Riley swallowed a sickly lump in his throat. The rest of the room stayed silent. Didn’t answer.

  The silence was two things.

  Acceptance of the possibility.

  But also uncertainty.

  Total uncertainty.

  “Only one way to find out,” Cody said.

  He walked over the remaining dismembered arms, the bloodied carpet squelching under his black leather boots.

  “And what’s that?” Hassan asked.

  Cody stopped. Turned. “We go back to this BLZ place and find out what the hell’s going on.”

  “We don’t need to do that.”

  The voice came from nowhere. It startled Riley. Startled everybody.

  It took a few moments for him to realise that it was Jordanna speaking.

  He looked down at her. Saw she was sitting partly upright. Her face was pale. She was crying.

  “Jordanna?” Riley said.

  “We don’t need to go to the BLZ to find out what killed Tamara,” Jordanna said.

  Cody and Hassan glanced at one another. James stared on. Riley kept on squeezing her hand.

  “We don’t need to go there,” Jordanna said, sobbing. She started breathing heavily again. Started shaking. “Because I killed her. I—I killed Tamara.”

  EPISODE THIRTY-FOUR

  OUTSIDE

  (FOURTH EPISODE OF SEASON SIX)

  She felt the red moon burning into her skin and she knew it was time.

  She walked. She walked through the narrow alleyways. Past people she recognised. Past people she knew. But they looked… different, somehow. Different, in the red glow of the moon. Different, out here, nothing but transfixion in their eyes. Nothing but focus.

  Focus, on the one thing Jordanna knew she had to do.

  Focus, on the one thing she knew she needed to do.

  She heard her own footsteps. In her hand, she felt something. A ring? Her ring? Or someone else’s? And as she looked down at the cobbled streets, she felt detached from them somehow. Like it wasn’t her walking at all. Like someone was controlling her. Like she was the lead character in a video game and she had no responsibility for her actions.

  But she was having these thoughts.

  She was having these rational, certain thoughts.

  So it had to be her.

  There was nobody controlling her.

  This was her decision.

  This was her calling.

  She felt her muscles tensing up the further she walked down the darkened alleyways. Felt her body getting even tighter at the knowledge of what she had to do.

  She’d seen it.

  Seen the redness in her mind so many times before.

  The redness, all over the cobbles.

  Seeping through the cracks in the concrete.

  The redness on her hands, on her arms, everywhere.

  And the thought of it scared her. She didn’t know why exactly, but it scared her.

  Because it reminded her of what she had to do.

  Of what she was here to do.

  She smelled sweetness in the air as she turned the alleyway on the left and it calmed her. That sweet smell. It was so familiar. So… close. That’s the only way she could describe it. Close.

  Like she’d smelled it before.

  Like it was the first thing she’d ever smelled.

  She disregarded the growing metallic taste at the back of her throat as blood dripped down her oesophagus.

  She walked further down this next alleyway. More high buildings either side of her. All of them with curtains closed. All of the residents inside. All of them so similar.

  But a part of Jordanna knew she was close.

  She knew she was where she needed to be.

  As she started to turn the next corner, she saw someone. Matt, he was called. He was standing still. Standing and staring ahead. Staring at… at…

  And there was Cal, too.

  Cal, who’d gone missing.

  Shit.

  And Hailey, too.

  All of them standing at the end of the next alleyway.

  All of them standing in a circle.

  All of them standing in the glow of the red moon.

  Surrounding something.

  Surrounding…

  Jordanna recognised the figure lying on the cobbled tarmac the moment she saw her.

  She recognised the slight bump forming in her belly.

  Recognised her silvery blonde hair.

  Recognised the missing fingers.

  Tamara.

  Jordanna stopped. She stopped, right there. Resisted the urge to move any further. This wasn’t right. Whatever was happening here just wasn’t right. It wasn’t—

  No.

  No, it was right.

  It’s what she had to do.

  No other way around it.

  No other way.

  So like metal to a magnet, Jordanna carried on walking towards Tamara.

  The closer Jordanna got, the more she realised Tamara was bleeding. Bleeding from her nostrils. Bruised eyes. And she felt bad. She felt so bad for her friend. So sick to her stomach.

  Because that’s what Tamara was. All along, that’s what Tamara was.

  A friend.

  Someone she cared about.

  Someone she—

  She lifted the knife out of her back pocket.

  Stepped closer to Tamara.

  She felt the eyes of the standing crowd burning into her. They were all so silent. All so transfixed. Some of them weren’t even staring at the scene in front of them, instead looking up at the moon, looking into the sky.

  But one person didn’t have that glazed look at all.

  That one person was Tamara.

  “Please, Jordanna,” Tamara whimpered. She was on the ground. On the ground struggling to stand. Crying.

  Jordanna looked down at Tamara. Tightened her grip around the knife handle. She wanted to say something to Tamara. Something to calm her. Something to reassure her.

  But she wasn’t strong enough.

  All she could do was stand there.

  All she could do was stare.

  Watch.

  “Please,” Tamara said. “My—my baby. Don’t do this to us. Don’t…”

  Tamara started to stand. Started to climb to her feet.

