Feral Read online

  “Zhang’s case tonight…that was his second batch, Nyssa. You made him a second batch because the first one didn’t work the way he was expecting? Was that a rogue strain?“

  “I don’t know. I just package the orders—I’m dispensable.“

  “What does that mean?“

  “The serums are stable until the final ingredient is added. It’s a clear gel. I don’t know what it is, but it makes everything volatile. That’s why I always say to keep the case still. I just add the gel, Knox.“

  “Why didn’t you say something?“

  Nyssa stopped working on my knee to gape at me. She lowered her voice again and squared her shoulders. “When, Knox? When would I have said something? They escort us to and from the labs every day. We’re never alone unless we’re asleep. In fact, someone will be here to pick me up in about six hours. At least in The Grind I could—“

  She bit off the rest of her sentence and returned to her work, but it was too late. And she was right. I never should have gone to her that night.

  “I’m sorry,“ I said, shaking my head. “This is all my fault.“

  “Knox…no. There was no other way. The only choice that made sense was taking the scholarships.“

  I tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “I just never thought it would be like this.“

  Nyssa’s eyes softened just before she brushed adhesive over the gouges in my synthetic skin. I watched it melt into the edges of the holes and graft them together again like nothing ever happened.

  “We’re going to be Authorized in a few weeks, Knox. Just like we always hoped,“ she said without looking up from her work. “We just have to get through the next few weeks, OK? And then we’ll have social percentage. We’ll be free and clear,“ she added, looking up at me now with those wide blue eyes.

  “OK, Nyss. OK…“

  Another hour of patching and rewiring, and I could walk again. I lay awake on Nyssa’s couch for what seemed like hours until whatever it was she gave me for my head wore off enough for me to fall asleep. That only seemed to last five minutes before my queue was buzzing in my ear, shocking me awake. I tapped my temple frantically to get it to shut up.

  “Ryder?“ Pritchard’s voice came through before the image of him displayed, and my head started pounding all over again.

  “Yeah?“

  “I’m in the alley. Can you walk? We need to go right now.“

  “Yeah. OK, I’m coming.“

  Nyssa was still sleeping when I got ready to leave, so I scribbled a quick note and left it on her table.

  Thanks for saving the day…again.

  —Knox

  Outside, I opened the car door and saw the briefcase Pritchard was supposed to turn in sitting on the seat. I started to ask him why he still had it, but he looked like he’d aged ten years.

  “Shut the door…shut the door!“

  “What the hell happened to you?“ I asked, scanning him.

  “Donovan happened…“ he said, pulling out of the alley. “It’s Kira.“

  “What are you talking about?“

  Pritchard turned a hot corner and I had to grip the dashboard to keep from sliding into him.

  “Don missed check-in for the car, so I tracked it to Kira’s apartment—he’d probably gone to return those stupid bottles he was going on about—but when I got there, I heard screaming…Kira’s screaming. I was halfway up to her door when it just stopped.“ Pritchard shook his head like he was watching a movie he couldn't look away from. Like the whole thing was playing all over again right before his eyes.

  Cold dread dropped into my stomach as everything started to piece together…the serum Donovan injected—that he injected into me too—the Ferals…and I’d never wanted to be wrong about something so badly in my entire life. “No…no, no, no, no…“ It was a dud, I reminded myself. It was a dud.

  “Her kitchen table was overturned, man. There was food everywhere,“ Pritchard said absently. “He killed her. But it wasn’t him. I mean, it was, but it wasn’t,“ he added, stopping abruptly to look at me for a long second. “He was covered in hair, and his teeth…his nails. And all the blood.“

  “Where is he?“

  “Gone.“

  “What do you mean gone?“

  “He ran. He saw me, and I don’t know… He looked like he suddenly realized what he did, and then he jumped out of her window and ran. He just ran and ran.“

  “OK…all right. All right…“ I blew out a breath. “But you just left? Didn’t you try to help her?“

  Pritchard narrowed his eyes at me. “Ryder, do you think I’d be here right now if I could have helped her?“ He pushed a hand through his dark hair and sighed. “There was nothing I could do. People started opening their doors. I saw the car keys on the floor and drove back to get the briefcase out of the dropbox at Wu’s office. However much is in that case should be enough to set us up for a while. We need to leave, Ryder. Right now.“

  A knot tightened in my chest. I scanned the streets behind us for anyone following us—for someone watching because there was no way all this went unnoticed.

