“Apparently, Monarch had a change of heart and wanted to reverse the damage that he caused,” Mathew explains. “He finally discovered a cure and wrote it down. He was afraid that he’d be caught, so he hid the information in his office at the colony.”
I know what papers he’s talking about. The one’s that Sylas and I found earlier. I’m not sure why Monarch would tell Mathew about it when he was so careful to make sure that he removed all my memories and put them into Aiden, so that his plans to save the world would stay hidden.
“Why did he tell you about it?” I ask Mathew with caution.
“He told me about everything in this letter… his plans for an army of Day Takers and how you’re the only Day Walker. He wanted a backup plan to make sure that there was someone else that knew about the cure. I guess, because I wasn’t happy when the virus was created, he assumed that I’d want to make sure a cure was found.”
“So what we need are those papers that are hidden?” Aiden asks, raking his fingers through his hair, leaving it sticking up everywhere. “If they are still even there.”
“They’re there,” I tell them. They all look at me inquisitively, waiting for me to explain further.
“How do you know?” Nichelle asks skeptically, glancing at the knife in front of me.
“Because I’ve already found them,” I tell them, putting my hand over the knife, ready to use it if needed.
“You have them?” Mathew asks, his eyes lighting up.
I shake my head. “I had them. But when Sylas and I were attacked, I dropped them.”
“Do you think that Gabrielle has them?” Aiden asks, frowning.
I bite my lip, deliberating. “I don’t think so. There were other papers scattered all over the room to begin with, so I’m pretty sure that no one even noticed when I dropped them, but then again, I can’t be one-hundred percent sure.” I can’t be one-hundred percent sure of anything.
“Then we should go get them,” Nichelle says with way too much enthusiasm. “If we hurry, maybe we can make the cure before…” She trails off as she glances over at Mathew.
She’s right. We should go get the papers and bring them back. Mathew is one of the original doctors. He has a better chance of understanding what Monarch wrote down. He may be able to make the cure. Besides, even though I don’t want to think about it, there’s a chance that if I go back, I can find Sylas. I hate that I’m getting my hopes up, though, when deep down I know it’s never going to happen. Sylas is gone.
“You’re right,” I say to Nichelle, collecting my knife from the table. “We do need to go get them, but you need to stay here.”
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she says harshly. “Besides, you may need my help.”
“Nichelle, Kayla’s right,” Mathew interrupts, placing his hand over hers again. “You need to stay here. The vampires are becoming more aggressive and it is becoming more difficult to keep them out of town. We need your help here. Kayla and Aiden are more than capable of doing this by themselves. They just need to be careful not to run into any Highers.”
Greyson looks at both Aiden and I. “What about me and Maci?”
“Is it all right if they stay with you?” I ask Mathew, hoping upon hope that I’m not making a mistake. That he’s trustworthy and won’t hurt them
He nods and relief washes over me because, even though I don’t want to say it aloud, I don’t want to have to take them with us. They’ll only slow us down.
“You have to promise me that you’ll let nothing happen to Maci,” I tell Mathew with a warning in my tone.
He nods. “I will make sure nothing happens to her. I promise,” he says truthfully.
I turn to Aiden who is watching me with curiosity. Before I can even open my mouth to ask him if he wants to go, he says, “When are we leaving?”
When he says he’ll go, I almost want to tell him to stay behind, but at the same time, if something happened to me, it’ll be good if he’s there to step in and finish the job; to save the world. It’ll be getting dark and the vampires will be roaming, yet for Aiden and I, that doesn’t matter. So weird.
“Now,” I say, the strangeness of the situation even more evident.
He stands up and waits for me by the door with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
I get to my feet. “Give us two days,” I tell Mathew. “That should give us enough time to get there and back.”
He nods and then I motion for Greyson to come over to me. Nichelle and Mathew give me a strange look, but don’t say anything as he winds around the table and huddles up with me.
“If anything weird happens at all,” I tell him in a low voice, “get Maci out of here.”
He squirms uneasily, scratching at the back of his neck. “Where should I go?”
“To the caves back up on the hill. And hide out there until Aiden or I return.”
He reluctantly nods and then Aiden and I open the door to head out, unsure of how dangerous it is, though certain that there will be dangers. Not with the vampires, but with the abominations; the unknown. Plus, we’re walking into the Highers’ territory.
“Kayla, Aiden, please be careful,” Mathew calls out as I’m shutting the door. “We need you to return; we need those papers.”
I nod and then we leave, walking down a hall, and moments later, we’re outside. The sky is dark, the air chilly, and the vampires’ cries greet us from the distance; however, we don’t have to be afraid.
The town has a wall built around it made from old vehicles and scraps of metal. Guards are posted on top of the barricade with knives, ready to kill anything that threatens to try to break through. Aiden and I climb on top of one of the barricades so we can jump over to the other side. There are two guards posted there, one short and round, the other tall and sturdy. The tall one steps in front of me as I attempt to hoist myself over a smashed-in car and to the other side.
“What do you think you are doing?” He walks up to me, his boots crunching against the dirt and rocks and he almost steps on my fingers. “You can’t leave town now. It’s getting dark.”
“Your rules don’t apply to us,” I tell him as I push myself on top. Rules. I hate rules.