Grace’s eyes felt like they had just closed when the sounds of retching filled her ears.

She felt the warm fluid as Levi heaved, dispensing massive amounts of bile and food all over her.

“Levi!” Grace shouted, angry that he wouldn’t get up and do that over at the pot. “If you are going to throw up, do it where you know to go! Ughh…. You got it all over me.”

She turned and moved to where the jar was, moving to get it, when she heard her brother still retching over and over.

She moved to the stove, which had a few tiny embers, and quickly lit a candle, set it on the floor, and looked at her brother.

He was covered in sweat and was shaking. His face was half buried in the vomit he had just brought up, and his body began to jerk again as his mouth opened up and his throat spasmed.

“Levi! Wake up!”

She shook him, but her brother wasn’t coming out of his sleep. Moving him from the pile of vomit on their new blankets, Grace set him on the ground, realizing he was a hot, wet, limp rag of flesh.

Lifting his eyelids, Grace cursed, finding his eyes rolled back and not responding.

“No… no…. No…” she muttered as she covered her mouth with a trembling hand.

Sounds down the hallway started to reach her, and she quickly lifted the wood plank across the door and stuck her head out. Cries and screams were beginning to happen. Others started coming out of their rooms. Some were retching, and others wanted to find out what was causing the commotion.

Thunderous boot steps came from the stairs, and Grace knew Max was on his way.

Even with no light, Grace saw the same look on so many. Every adult who was in the hallway and sick was barely standing. Leaning against the walls and door frames. Convulsions would hit, and they would begin retching, spraying whatever was left in their stomach onto the wooden floors.

The sound of Levi Retching brought her back to their room, and she saw all he was bringing up now: bile and blood.

“Oh my god, no!”

Racing to the door, Grace saw Max looking at everyone as he moved through the hall. He held a lantern and inspected those sick, and Grace saw the fear in his eyes.

“MAX! Levi!”

His head looked right at her, and she saw him pat the person he had just looked at. She returned to her room as his steps thudded against the wooden floors.

“He’s sick!” Grace exclaimed as Max came through the doorway. “What can we do?”

Max didn’t say a word, and Grace turned to see he was turning white and starting to sweat.

“Grace… someone poisoned us…” was all he got out before turning to the hallway and emptying the contents of his stomach on the floor.

“Poisoned? What? How?”

“That bastard… Tom… he had to have done this…” Max held his hand over his mouth, turning again and heaving half a dozen times before he turned back to the room. “Did you eat?”

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t have time to.”

He nodded, looking like he was about to fall to the floor. “Go… find out what… he used and a cure… if not…” Max stopped talking and looked at Levi, who was retching again, this time with more blood in what came up. “We’ll all die.”

It had taken her less than a second to comprehend what was happening and what Max had said. The moment she knew what needed to be done, a red box appeared in her vision.

*****

Two quests pending

—

Find A Cure: Time is running out. Find a cure for those who are dying. You have less than twenty-four hours. **Leave no one alive who knows what you did, and a bonus reward will be granted**

Reward: Ability Gained

Failure: The death of so many

—

Bring Justice for Poisoning Your Family: Let those who hurt the ones you love know that they will face your wrath. Kill those involved in poisoning an entire group of people.

Reward: Stats Gained

Failure: Massive Stats Lost

*****

“I swear I’m going to kill everyone when I find out who did this,” Grace muttered under her breath.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Max looked at her, his face covered in sweat. “Don’t fail… no matter what.”

Grace glanced back at Levi. She grimaced and looked at Max.

“I can heal him,” she whispered. “Only one person though for a few days… what do I do?”

Max nodded and pointed his shaking finger at Levi. “Do it… I’ll handle it… hurry… we have maybe a day. Find the alchemist also… we need a cure.”

Grace made mental notes and moved to Levi.

“Heal.”

She touched her brother, and a glow surrounded him. He began to shift and move, moaning as she stood. His eyes fluttered open, and a wave of relief washed through Grace.

“Levi, listen!”

Blinking his eyes, Levi tried to focus on Grace, and then the smell of vomit and how his clothes felt hit him.

“Sister! What happened? Why am I–”

“No, stop and listen!” she exclaimed, putting her hand over his lips. "You were sick. I had something that healed you, but I’m all out. Others are sick, like Max. Max needs you to watch over him and protect him. Can you do that?”

Levi’s nose scrunched as he listened to his sister and saw the man he thought was invulnerable to everything slumped on the floor and covered in sweat.

“I can, but–”

“No buts! Stay here, don’t leave the room! I have to go and try and get medicine.”

She moved past him, grabbing the knife she used for cooking. As she turned to leave, she saw his eyes filled with tears.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, taking the time she didn’t have to try to dry the falling ones.