  “And go where?“ I asked.

  “The car is late to check-in,“ Pritchard said, but it was like he was talking to himself. “We can’t take it back now. The impound will lock us down.“

  “There’s nowhere to go—are you hearing me?“ I asked.

  “Wu will be asking questions. We can’t stay here, Ryder.“ Pritchard turned down a side road with no street halogens, which made it feel even more like someone was following us. “It’s only a matter of time before he figures out that Don used those syringes. Then, it’ll be too late to leave.“

  He was right. I didn't want to believe it, but I didn't have a choice. There was no undoing this. There was no finishing out the two stupid weeks of internship we had left. Not anymore.

  “We’ll figure it out,“ I said. “You just should have told me all this before we left Nyssa’s—we need to go back for her.“

  Pritchard glared at me. “How? I can’t take this car back there.“

  “Drop me off at the interior gate. I’ll go back and get her, and we’ll go to the docks.“

  “The bay docks? Why?“

  “Because it’s The Grind. They won’t look for us there.“

  Pritchard laughed. “Are you crazy? Did you forget about the patrols at the exterior gate?“

  “It’s the only way to the outside. We need to get out of here.“ I glanced at the time display on the dashboard. 3:37 A.M. “Remember the barges this time of day? There should be one going out just before dawn. We need to be on it.“

  ***

  I rang Nyssa’s room for an eternity, my stomach knotting in anticipation of a Sweeper droid driving by to catch me loitering outside. She finally came through the lens.

  “Knox? What happened? Did your nerve seals break?“

  “No, Nyss. We need to get out of here. Get a bag because we’re not coming back. I’ll explain on the way.“

  “Wh—?“

  “Nyssa, now.“

  She nodded and the screen in the wall went black again. I scanned the long stretch of pavement in either direction, and fortunately, it was completely abandoned.

  Nyssa came through the door wearing a dark sweatshirt and a dark backpack, which was good because it hid her long, blonde hair.

  “Knox, what’s going on? Are you all right?“ She scanned me, but I took her elbow to hurry her toward the alley across the street.

  “I’m fine. Donovan isn’t, though. He killed Kira.“

  “What?“

  I looked up and down the streets again before we went any farther and saw two Sweeper droids hovering at the corner. I pulled Nyssa behind a nearby tree and tried to slow my breathing.

  “Something happened to Donovan, Nyss,“ I said slowly. “Pritchard caught him with Kira… He had claws and teeth like an animal. Is that what Zhang meant by Feral? Is that what the rogue strain is?“

  “I don’t know,
I told you—I only heard part of what the chemists were talking about,“ Nyssa said through sobs as we started making our way down the street again. “Where are we going?“

  “There’s a ship leaving from the docks in The Grind. We need to get out of here before Wu finds out about Don.“

  “We can’t just leave him here, Knox! We have to help him!“

  “How? Do you know how to cure him? You said you just put the last ingredient in that serum.“ I looked back, but Nyssa didn’t answer me as we made our way down the empty street. I turned to her again when we got to the airbus rails. “If we could help him, we would, Nyss. But right now, there’s nothing we can do. And they’re going to be coming for us.“

  Tears spilled from her eyes as she shook her head in frustration, but there was no time to argue. She sniffed and glared at me, and again, we ran.

  We dodged a few more pairs of Sweeper patrols before we got close to the outer gate to The Grind, which fortunately didn’t require a palm scan to get out. It was lit by several floodlights on both sides, and the Sweepers were two and three deep in places.

