“Be real, Vik. You kept him alive long enough to make it back.”
I stopped and turned to him. “You ever wonder if he would have been alive if I would have just treated him there? I’m probably the one who signed his death sentence by deciding to bring him back!”
Amir shook his head and stepped forward, leaning in with a scowl. “If we stayed there to patch up his wound, who knows what other bloodsucker might have come upon us. Then we’d all be dead. What good would that do, Vik?”
“Maybe I should sacrifice myself for him. It would have been preferable because now, he’s left a wife and two kids behind. Me? No one would care if I was gone,” I snapped, angry at the fact that I didn’t think of it sooner.
It should have been me on that table, not Carlos, not a man who had people waiting for him back home.
Amir took another step forward until we were toe to toe. “You need to keep your head straight, Vik. Stop thinking like this.” He grabbed my shoulders and I knocked his hands off me. His eyes darkened. “Stop being fucking selfish!”
I scoffed aloud. “How the hell am I being selfish by wanting to die in his place?”
He laughed humorlessly. “Because, you asshole, it would take us down a medic! We don’t have enough here, especially not ones that can fight and come on the missions. You really want to take away that asset from our resistancejust becauseyou feel bad that Carlos became another casualty? The repercussions of losing you would be a whole lot bigger.”
I turned around, refusing to listen to any more. “Medics are a dime a dozen. Easily trained. That’s fucking bullshit,” I spat as continued to make my way south, until I hit the special marker made of charred earth and rocks to look like a random burial and leaned down to open the hidden hatchet door.
“Medics are, Vik, but not doctors.”
My body froze for a second. I shook my head and refused to delve deeper into what he was insinuating. It was a past I wanted to leave behind.
I made my way downstairs. The musty smell of old cement with no fresh air flow hit me in the face the moment I made it to solid ground.
As if she was waiting for me, Angel’s little footsteps could be heard barreling my way. I crouched down and prepared for her to jump all over me. She licked my face and gave me a warm greeting that made my heart want to burst. I didn’t want her topside while the body was burning. I didn’t need her hurt from any distractions I might have had.
She whined and let out little yips, voicing her displeasure over me leaving her down here.
“I’m sorry girl. You know how it is. I can’t lose you. I need you safe with the others while I get some stuff done. You forgive me, right?” I scratched behind her ears and she jumped once more as I straightened back up.
“Angel!” a feminine voice cried out frantically. “Angel! Where did you go? Oh, you little devil, you!”
“I saw him run that way,” another feminine voice chimed in as she walked, looking over her shoulder.
Angel yelped and the woman jumped, placing her hand on her heart.
“Aye! Angel, where have you—” her sentence cut off when I gave her a sheepish look.
Angel was a great dog out on missions, but outside of that? I knew she could be a handful with her pent up energy.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there. I, um, I just need to tell Vanessa that I found Angel.” She reached over to grab Angel but the dog refused to budge, whining at my leg.
I pat her head in reassurance. “There’s no need. Angel’s mine.”
The woman’s eyes widened as she flicked her gaze from the dog to me and back again. A new feeling hit me in the chest. I had been assigned to so many missions, many of the residents didn’t even recognize me.
It was a sobering thought.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Inés.” She stuck her dainty little hand out and I hesitantly lifted mine to take it.
My scarred, weathered hands were a stark contrast against hers and it reminded me of the fact of why I didn’t need to attach myself to anyone.
I cleared my throat. “Vikram. Vik, for short.”
I watched as her face broke into a soft, yet sad, smile before she nodded.
“Vik. I’m glad Angel didn’t get lost. I don’t know—”
“There you are! Oh, you little scoundrel, running away from me like that!” Vanessa was huffing and puffing as she leaned against her knees, bent over, to try and catch her breath. “I swear she’s not like this usually, Vik. She must have known you were back because she took off like a bat out of hell and I lost sight of her.”
