Ben's skin is smooth from sweat. He was warm, with a lock of hair on his forehead.

He was probably tired and pulled me into the bedroom. I lay on my back, Ben's head resting on my chest and his arms around me. The heat made the back of my neck sweat. Ben took off his shirt before climbing into bed. The abdomen is also wrapped with gauze. I can only imagine how horrible his infection was. He showed symptoms of infection that I had read about in the Caribbean textbook Oliver gave me.

I got out of bed. Ben was in a little pain and hugged me hard. Once I managed to get out of bed, but the door creaked and Ben quickly jumped out of bed.

He knew exactly what I wanted to do.

When he finally woke up completely, it was already dark outside. He looked at me as I heated a pot of soup on the stove. He hadn't put on his shirt yet. My eyes glanced down at his stomach. A mixture of blood and pus soaked the gauze.

24

"We'll leave in an hour," Ben said.

I realized I was staring, and the heat was pouring up my cheeks. I poured a bowl of soup for each of us and brought it to the table. The wood was scratched, and one of the chairs was missing.

"Is this Bethany's cabin?" I asked. "Yes, yes," Ben said.

"It doesn't seem luxurious." I ran my finger along a large chisel mark on the tabletop.

"Many years ago, she bought them with her boyfriend," he said. "She rarely comes here. She will only come when she wants to leave the city. So now it's ours,"

I nodded, stirring the soup with a spoon.

Ben took me into town. He wants me to be his criminal accomplice, but I might sabotage his plans. I've been arrogantly trying to run, to where to go, to go out, I've been asking for help, and finally to set up our team of organs-swapping humans, and then stop similar horrific crimes...

I know how it ends. I knew it would turn into innocent people being killed, like the guy at the gas station. But I couldn't let the thought of running away from my mind go away. I have to get out of here, and I have to get out of here alive.

"Isn't anyone out here?" I asked.

"Nope." His lips curled into a smile. "It's secluded, don't worry about anyone finding us."

Ben finished the soup and pushed the bowl to the middle of the table. He looked at my bowl and saw that it was full.

"You need to eat," he said. "I'm not hungry," I said.

"Dee, you have to eat."

I dropped the spoon into the bowl. I crossed my fingers under the table. Ben took a deep breath. He brushed the sweaty strands of hair on his forehead. He stood up and grabbed my bowl.

"Get up," he said. He put my bowl in the fridge and reached out. He stretched out his fingers and motioned for me to come forward. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the bedroom.

Ben pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a hoodie from his duffle bag. He wrapped a scarf around his neck to hide his scales. He gave me a pair of dark yoga pants and a sweater. Ben tucked the gun into the belt of his jeans. He took something out of his pocket and put it in my hand. I looked down at the cold thing in my hand, and it turned out to be a knife.

"We were always behind me when we were at the pharmacy," he said. "This is just in case, I promise I'll take care of you."

"I can stay here," I said. "If you're really worried, I can stay here and I'll be safe."

Ben shook his head. "I want you to be with me all the time," he said.

Ben handed me a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses. The hat covered most of my short hair. Ben found a black skullcap, which he wore on his head. He poured the contents of the duffel bag onto the bed.

"Okay," he said, tossing his bag over his shoulder. "Let's go."

He led me to the car. The images of me wanting to run and rush into my father's mind were flooded with forests. Soon my back was covered with bullets. Ben's fingers curled tighter over my shoulders, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Don't try anything stupid," Ben whispered in my ear. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because they're scared."

I nodded and sighed. Ben kissed me on the cheek before opening the passenger side door. I slipped in and fastened my seatbelt. Ben got into the driver's seat.

He drove the car out of the driveway and into the Aurora Zone. Walk down the gravel road. The headlights are the only light that illuminates the dark forest. Ben put his hand on my lap.

I played with my fingers while driving. We drove silently for almost an hour before we drove into a small town. There are a few shops lining the streets, but most of them are lights off. A pharmacy is painted on the window of one building, and this is one of the only places where the lights are still on. Ben parked the car down the street in front of the pharmacy. Ben took out the duffel bag from the trunk and sat in the back seat.

