loose tooth, but she’d have to wait until recess.
All around her, the cleanup was in full swing. Chainsaws whined as Navy crews cut up toppled trunks and tree branches. She shivered when she saw ensigns replacing a broken window in Medical Clinic 3.
She had spent three months in the clinic when she had first arrived at the colony and never wanted to go inside that scary place again. Scientists, trying to find an antibiotic that would cure AHA-B, had injected her with liquids that made her toes and fingers burn and tingle.
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