The mosquitoes quietly buzzed in their captivity, bouncing against the glass walls of their vial prison. I watched them. One of my arms rested on my knee as I balanced my legs on a stool. The other was bent up toward my face, and my fingers gripped a wet cloth against my forehead.

Enrique said, " Bring down my body temperature."

"The gas fever would leave soon," he added.

But he was distracted.

While I focused on the bugs Becky harvested, Enrique was nose-deep in the old notes he'd taken with my brother. Months detailing the different strains extracted from various mosquitoes. Size mattered. The larger the insect, the stronger the parasite, but the end was the same: Planique conquered and controlled regardless of the organism it came from.

At least, that was what they believed.

"Baby, don't let the towel slip." Becky came beside me and repositioned my hand. I glanced up at her as she smiled, but her attention swiftly changed to the notebook in her hand. No, it was a phonebook. Thick and neglected, but the campus kept its own physical copy. Similar to the old-school lists kept in phone booths, this listed the phone numbers and emails for different schools and medical agencies across the state; this was all categorized in case of electrical failure.

Becky believed she needed to call someone.

Enrique felt like the answer to Jorge had been written somewhere.

I thought both were focused on the incorrect area. We needed to finalize a serum, and with Jorge so close, we had a subject to test it on.

My hand slipped away from my face as I straightened. A mosquito slammed against the glass. The length of its body spread as its legs extended as if he gripped the vial in search of an escape. Its head twitched, and I bet its beady little eyes saw each of us. Planned to hunt us.

If it broke out of that tiny prison, we would be goners, wouldn't we?

Break out, little bitch. I'll slap you in a heartbeat.

"We need to get these guys open and take their blood," I said as I looked at Enrique. He was at the table beside me, hunched over an old notebook. I scrunched my nose as he lifted one finger.

"No, no, no." He shook his head. "Déjame pensar, I need to think for a minute."

I bit my lip as Becky stopped and looked at both of us. She tucked her short black strands of hair behind her ear as she closed the book in her hands.

I hopped off my seat. "You can think, but I think I know what's happening, and we need to finish it."

"How?" Enrique swiftly turned and pressed his hands together in prayer. Lowering her head, he placed the tips of his fingers against his nose. Like this, I heard the volume of his sharp inhale, a little frustrated, partly annoyed, but it didn't matter. I was Jorge's younger sister, and I paid attention to everything he did.

"Or better yet, explain it to me, hm?" Not separating his hands, he pointed his fingers at me. "And tell me like I'm five."

I cocked a brow. Wasn't that oddly familiar? That same question was how I got a better understanding of this shitty world in under five minutes.

Placing the wet towel on the table beside him, I crossed my arms. "I think your last attempt at a vaccine worked."

"It didn't, though," Enrique groaned. "Jorge was violent, and we had to lock him in a room. How did that work?"

"Like any other vaccine before it." I extended my hands with a shrug. "If you get the flu shot, you kind of get the flu, right?"

Becky put the book down beside Enrique's notes. She scratched the side of her face as she looked at both of us. "I never get the flu," she muttered.

"Yes, Miss Immune System." I sighed, and she rolled her eyes. I continued, "But in general, that's how they work, right? You get a little bit of the disease or whatever so that you can fight it later when you do get it. So, your vaccine worked. Jorge's infected, yeah, but he listened to me; he didn't leave the city, and he let me live."

Enrique only lifted his eyes to look at me. "So, you believe that your brother is here because... why?"

I closed my eyes. The hints were there; they always were. That first day, Jorge taunted me and threatened me, but he cried. He was afraid at that moment, and maybe my presence calmed him enough for him to stay. He remained and waited for me to solve the puzzle. And I got it. He was the missing piece.

"He's what we need," I said.

"I thought we needed the bugs." Enrique turned his hands to the vial of mosquitoes, who only looked angrier in their little cage.

"We do," I scoffed, "but we need someone to test this on."