"Don't say anything, and don't take off your glasses," Ben told me. "If everyone does what I say, I guarantee that no one will be harmed."

"Ben—"

He interrupted me by putting his lips against mine. He got out of the car and I followed him. When Ben walked into the pharmacy, I stood one step behind him. There was an old woman sweeping the floor with a broom. An old man with thinning white hair stands behind the counter counting a few bills. They both looked at us when the two little bells jingled together when we opened the door.

The lady smiled at us and pushed her thick glasses to the bridge of her nose.

"Hello," she said. How can we help you? We'll be closing in a few minutes. ”

"We're looking for some antibiotics," Ben said. He reached behind me and grabbed my hand. He pulled me forward and made me stand beside him. "My fiancée has a terrible virus. I'm really worried it's pneumonia. ”

"Have you gone to the doctor?" The man said. "We do need a prescription."

"I really hope you can get this done without people," Ben said. "I'm willing to pay."

My breath was short, and Ben held my hand tighter. He never told me about his plans. I thought he was going to break in and start yelling. This calm, calm attitude was not what I was expecting.

"I need a prescription, son," the old man said.

"Please do us a favor," Ben said. "We can't go to the doctor."

"I'm sorry, but I can't." "It's a shame. I don't want things to turn out like this. ”

Ben pulled out his gun, and the man's eyes widened. The woman behind us let out a scream. I glanced back and saw her with her hands over her mouth.

"Please take the money," the man said, pushing us the cash he had counted. "Please, don't hurt my wife or me. We also have children and grandchildren. ”

"I don't want your money," Ben said. "All I want is some antibiotics."

Ben let go of my hand and I stayed behind him. The man raised his hands, took a step back, and leaned against the counter. The woman clutched her chest and wept bitterly. My hand hovered over the knife in my sweater. I can pop the blade out and insert it into Ben's chest, but I'm not fluid enough to do that. He would see me fumbling with the knife and then shoot these two innocent people.

Ben turned around and began rummaging through the medicine shelves. He threw something into his bag. The man's gaze jumped between Ben and me.

Help, I tried to speak to the man. He raised an eyebrow, confused by my movements. I looked back at Ben and saw that he was still reading the labels on some bottles. I put my finger on my glasses. I wanted to knock them down, but I knew Ben was going to kill all of us for it. I slipped my glasses off my nose a little. I tried to hide the action, as if I was scratching above my eyebrows. I'm not sure if the man saw my eyes, but his jaw did drop. Ben glanced back at me, and I pushed my glasses back.

"Any luck?" I asked.

"I found something, but I'm looking for more," he said. Tears flowed down the woman's face. Her eyes were red, she kept shaking her head, and her mouth was full of words. I turned away, unable to witness her horror again.

My eyes scanned the label. My gaze jumped back to a name I recognized.

Hydromorphone.

The little green pill comes in a yellow bottle. I saw this in that textbook. This is an opioid used for pain relief. The chapter it's in has a lot of warnings about the power of this drug and how it can stop someone.

That's how I got out of it. I can crush them and somehow bring them into Ben's body system. If I had convinced him that I was tired and wanted to sleep, Ben would have gone to bed with me. He lay in his bedroom and slowly stopped breathing.

I looked at Ben and saw him stuffing a row of drugs into his bag. I grabbed a bottle of hydromorphone and tucked it into the sleeve of my sweater. I turned around when I heard the zipper of Benla's duffle bag.

"I'm sorry to ruin you" Good evening, guys," Ben said, "now we won't bother you." ”

He grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me out of the store. My steps staggered to try to keep up with him. My fingers were still curled up in the sleeves of my sweater, leaving the medication on me.

Ben tossed his duffel bag into the back seat and sped off into the darkness onto the unpaved road. When Ben accidentally sped along the road, the car bounced. I turned my arms to my body to hide the collision the bottle caused on my sleeve.

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. I probably did. I might finally be smarter than Ben.

He noticed my smile and put his hand back on my knee.

"We're going to be fine now," Ben said.

"I know," I said. "It's all going to work out."