  “There’s no way we’re going to make it through there,“ Nyssa said just as Pritchard pulled up behind us in Wu’s black car. He killed the headlights, but not quickly enough. Two of the Sweeper droids started running directly toward us.

  “Get in! Get in!“ Pritchard yelled to us through the open window, gesturing to the back seat when I made for the passenger door. I stopped myself when I saw someone slumped over already in it.

  “Who is that?“ I craned my neck to peer into the front seat, which was enough for me to answer my own question. “Don?“

  Donovan didn’t look anything like the creature with fur and claws that Pritchard had described earlier, but he was covered in blood and dirt.

  “He was at our dorm like this when I went back to get some clothes—I could barely get him in the car.“

  I turned to Nyssa. “Is there an antidote? Something?“

  She shook her head slowly. “I’d need a sample of his blood to even try making one—I brought some supplies just in case we needed them, but we have to get somewhere to make a fire first.“

  “They’re coming!“ Pritchard said as the Sweeper droids raced toward us, then stopped along either side of the car.

  “This vehicle is registered to Wu Fong Pharmaceuticals,“ the silver, cylindrical droid’s voice said outside Pritchard’s window. A picture of Wu’s building flashed on its front panel. “Wu Fong Pharmaceuticals is not in operation at this time of night. Why is this vehicle not checked in?“

  “There’s been an attack,“ Pritchard said without hesitation. Nyssa jerked forward, and I gripped her knee so she didn’t say anything in protest as he rambled. “Our friend was attacked—look at him! Whatever did it is back there beyond the gate.“ Pritchard’s voice got louder. “You have to stop that thing before it attacks anyone else!“

  The droids’ display screens started flashing pictures of the streets, slowly at first, but then so quickly, I couldn't make out the individual scenes anymore.

  “Can’t you see him covered in dirt and blood?“ I asked, playing along. “Something is after us. Now either take us in or let us go! It’s coming!“

  Pritchard didn’t wait for a response before stepping on the gas and pulling away from both Sweeper droids. To my surprise, they didn't follow us, but a few others manning the exterior gate to The Grind started rushing in our direction.

  Nyssa started yelling. “We have to speed up! Speed up!“

  “I am!“ Pritchard said through his teeth. I waited for an electric current to run through the car and paralyze all of us, but the Sweepers just darted past us instead. I whipped around to find them meeting up with the two units we drove away from, and after a second, they all darted into the darkness of the streets beyond.

  “Just go through the gate! There’s no firewall heading out of The Citadel,“ Nyssa said, and Pritchard sped up. The remaining Sweeper units quickly jumped out of the way as we moved through the gate and back into The Grind, where three times as many Sweepers were patrolling. Their lights flashed at us, but we just drove faster.

  “Head to the docks!“ I shouted. Pritchard took a corner too quickly and threw everyone toward the left side of the car. Donovan jostled and fell against the dashboard, but this didn't wake him up.

  We only got a few blocks before scavengers started throwing flare bombs into the street in the hopes we’d stop the car, but they didn’t realize we were from The Grind, too, and knew what would happen all too well if we stopped. Pritchard drove right over the small fires, and eventually, the scavengers abandoned that tactic and started throwing rocks and scrapyard materials, a few of them causing small cracks in the windshield.

  “They were ready for us!“ Pritchard yelled.

  “They must be linked to the scavengers back there—just keep going! We’re almost at the docks!“ I shouted.

  Nyssa grabbed my arm. “Knox! They’re following us!“

  I looked out the back windshield and saw the frame lights of several bikes hovering toward us fast. If they got close enough to jump onto the car, they’d break the windows and that would be it. I opened my door.

  “What are you doing!?“ Pritchard shouted over his shoulder.