  Then Matt stepped out of the crowd.

  Grabbed her right arm. Tight.

  Grabbed her hair.

  Smacked her forwards, back onto the cobbles, back onto the hard ground.

  Jordanna heard Tamara’s forehead crack on the concrete. It made her jump. And for a moment, just a fraction of a second, she wondered what the fuck she was doing here. Wondered why the hell she was here. Why the hell she was standing here with a fucking knife and why the hell this crowd of people were watching…

  But then she felt the red glow of the moon.

  She felt the certainty inside.

  There was a reason she was here.

  There was a mission.

  A mission she had to carry out.

  An act she had to commit.

  It didn’t matter if she didn’t want to. Didn’t matter if she didn’t like the idea.

  This was a world of doing things you didn’t like.

  This was just another step on that journey.

  Tamara sobbed some more. Wheezed. She tried to stand again, but Matt walked over, pushed her back to the ground.

  All the while, his eyes stared off into the distance. Like he wasn’t in control of himself. Like someone was inside him, just like Jordanna.

  Jordanna stepped closer to Tamara. Her heart raced. She gripped the knife handle even tighter. Caught the palm of her hand on the edge of the blade.

  But it didn’t hurt. It didn’t bother her.

  It just was.

  “Jordanna,” Tamara said. Fear filled her voice. Tears rolled down her bruised cheeks. “Please. Please.”

  Tamara looked up at Jordanna and for a moment, for a split second, Jordanna saw the reality again.

  What the fuck am I doing here?

  What the fuck is…

  Then a crack.

  A crack from behind.

  A boot in the back of Tamara’s head.

  A heavy Timberland boot knocking her to the ground.

  A struggle. Someone holding Tamara down. Holding her arms and her legs. Putting all their weight on top of her.

  And then another thump.

  Another crack of Tamara’s head against the cobbles.

  Then, silence.

  The figure stepped away from Tamara. Left her bleeding body on the ground. So Jordanna walked up to her. Crouched beside her. Pulled her hair back so she could see her face. Turned her body onto its front.

  Tamara’s eyes were closed. Her face was still.

  If she wasn’t dead, she was deeply unconscious.

  And that’s just what she needed right now.

  Jordanna felt her heart racing again. Felt her chest tightening.

  Don’t do it don’t do it what the fuck are you—

  She straddled on top of Tamara.

  Lifted the knife.

  DON’T DON’T DON’T

  Saw the eyes of the crowd staring at her.

  Felt the redness of the moon filling her body.

  Invading her senses.

  JORDANNA DON’T

  She lowered the knife.

  Lowered it.

  Fast.

  She felt the knife break through Tamara’s belly. Felt the squishy muscle beneath. The innards.

  Felt Tamara’s warm blood seeping out over her palms.

  Felt the ring tumble from her fingers.

  And now she’d done it once, she couldn’t help herself.

  So she lifted the knife again.

  Slammed it back down.

  Again.

  Again.

  Again.

  Stabbing her in her stomach.

  Then her chest.

  Then her neck.

  Then her arms and legs and head.

  Over and over and over and over.

  The longer she did it, the more the reality started to dawn on Jordanna. The more the truth built up in her mind. Like waking in the middle of a nightmare only to realise it wasn’t real.

  But it was too late.

  Too late to do anything.

  Too late to stop.

  She stabbed and stabbed and stabbed.

  The crowd looked on.

  The moon stared down.

  She didn’t stop stabbing for what seemed like forever.

  She looked down at Tamara. Looked down at her, just once.

  When she saw Tamara staring up at her, horror in her tearful, bloodshot eyes, her stomach sank. Her entire body crumbled.

  She knew what she’d done.

  She didn’t know why she’d done it, but she knew what she’d done.

  For a horrified moment, sitting there in the silence, Jordanna started to cry.

  Then the emotion slipped away and she started to tear Tamara’s flesh away.

  The red moon looked on.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Sunrise was slow and arduous.

  It crept up over the wall, much of which had been damaged by the invading creatures. A few stragglers stood by the openings in the metal, searching for easy morning prey. Outside the window of Hassan’s apartment, the sound of crows cawing. Tucking into the rotting flesh in the streets, treating themselves to an early breakfast of their own.

  Other than the birds, other than the occasional groans of rare surviving creatures, silence.

  Silence in the MLZ.

  Shock in the MLZ.

  But nothing compared to the silence and the shock in this room.

  Riley sat by Jordanna’s side. They were together in the bathroom. Together on their own. Hassan, James and Cody were in the lounge area. Riley could hear Hassan and Cody talking now. He’d barely heard James since the moment of Jordanna’s confession.

  Since the moment of her revelation.

  Her revelation of what happened.

  Of what she did.

  To Tamara.

  Riley pulled a hand away from Jordanna, who was resting. He stood. Walked over to the bathroom door. Unclipped the lock as quietly as he could.

  “What you did,” Riley said under his breath, knowing damned well Jordanna was awake. She wasn’t asleep. Nobody was asleep. How could anyone sleep after the truth she’d spilled?

