Chapter 84: Semblance of normalcy

The bottle felt heavier than it should’ve in my hand.

I tipped it back, the alcohol burning a straight line down my throat as my Adam’s apple bobbed. I never drank. Never needed to. But nothing about my life felt familiar anymore, so I figured the rules didn’t apply either.

That saint shit was over.

Long dead.

…And I was an idiot for ever thinking I’d find it with Lila.

Behind me, a small group had gathered—soldiers, medics, a few civilians. Someone had started a fire. Someone else had music playing low. It wasn’t a celebration. Just people trying to pretend the world hadn’t almost swallowed us whole.

After what happened, pretending felt necessary.

I heard footsteps behind me and took another swig before turning.

Aubrey dropped down beside me on the steps, a cigarette already lit between her fingers.

“I never thought I’d see the day Adrian Carter started drinking,” she said.

I frowned.

She did too, like she’d surprised herself.

“Life’s beating the brakes off you, huh?”

“What do you want, Aubrey?” I said.

My words were slightly slurred, but my tone wasn’t soft.

She glanced at me sideways. “To talk to a friend. You don’t have to square up with me.”

She held out the cigarette.

I stared at it for a second.

…Fuck it.

I took it and tried to inhale.

Instant regret.

I doubled over coughing, lungs on fire, eyes watering as Aubrey laughed under her breath. I handed it back.

“I’ll stick to drinking,” I muttered.

“Smart choice.”

We sat there in silence for a bit, staring up at the sky. The stars looked the same as they always had—bright, distant, untouched. Like they didn’t give a damn about the blood still drying on the ground behind us.

“In all honesty,” Aubrey said, “I didn’t come here just to roast you.”

I glanced at her.

“I’ve been talking with the others,” she continued. “And I’ve been thinking.”

I took another drink.

“I think you should step down as leader. For now.”

I nearly choked.

I turned to her, staring. “What?”

“Look,” she said quickly, “I don’t know what they did to you in that building. But I know it was bad. And putting decisions like this on you right now? That’s a mistake. You need time.”

Silence stretched between us.

“On top of that,” she added, quieter, “there’s Lila.”

My jaw tightened.

“She’s pregnant, Aub—”

“I think she’s lying.”

I frowned hard. “You don’t know that.”

“I never saw a test. Did you?”

I didn’t answer.

“She could’ve hidden it,” I said.

“She could’ve lied to your face like it was nothing,” Aubrey shot back.

The air shifted.

“She can do that,” she continued. “I’ve seen it. With my own eyes.”

I looked forward again, shoulders slumping.

“It’s obvious there’s a lot about her you don’t know,” Aubrey said. “Even if you think you love her.”

She stood.

“I love you, Adrian,” she said quietly. “And I don’t want to watch her destroy you.”

She paused.

“You need to get rid of her.”

I didn’t look at her as she walked away.

The bottle stayed in my hand.

Heavy.

—

The spark in Vivian’s eyes was gone.

She sat on the edge of the bed, unmoving, staring at nothing. A thin stream of blood ran from her nose, dripping onto the sheets below. She didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe differently. Didn’t react.

Dr. Josephine waved a hand in front of her face.

Nothing.

“Well?” Dr. Tekashi asked from behind her.

Josephine straightened, clearing her throat. “The pill didn’t work,” she said. “It can stabilize standard infected on paper, but not an intelligent strain.”

Tekashi’s brow furrowed.

“As you can see,” she continued, voice tight, “she’s brain-dead. Using it on the other one would be… irresponsible.”

Her eyes shifted to the restrained woman in the corner of the room. Dirty blonde hair hung over her face. Chains bit into her wrists.

Lila.

Tekashi didn’t look at her for long.

“And the abnormal?” he asked, nodding toward the next room.

Josephine hesitated.

Then they both turned and walked in.

Hailey lay on the bed, eyes half-lidded. No spasms. No screaming. No restraints straining against metal.

Just stillness.

Something warm settled in Tekashi’s chest.

He stepped closer.

Josephine stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Let Terri speak with her first.”

So they did.

Terri sat across from Hailey, hands folded tight in her lap. She swallowed.

“So… Hailey,” she said, her voice cracking. “How is you—how are you feeling?”

“…What?” Hailey replied quietly.

“I said how are you—”

“I heard you the first time.”

Josephine’s eyes widened. Heat rushed to her face.

Terri smiled, nervous but hopeful. “Can you tell me your name?”

Silence filled the room.

It stretched longer than anyone liked.

Josephine frowned, a knot forming in her chest. Tekashi’s fists curled at his sides.

Then—

“My name is Hailey Finkleworth.”

Her gaze dropped to her legs.

“I am… myself.”

No tremor. No distortion.

Just truth.

Tekashi let out a slow breath.

He looked at the monitors. The readings didn’t spike. Didn’t distort. They held steady, like this was the most natural thing in the world.

“…This changes everything,” She said quietly.

Tekashi turned toward her, startled.

“This isn’t adaptation,” She continued. “It’s not mimicry, either.” Her voice sharpened, excitement bleeding through despite himself.

“She’s stable,” Josephine said quietly. “The pill didn’t remove the infection, but it suppressed the worst of it. She’s herself… and aware.”

The room felt smaller.

Tekashi swallowed. “I didn’t think it possible.”

“And yet,” Josephine said, eyes never leaving Hailey, “here she is.”

He finally looked at Josephine then. Really looked at her.

“You’ve always been strange,” he said. “Too willing to question the framework.”

Her shoulders stiffened.

“But I’m glad I worked with you,” he added. “Because if you weren’t here, we’d be trying to kill this instead of understanding it.”

Josephine didn’t answer.

Hailey shifted slightly on the bed.

Not restrained.

Not sedated.

Watching.

And in that moment, Tekashi understood something cold and final:

They hadn’t discovered a cure.

They’d discovered proof that everything they’d built their world on was wrong.

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