Amplified (21 page)

Things We Lost

Standing at the edge of the world, watching the tumbling waves rush up onto the sandy beach, I gripped my arms to my chest, the weight of it all suffocating me. I wanted to save them all, not only to bring some sort of hope and purpose to their lives again but to ultimately save myself, too. But could ferals, hybrids and humans ever be equal again? Would the differences continue to keep us apart, even after the cure? Weren’t the history books filled with people fighting over the slightest things? Still, if I could, I’d do everything in my power to help the world achieve some sort of peace.

It
’d been two months since we’d found Lark and her hive. It was full of a wide variety of mutations she’d created in her well-meaning attempts to find a cure for the virus. They weren’t completely messed up people, not like the freak show lab in Christian’s hive. Some had subtle discolorations to their skin, hair or eyes. Others had longer fangs and reddened irises but were otherwise powerless compared to a hybrid vampire. Still others had increased strength, stamina and fighting abilities. These super soldiers were recruited into the ranks, but no one was ever tampered with beyond what they consented. Raina had lied when telling us about Lark’s hive. Why? My only guess was sibling rivalry, or she’d just really wanted to mess with our heads.

Through much coaxing, Lark
had taken samples from all of us and tested them against new variations of the antidote, with a few promising results. We even visited her hive, to Sarah’s utter disgust. She still hated anything to do with Lark or Raina. Still, we found Lark’s hive to be accepting of our presence. I had to give it to this lady, she worked tirelessly to find the right combination of antibodies from all our blood samples and mixed them with the antidote. For the first time since I’d discovered the existence of an antidote, I felt we could really figure it out and save people.

Randy had been quarantined with us in the lighthouse, our temporary headquarters since it was near Lark
’s domain, but still our own sanctuary. He’d spent the rest of that first night tied to a kitchen chair but hadn’t flashed any fangs or growled at any of us as we worked to barricade the demolished front door with plywood until morning. It was strange how calm he’d become, and it gave me hope that subsequent injections of antidote would continue to keep him calm until the right antidote could be mixed and given to him.

In his
more lucid moments, he’d listened to Lark’s proposal to try the new antidote on him once she got it
near perfect. I was astonished by this and made sure he was making a conscious decision when he’d agreed to it. I would’ve hated it if he’d ended up making an error without really thinking it over.

“I know what I
’m doing, April,” he’d said.

“How can I be sure you really do?”

He’d stared at me, his eyes a marbleized mix of red and blue, a sign of his fight against the virus.

“You can
’t be sure of anything in this life at all. If I die, I get to see Helen again. If I live, I live. Win-win, if you ask me. If it fails and I remain feral, I know you’ll do what you have to do with me.” He smiled. Never sad. Never forlorn. I wished I could be so brave.

“Of course.”

Sarah and Elijah became official, an interlocked pair, finally admitting to their mutual feelings. The days passed, and they’d enjoyed each other’s company, walking along the beach and watching sunsets from the top of the lighthouse. Who knew they could be so in love? It was inspiring to see that tragedy could result in people realizing it was time to take a chance on love. They were perfectly matched in every way, and I just wondered what had taken them so darn long to realize it. It’s never too late, I guess. Even in a post-apocalyptic world.

And what about my own fragmented love life? What about Rye?
I’d let it sink in that he was the one for me, knowing with certainty that I finally knew what I wanted. I felt it in my bones, down to the very marrow within them. When the days passed and we held onto one another like we would never spend another moment apart, I knew it was real. It was as real as the way he got my heart racing with a smile and sent tingling rushes of pleasure shooting across my skin when he touched me. As real as the taste of his blood and the way it filled me up until I could hear his heart beating with mine as we exchanged blood, mating us together for life. He exhilarated me, and I hoped I did the same to him.

Fr
om the looks I’d catch him giving me when he thought no one was looking, I did. It was all I needed, and the happiness he gave me kept each day in the right.

Lark
proved to be true to her word. She sent frequent updates and allowed me to work side by side with her on occasion. She’d concoct different antidotes and choose a volunteer to use it on. We painstakingly labeled each new mix, testing them on ferals we caught on expeditions during the night, deep into the cities of the California coast. We took them from different parts of the state to ensure we evaluated all possible strains of the virus. We even procured some from Las Vegas. Though we always found more and more variations the further we dug, it only brought us closer to finding the cure.

What we did with it
would be entirely a collective decision. First and foremost, the infected ferals would be given the adjusted antidote, that decision was unanimous amongst Lark’s hive and Blaze’s. Rye kept the lines of communication open between them, always trading the information from Lark to Blaze and back on trips back and forth between Las Vegas and the coast. He even returned one day with a sight to surprise even me. Felix.

He
’d survived the bombing of Christian’s hive, escaping before we had. He’d approached Blaze’s hive under surrender, waving the white flag. His information that the enemy hive was completely obliterated, including Christian and Mercer, was confirmed by Blaze’s many scouts. Felix’s desire to help us with the antidote, even trying one of the latest batches on himself, had given Blaze more than enough good reason to send him with Rye on his trip back west.

Lark had taken an immediate
liking to Felix, finding their mutations very similar, even though Felix was more filled out than she was. He’d also been an asset to her as she continued the tests, taking one for the team and subjecting himself to endless blood draws and tests by her. I was glad he took the focus off Randy, who’d been changing more and more each day, becoming more and more human and leaving the feral beast to slumber, hopefully forever. He had to continue getting a shot every three days to keep it subdued, but that was better than anything he or I could’ve hoped for.

In t
he end, I returned to Las Vegas. I needed to see my brother and ensure that he was still happy. We’d exchanged letters through Rye as he made his way back and forth, but I needed to see him for myself.

Sitting in the confines of the underground
City of Vida, I watched his soccer championship game against some older kids. He really was a sight to see, sprinting across the expanse of the underground field, and the normalcy of it all brought me back to my own childhood. He kept growing, like an overfed weed, never stopping, always different each time I saw him. I knew he’d never forget me. We were family, and it never got old to see his face light up when I did get around to visiting him.

This was what happiness was
to me, even though I knew I would continue to fight with myself. No matter what happened, I could find the places and moments of contentment I so longed for. I’d fight for them, one bloody battle at a time. I knew my mother would’ve smiled at me and agreed. Oh how I wished she’d been able to hold on, just a bit longer. But then, would we have been where we are now if she had?

For now, the
fight in my soul had quieted and was slumbering like a gentle giant. I’d probably have to reawaken it one day, but hopefully that day was far off in the distant future.

The End

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About the Author

Alexia currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada–Sin City! She loves to spend every free moment writing or playing with her four rambunctious kids. Writing has always been her dream, and she has been writing ever since she can remember. She loves writing paranormal fantasy and poetry and devours books daily. Alexia also enjoys watching movies, dancing, singing loudly in the car and eating Italian food.

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Also by Alexia Purdy:

Reign of Blood Series:

Reign of Blood

Disarming (Reign of Blood #2)

Elijah (The Miel Chronicles):

A Reign of Blood Companion Story

Amplified (Reign of Blood #3)

A Dark Faerie Tale Series:

Evangeline (A Dark Faerie Tale #0.5)

Ever Shade (A Dark Faerie Tale #1)

Ever Fire (A Dark Faerie Tale #2)

Ever Winter (A Dark Faerie Tale #3)

The Cursed (A Dark Faerie Tale #3.5)

Ever Wrath (A Dark Faerie Tale #4)

Short Stories:

The Faery Hunt

Never Say Such Things

Poetic Collections:

Whispers of Dreams

Five Fathoms

Anthology:

Beyond the Never

Soul Games

Faery Worlds