“You’re coming back, right?” he sniffed as he spoke.

She hugged him so hard for a moment she thought she might have broken a rib.

“I swear to you on everything that I will return. You cannot get rid of me this easy.”

He nodded, and Grace kissed him on the forehead, tasting the vomit that had managed to spill there.

Racing to the door, she squeezed Max’s shoulder. “Don’t die. We’re going to have to get revenge together.”

He smiled weekly and nodded. “Save some for me.”

Without waiting to respond, Grace started running through the hallway, dodging the people and vomiting as she could. The few who weren’t sick saw her face, and all moved out of her way.

She scanned the area of the warehouse. The street was empty and dark, but it was like an hour or two after sunrise for Grace and her improved vision. Her eyesight never ceased to amaze her. Glancing once more at the building she was focused on, Grace sprinted across the open space in seconds, stopping before she plowed into the wood and slinked around the side. The door she needed was in front, but she wanted to finish scouting first.

No sounds came, and she gave a quick whistle once she saw it was safe.

Lilly darted across the road, a shadow amongst shadows. Had her eyes not been how they were, she knew Lilly could now move unseen in a place like this.

“Good girl,” Grace whispered, patting her companion’s head.

Grateful for whatever reason, Lilly was waiting on her when she got outside. Grace looked once more down the dark street.

“Stay. Let me know if someone comes.”

Lilly crouched against the wall. As Lilly stopped moving, Grace knew that she might have missed her there if she had just been glancing, even now, with how well she could see.

Moving to where the door was, Grace did her best to avoid the items she saw discarded in the dirt.

Slowly, she moved to grab the handle when she paused. This door would be locked like hers or even more so. She could not get through it without knocking it down and waking everyone nearby.

Cursing silently, Grace considered the best way in.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Grace recalled the image of the building in her mind and remembered that above the warehouse doors were some windows on what had to be the second level. The overhang that provided shelter from rain was high, but Grace knew she had to try.

Moving around the building to the front of the street, she saw a fifteen-foot-angled roof and jumped as high as she could, even though she knew it was impossible to reach it.

Waving her arms in the air as she whiffed, Grace fell to the ground with a thud, surprised she had easily gotten eleven or twelve feet with her hands, both something she couldn’t have done before.

How high will I be able to jump as I continue to raise that physical stat…

Looking at the post that ran from the ground to the slanted overhang, Grace considered her last option. It wasn’t near the edge, which might mean she could fall if she tried leaping to it from the post. Grace wasn’t sure if the boards would hold her weight even if she made it.

Hurry… there isn’t time…

Unable to wait any longer, Grace pulled the knife from her waist and clamped it between her teeth as she started to climb the wooden post.

This seems unreal… I’m like a cat!

Trying not to smile as she went up the post, Grace found that her grip strength allowed her to hoist herself up the wooden shaft easily without any trouble at all. She would have attempted it with no legs if this wasn't an emergency.

Seconds passed, and soon, she was just a foot from the overhang. Shifting her feet and using a hand to create tension, she got set and pulled the knife out with her right hand, gently putting it under the board near the long beam between posts.

Slowly, she pried the board up, wincing each time the sound of the nail and wood creaked. The post she was hanging on swayed slightly as she put more force into it. The board suddenly broke free with a thunk, and Grace held her breath.

No noise or lights lit up, and after waiting a minute, she repeated the process until two boards were no longer nailed down.

Slipping her knife between her teeth, she grabbed the beam and let go of the post, grabbing on with both hands and easily pulling herself up and under the two boards that pressed against her back.

Sliding sideways, she gently lowered the boards and then moved to where a beam ran from top to bottom, carefully stepping as she made her way to the top of the awning.

Once against the wall, Grace took a few deep breaths and moved to where a window was. Glancing through it, she saw boxes and trash strewn inside.

This place is a mess… how do they find anything in there?

With her hand, she pried the window open slowly, wincing as the wood on wood made a slight noise. After what felt like forever, the window was finally wide enough for her to slip through.

On the catwalk around the top of the warehouse, Grace saw the room where Tom had to be and made her way toward it.

Standing outside the door to Tom’s room, Grace allowed herself to take a few more breaths. Even though the warehouse was pitch black to anyone else, she still struggled to feel safe at what she was doing.

Behind the door, she could hear snoring. She started hearing it once she got within twenty feet of the door.

Slowly, she turned the handle and felt it go all the way. Letting it open just slightly, Grace peered through the crack and saw a room that looked almost as bad as the smell she now experienced through the opening.

Face down, hanging partially off a bed that looked worse than the one she shared with Levi, was Tom, wearing nothing but underwear.

Glancing at the red box again, Grace didn’t hesitate. Time wasn’t on her side.