Grace’s lungs began to ache as Max’s house came into view. Lilly ran beside her, not breathing hard at all.

All over the front of the house were the shapes of people lying on the ground or someone struggling to move a few steps.

Max was leaning against the steps, and next to him was Levi, who appeared to be pouring water from a bucket into a cup.

“Stay back,” Grace said, her voice gravely as her throat was dry.

Lilly said nothing, merely moving a few more yards till she reached a spot along the street where she ducked into an alley and vanished into the shadows.

Her steps echoed along the street, and before she got to the people she cared about, the smell of all the vomit assaulted her.

“Sister!” Levi shouted.

Max forced himself upright on the steps, turning to look at Grace. His face looked a horrible color of ash, and lines of blood could be seen down both sides of his chin.

“Max!” Grace called out as she weaved between the people glancing up, their chins and faces colored from the blood on the ground.

Skidding to a stop before the steps, she dropped the bag, frantically tossed out the pieces of coal still inside, and grabbed a tin.

“Grace,” Max whispered, his voice gone and a coughing fit seizing him after he spoke.

“Stop talking and listen!” Grace ordered as she beckoned Levi closer with her hand. “Levi, give everyone one spoonful and make them swallow it with water. It will be hard going down, but make sure they know they won’t get any more if they don’t take it. Now hurry and go get more water!”

Levi glanced at Max, who gave a weak nod, and he took off running, grabbing two empty buckets near the stairs.

“Listen,” Grace began as she bent down and put a hand against Max’s head. His skin felt hotter than she imagined was possible. “I only have enough for maybe a hundred or more people. I can’t choose, but I also need to be fair to everyone. You have to decide here. Do you understand?”

She could see Max wince, and his face began to twitch. He nodded slowly and picked up the cup that Levi had just filled for him. As he started to drink it, Grace reached out and stopped him.

“Wait, take this first.”

She pulled out a tin and scooped up a glob she thought would be enough. Sighing, she looked at Max and put her finger near his lips.

“You only get one of these, so don’t spit it out,” Grace declared as Max only nodded once.

Sticking her finger in his mouth, she raked it against his teeth and pulled it out.

Max grimaced and for a moment it appeared he might spit it out, but Grace grunted and helped lift the cup to the large man’s lips. Max started to drink without waiting, grimacing with each swallow until most of the cup was gone.

“Good, now keep drinking water slowly. Every few hours.”

Digging through the bag, she pulled out three more tins. With only thirty-seven and twelve gangs, each would only get three. Someone wasn’t going to like making the choice of who lived or died, but she couldn’t let her group suffer.

“I’ll be back!” Grace yelled louder than she meant to. “Help Levi!”

Max nodded, finishing the last few drops of water as he stared at the three tins on the ground and the one she had put in his hand. He was already doing the math in his head and knew that people were going to die because he couldn’t save everyone.

Two men from Marcus’s gang tried to hold a knife toward her, but their hands shook so bad Grace was afraid they would cut themselves.

“Put it away!” Grace ordered as she reached into the bag and pulled out a tin. Someone poisoned everyone. I got medicine, but I need to see Marcus. Where is he?”

Their eyes followed the tin in her hand and motioned to the door with their head. Nodding, Grace ran inside, watching both men fall back against the chairs they were in, breathing heavily after expending the energy it took to face her.

“Marcus!”

Over and over, she shouted as she ran through the house, seeing people everywhere, vomit and blood covering the floors.

A few children were sobbing and crying as their parents were on the floor, barely responding to their calls or touch.

Pain and anger flowed through her, but Grace couldn’t afford to stop and wait. She had to help nine more gangs after this one.

Racing upstairs, she saw an arm missing a hand hanging at the top of it and ran up even faster, knowing that Cedric was right there.

His eyes were closed, and blood and vomit were in his mouth as he lay on his back. His chest didn’t rise.

“Blast those Grimdon-loving guards!” Grace shouted as she wheeled and punched the wall of the house. Mortar and wood flew everywhere as her hand destroyed the wall and created an opening outside.

Her chest heaved, and inside her head, only one thought was there.

I’m going to tear Michael limb from limb…

Noises from down the hall drew her attention, and Grace ran toward them, glancing back at Cedric’s body once more.

An open door on the right found her goal. On the floor, leaning against his bed, was Marcus, covered in bodily fluids and more. His breath was ragged, and his eyes were barely open as he watched Grace burst into his room.

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“How?”

His voice was as weak as Max’s had been, and she could see his eyes shaking, trying to understand how she was ok.

“I never got to eat. The guard, Michael, poisoned the food, but I got medicine. I… I killed the pharmacist,” Grace told him as she moved around the room, looking for something he could drink. She found a few cups on a table with liquid in them. Dumping them out, she searched till she found a small jug with enough water for what she needed.

“Listen. I got medicine. You need to take this, but there is none to waste. Half the people will die. You have to choose who…”

Her voice trailed off as she looked at the doorway behind her.

“Cedric… he… he is dead. Choked on his own vomit.”

Her hands were shaking, and Marcus’s coughs made her focus on him instead of her rage.

“You only get one chance. There isn’t enough.”

Putting the cup down on the floor with her bag, she returned to the table, grabbed a spoon, and rubbed it off on her clothes before holding it out before him.

“One scoop per person. Then, drink a glass of water. Keep drinking water slowly every few hours. It will take a day. I’ll try to get the kids who are still ok to help. Do you understand?”

Marcus could only give a weak smile- more of his lips not drooping- and a slight bob of his head.

