It was well past midnight before April stumbled. I went back and grabbed her arm, but her legs were shaking.
“Just need a minute,” she mumbled. Her face was pale and she struggled to keep her eyelids open. I wondered when she’d last eaten.
“We’ve got to stop,” I called ahead. “We all need rest.”
Luke nodded. I wasn’t sure how he’d become our unofficial leader, but I wasn’t about to get into a power struggle and nobody else seemed interested in seizing responsibility. We stopped at the next structure we found, a long, rectangular building that looked like it had once been some kind of a warehouse or a factory.
The windows were broken, so it was easy to shatter the remaining shards of glass and climb into the ground level; at least for everyone except Trevor. His furry shape was too big to fit. Even the main doors would have been a struggle for him.
“He hasn’t changed back yet,” I frowned, worried about leaving him alone outside.
“Did it take this long last time?” Jazmine asked. Last time I’d slit my own wrists, feeding him whatever elixir was still in my system. He’d had far more this time, directly from an elite, but didn’t show any signs of shifting back to his human form.
“He fed on the elite after it was dead,” April said softly.
“Does that matter?” Jazmine asked.
She shrugged. “I’ve never had the opportunity to study a dead elite. Elixir usually keeps its integrity after harvesting from a host. Technically, they are already dead, in a sense. But, perhaps when Penelope stopped its heart, it sent out some kind of signal to self-destruct? Honestly I have no idea, but maybe the elixir is weakened if the host is destroyed.”
I glanced at Penelope.
“Please?” I asked.
“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll feed your dog.” She grabbed a chunk of glass and slit her wrist, holding it through the open window so Trevor could lap it up with his long tongue. I took my empty vial and held it against her skin, filling it before the wound could heal again. Penelope marveled at the wound as her skin began to repair itself.
I took a sip of elixir before passing it to the others. I felt weak and shaky, and it wasn’t just the thirst this time. So much had changed in one day, it felt like the sky was falling, but I was too exhausted to escape it.
“I believe we had a deal?” Penelope said, pursing her lips.
I started rolling up my sleeves but Jazmine pulled me back.
“I’ll go first,” Jazmine said. “You’ve already been fed on once today.”
I stepped away, revulsion churning in my stomach as I remembered Nigel’s mouth pressed against my neck, squeezing me dry like an orange.
“No, let me do it,” Camina said. “I had a pretty large dose of Bryce earlier. I’ll recover faster.” She pricked her palm with the glass, and held her arm out to Penelope.
“Isn’t that like, cannibalism or something?” Luke asked, grimacing. “I mean, can elite even drink elixir?”
“It’s probably fine,” April said, setting down her pack and stretching her shoulders. “Humans metabolize elixir quickly. Since Camina wasn’t injured, it would have just turbo-charged her immune system and boosted her red blood cells to create collagen. Those are the tough, white fibers that form granulation tissue over open flesh wounds. Elite have an abundance of collagen, which is why they heal so quickly, but very few active red blood cells of their own, which is why they need constant feeding.”
“Just to be clear,” Penelope said. “You’re saying this won’t kill me?”
“You’re already dead,” April said. “And you need fresh blood to continue your perpetual unlife. Bon appetit.”
Penelope hesitated for another moment, before latching on to Camina’s arm. Her nose turned up distastefully, but she fed.
“That’s enough,” Jazmine said, after a few moments, pulling Penelope away.
“So, are we cool now?” Camina asked quietly. “No hard feelings, about… before?”
“What happened in Havoc, stays in Havoc,” Penelope said, smiling through her bloodied teeth.
Through the window, I watched Trevor turn around several times, clearing a spot in the ash with his massive paws before settling in for the night. The rest of us gathered on the second floor of the large warehouse, between stacks of paper and moldy furniture. The hall was packed with tables, chairs, leather couches and display shelves. There was even a section full of porcelain toilets on wooden crates, next to an elaborate fake kitchen.