  “Buying you some time. Get to the docks—I’ll meet you there!“

  “Knox, no!“

  I jumped out the door and curled into a ball as fast as I could. I landed hard on the ground and rolled for a second before I jumped up, surprised I wasn't in more pain.

  “OK, let’s see about these bionic legs, Nyss…“ I said to myself before I started running after the bikes chasing the car. One by one, I caught up to them, yanking one scavenger after another off the backs of their seats by their collars, hair, anything I could get my hands on. The abandoned bikes veered into the nearby buildings or straight down onto the road without a pilot, and the crashes sent anyone loitering around skittering into the shadows.

  Something jumped onto my back, almost knocking me to the ground. Thin arms wrapped around my neck and cut off my air, so I jerked my elbow back and connected with something hard. The arms loosened and fell away, and I sprinted to pull down the last two riders who were about to catch up to the car.

  Pritchard skidded the tires around the corner and stopped just before the pier.

  “Come on! Come on!“ I shouted, opening the door to help Nyssa get out. I gestured to Pritchard, then grabbed the briefcase. “Get Donovan!“

  The Luna Bay was pulling in as we raced toward it, scattering the longshoremen, and I didn’t see the ship’s crew yet.

  “The deck crew will be up there any minute! We need to get to the other side of the ship!“ Pritchard called back to Nyssa and me, Donovan’s arm slung around his shoulders.

  Nyssa and I got about ten steps closer before she abruptly stopped and turned to me in horror. “My bag!“

  “It’s too late.” I shouted. “Come on!“

  “Knox, no, we’ll need it! There are painkillers in there…antibiotics!“

  Pritchard let out a restrained groan as he tried to lift Donovan’s newly enhanced huge body over his shoulder. My head spun with indecision until I forced everything in it to stop for a second.

  “OK, OK…I’m going to help get Don aboard the barge before the crew came on deck. I’ll come back down to get you. Come to the edge of the pier, all right?“ I stared at her hard until she nodded. “All right, hurry!“

  Nyssa turned back to the car. I stuffed the narrow briefcase under the front of my shirt and tucked in the hem before moving under Donovan’s other arm.

  “You’ll have to climb to the deck,“ Pritchard said, glancing at my legs as we rushed toward the edge of the dock. “I won’t be able to get any traction. Throw down the deck ladder when you get up there.“

  I nodded just before we jumped in the water with Donovan and made our way to the far side of the barge. I let go of Donovan and pushed my toe into the hull just enough to
dent it so I could climb, doing the same with my other foot while gripping onto anything I could find—barnacles, gouges—until I was at the top. I dropped the briefcase and scanned the abandoned deck for the rope ladder under the railing so I could launch it overboard to Pritchard, but I stopped cold when I heard an ear-piercing scream.

  Everything got quiet as I squinted into the dark, but after a few seconds I started to make out shapes just beyond the dock. After a few more seconds, those shapes became people, and it was suddenly as light as dawn everywhere I looked. I blinked hard a few times, but despite there being no brightness on the horizon, I could see someone hauling Nyssa away from Wu’s black car by her backpack.

  I gripped the railing of the barge, feeling the energy in my legs surge again just like when I was picking off the scavengers chasing the car. I had to consciously let go of the railing because the urge to jump straight to Nyssa about two blocks from where I stood was almost impossible to resist, even though I knew I’d only land on the pier just below.

  In the next second, Nyssa slipped out of her backpack and ran toward the barge. I called out to her when I saw the man in the black suit behind her raising a gun, but even though everything felt like it was in slow motion, I was too late. She fell forward just before she reached the pier.

  “Nyssa!“ I shouted. The barge started to pull away from the dock.

  “Ryder!“ Pritchard called from the rope ladder. I didn’t see Donovan anymore, so I scanned the surface of the water, but he was gone.

  Pritchard was suddenly pulled off the ladder. He surfaced a few meters away only to be yanked under again, and I climbed back down as fast as I could. He struggled back to the surface, this time with three large scratches over his face and neck that quickly pooled with blood.