Measuring out a spoonful, Grace brought it to his lips and forced it into his mouth with her finger. She then helped him drink the water, wiping the water that ran down from his lips with her thumb.

Once it was all gone, she nodded and pulled out two more tins.

“Marcus, look at me.”

Her voice and the tone of it drew his eyes to hers, where he could see the fire in them.

“I will burn them for this. I will make that man suffer for what he did to our family.”

She felt his hand on hers for a moment, a squeeze barely there, but she knew it was taking everything Marcus had to give to say thanks. The other leader had done the same.

“Rest and stay here. I’ll get the kids to help.”

Grabbing her sack, she dashed back to the stairs and stopped. Knowing the children wouldn’t want to see Cedric like this.

She glanced around the room and saw a chair in a corner. Dropping the sack, she bent over and ignored the smell and fluids, lifting a man she respected after only a short time with him.

Moving to the chair, she sat his body down gently and closed his eyes.

“Don’t worry, Cedric. I’ll use what you taught me to avenge you,” she whispered.

Turning her back, she took off.

Time was running out, and there was no time to mourn- not if she was going to save all those she could.

It was evening time when she finished helping the last gang. Three leaders had already died, and some were worse off than others. Those who had hoarded food had taken their own life with their greed. In some ways, it made things easier. More people would get medicine.

The children had been a blessing. Many had not eaten as much of the food that must have been poisoned. Not everything had been poisoned. Some gangs had a few adults who were fine, thankful for what she gave, and willing to trade for more.

None asked when she said no, and she explained that nothing they said would change her mind. The few who had tried to threaten her quickly discovered the error of their ways.

However, everyone knew one thing: Grace was going to get revenge, and it would be soon.

“Grace… how many?”

She sighed and closed her eyes, ignoring Max’s gaze as the man struggled to speak. His voice was getting stronger, but his throat was raw from all the vomiting he had done. People were lying in the hallway everywhere, their backs against the walls. She had taken everyone outside and cleaned it as much as possible. Levi had helped. Even though it was dark when she returned, they couldn't stay inside, living in that filth.

Over and over, she had scrubbed and scraped up vomit and blood. Buckets of water had been used to rinse it all to the one part of the house that was lower than the rest.

The hole Grace had kicked through the wall to help get the fluid outside would be the least of her or Max’s worries.

“At least fifty, probably over sixty. I’m not sure,” she answered. "Tomorrow, I’ll go and check on everyone. For now, you need to rest. I’ll come by in a few hours to give you and everyone else water again.”

Max shifted and groaned as he sat closest to the door. His sword, which he rarely carried, was next to him on the floor. Grace was surprised to see how nice of a sword it was. It looked better than the ones the guards had carried that she had killed, but she said nothing. Obviously, he wasn’t able to discuss it now.

“Sit still and rest,” she ordered, pushing him down gently. “Everyone needs rest. In the morning, I’ll cook some broth, and you all can eat, but for now, don’t get up, or I’ll kick your arse. Understand?”

A slight snort came from Max as he nodded and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall.

“I owe you,” he whispered. “We all do.”

Grace shook her head and stayed quiet. None of this would have happened to them if she hadn’t tried to spend that damn gold coin.

No! It isn’t my fault! It’s those damn Grimdom followers! I’ll burn the lot of them!

A sensation filled her as she cursed that god, and Grace felt a calmness come over her.

“Sister.”

Turning toward her brother, Grace saw Levi in their doorway. His eyelids were heavy, and he had worked all night and day.

Tiptoeing through the dark hallway, she smirked as everyone, and everything looked like an afternoon day in that hall.

“What is it?” Grace asked when she got to her brother and bent down beside him.

“Can I lay down?”

She nodded and kissed him on his forehead.

“You can! Today, you were amazing! You're a real hero!” she replied, providing praise over and over. “If it wasn’t for you, most of them wouldn’t be here tonight. Now, quickly, let’s get you in bed. I’ll be in soon after I check on a few more things.”

“Promise?” Levi asked as he yawned and moved to the small pallet she had made with a clean blanket.

“Yup. Now go to sleep.”

He didn’t argue, lying on the blanket as she covered him with her spare one. It was softer than the others, and she rarely used it since it was a gift from one of the gang leaders. Watching Levi fall asleep as his head touched the floor, she smiled.

Moving to the lantern, she started to blow it out. Right before she did, she stopped. Her mind told her it was better if she did something else, so Grace took it with her and walked to the front door of the house.

Going outside, she set it down on the ground a few feet from the stairs and then moved to grab a chair Max or the others had sat on.

Plopping down, she sighed.

Pretending to stare off into the darkness of the street, she kept her face blank.

Three blocks down, she could barely see the white outfit over the chain armor, watching from around a corner of a house.

Somehow, she knew they would be watching.

Whistling, Grace turned and barely saw the shape, nearly invisible against the walls as it came toward her from a block away. Lilly moved with a stealth that seemed impossible to believe. Even with her enhanced eyesight, she could almost lose sight of her friend.

As the dog reached the edge of the lighted area, Grace smiled and held out her hand.

Lilly came up and licked it, seeming to enjoy the scratches she gave her friend.

“Meet me around back,” Grace said as she bent down and playfully scratched behind her dog's ears. We’re going to go hunting tonight.”

The dog barked, and it seemed happy at her words before it turned and moved to the edge of the house and vanished.

Pretending to yawn, Grace picked up the lantern.

To her left, lined up next to another building, were the bodies of all the people from her house who had died. Eleven corpses were there.

Ignoring them, Grace went inside, shutting the door behind her.

I’m going to add a few more deaths to that total tonight.