  “What… what you did,” he continued. “It wasn’t you. I know because… because I felt what it’s like. What it was like on the night of the blood moon. The blackouts. I… I don’t have any memories. I didn’t have control of myself. I didn’t—”

  “I killed her, Riley. I have memories now. Memories I can’t get rid of. I… I killed Tamara. I killed her baby.”

  The pain in Jordanna’s words hit Riley square in the chest. The sincerity of her confession; a confession he hadn’t even known whether to believe, not at first.

  Not until James remembered, too.

  Not until the colour went from his cheeks. Not until he went silent.

  Not until he remembered watching Jordanna tear Tamara apart.

  “I killed her. Then—then I woke. I woke up with no idea where I was. Who I was. I woke up and I saw what I’d done. And then I… and then I drifted away again. And I swear I forgot. I swear I forgot what’d happened. But I did it. I killed her. I—”

  “We need to talk,” Riley said, trying his best to divert the topic of conversation. “All of us. About what we’re going to do next.”

  He waited for Jordanna to respond. She didn’t say a word. Just sat there. Sat there with her back to the wall. Staring at her hands.

  “They need you. The people of the MLZ. They need you right now.”

  “They don’t need me,” Jordanna said.

  “Jordanna, they—”

  “They don’t need me,” she repeated.

  Riley saw her look up at him. Saw the bloodshot look in her eyes. He hadn’t seen Jordanna this sad, this lost, since… since… well, he hadn’t seen her this way at all.

  She always seemed so strong. So self-assured.

  But this was different.

  This was something worse than just loss.

  This broke her.

  “I’ll be back in a bit. Just… just you stay in here. Try to… to get some shuteye.”

  Jordanna didn’t even acknowledge Riley’s words.

  Riley wanted to press her further. Wanted to quiz her more.

  But he knew now wasn’t the time.

  He opened the bathroom door and stepped into Hassan’s lounge.

  Hassan and Cody turned and looked at Riley the moment they heard the door creak open. James was already staring at Riley. Staring at him like he’d been looking in this direction for hours.

  He wanted someone else to start the conversation. Wanted someone else to get it rolling.

  But he knew he couldn’t keep relying on others.

  He knew now was the time to step up.

  More than ever, now was his time.

  “How’re the roads looking?” Riley asked.

  Hassan glanced back outside. “They’re… they’re empty. The odd stray. But I haven’t seen anyone outside for hours.”

  “People are scared. People are waiting to hear from us. Waiting to be saved. The wall?”

  “Still knackered,” Cody said. He shrugged. “Ain’t gonna fix itself.”

  Riley walked over towards the window. Looked outside. “Then we know what we have to do.”

  “Riley,” Hassan started, “I don’t think now’s—”

  “You’re supposed to be in charge of this place,” Riley said. He squared up to Hassan. “You’re supposed to take responsibility. For these people living here. You’re supposed to keep them safe.”

  “I could hardly do anything about—”

  “And here you are, hiding away in your apartment even though the streets have been empty for fuck knows how long.”

  Hassan looked down at the carpet. Riley turned from Hassan to Cody.

  He caught a glance of James.

  Saw nothing but contempt in his eyes.

  The red-eyed stare of a man teetering towards insanity.

  “We go out there. All of us. We find whoever we can. We’ve no idea how many survived last night. Just got to hope they stayed in their rooms.”

  “And the parasite thing?” Cody said.

  Riley thought back to the thing that wriggled across his chest just a matter of hours ago. His chest was still sore, but he was coping. For now, anyway.

  Maybe the infection would kill him. Fuck, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad turn of events after all.

  “We do what we can to take them down.”

  “How about the bodies in the streets?” Hassan said. He scratched at his arms. Massive bags swelled beneath his eyes. “The place is gonna be rife with disease. And the walls. The gaps in the walls. It isn’t safe. This place isn’t safe. How we supposed to just rebuild?”

  “We don’t,” Riley said. He walked away from the window.

  “We don’t?”

  He stopped. Turned. Looked at Hassan, Cody, James. “We need to leave this place. Find somewhere new.”

  Riley saw the disappointment in their eyes. Saw their faces turn pale.

  “But,” Hassan started.

  “There’s no way about it. I know it’s scary. I know it’s fucking terrifying. Not knowing what lies ahead. Not knowing when we’re going to find shelter. If we ever find shelter again. But this place isn’t safe anymore.”

  “Nowhere’s safe,” Hassan said.

  “This place is especially not safe anymore.”

  Hassan lowered his head. Stuck his hands in his pockets. Silence filled the room once more.

  “We don’t leave right away,” Riley said. “We stay here until we’re sure we’ve searched every single nook and cranny. Until we find everyone we can. When we’re sure, when we’re completely sure, we leave.”

  “The parasites,” James said. His voice startled Riley. “What—what you said. About putting all of ’em down.”

  Riley nodded. Tried to meet James’ eyes. Failed. “We can’t afford to mess around. Not for much longer.”

  “Assuming the same rules apply for Jordanna, then?”

  Riley didn’t know what James was getting at. Not at first.

  But then it dawned on him. When he saw the twitching in James’ eyes, the glares from Hassan and Cody, the reality dawned on him. “You want to kill one of your own.”