"And what would you like me to do, hm?" He placed his hands on his hips. "Do you expect me to go to that building, get your brother, and bring him back here so I could experiment on him?"

That was it, and the cringed, pulled-back expression on my face confirmed it. We needed Jorge. Becky and I were too small to bring him back, but Enrique could. He was larger than my brother, wider, and I believed he played football in high school. Capturing Jorge would be easy for him, and once we got him to campus, all we had to do was lock him in a room, right?

"Jesus, Dios mío, that's exactly what you want me to do, huh?" Enrique threw his arms up in the air. When I only nodded without another word, he shook his head and rushed past me, pointing a single, rough finger at my face. "I love Jorge like my own brother, so for him, I will do this. For science, I have to do this. But because of you, ma, get your bag and come back outside."

"But she's still getting over the smoke," Becky complained.

"A little adrenaline will help. If you want to be shook, you can come, too."

***

Enrique's hands flattened against AJ's front door before he slowly pushed it open. Becky and I stood behind him as the insides of the electronics store came into view. Earlier, it'd be a mess after having been abandoned for a year. Yet, now, it was different.

Each of the shelves had been thrown to the floor. The stack of boxes I had used for protection was scattered and smashed. Old, wired accessories were removed and thrown throughout the store. I gulped as I eyed the chaos within the shadows. Had Jorge done all of this when we left? Was he even still here?

"Diablo, what happened?" Enrique fully opened the entrance and stepped inside with the two of us close behind him. Becky nervously reached for my hand, squeezing my fingers tightly.

Enrique glanced back at me with a cocked brow. "And Jorge was in here?"

I nodded, pointing at the backroom door behind the service desk. "I left Jorge in there," I said. "There was the gas from the canister everywhere, and he crashed to the floor."

Enrique blinked. "You knocked him out?"

I nodded but shrugged right after. "He fell over, and I felt like he stayed back to let me leave."

"He was—"

Items falling to the ground echoed in that backroom. All three of us sharply faced the door. Enrique stepped forward so that he stretched his arms, protecting us. We to his sleeves. If anyone could block Jorge, it was Enrique.

Something else fell.

"Naomi," Becky whispered.

"Yeah?" I glanced at her.

"The doorknob's turning..."

Shit. I held my breath. The doorknob turned, but slowly. That struck me as odd from earlier; it opened with a push as if it'd been broken at one point. That knob wouldn't lock to secure anything. Was this Jorge teasing us, egging on our fears?

Enrique's hand swiftly reached into the side pocket of his bag. He reached for a canister and was prepared to toss it. "I want you both to hold your breath."

"Naomi," a long, deep croak came from the door as it cracked open. The hair on the back of my neck stood straight. I tightened my grip on Becky's hand and held my breath. Yet, the second I began to brace myself for Jorge's entrance, the door was forced open, and Jorge came running out. "Naomi!"

I felt the blood rush away from my face, and instinct forced my legs to run deeper into the store. Still holding Becky's hand, I yanked her with me, and the two of us jumped over the fallen shelves. The tips of my shoes slammed into boxes, causing me to stumble.

But they didn't stop me, not even with Jorge's screaming voice.

"I made you a promise, Naomi!" my brother shouted.

"Hey, stop!" Enrique grunted.

I glanced back just as the two men crashed into each other. Becky and I turned, slowly coming to a stop. Enrique had his shoulders pressed into Jorge's chest and his arms wrapped around him, pushing him and forcing him away from us. Jorge slammed his fists against Enrique's back, snarling, eyes bulging as he focused on us.

No, on me.

I gulped and stepped back. "Jorge," I whispered.

Still holding my brother, Enrique flipped to stand behind him, put his hands into fists to grab him, then forced him down on the floor. The loud frump echoed inside AJ's, and Becky and I gasped, covering our mouths.

Enrique shook his head, sweat glistening on his forehead. "Gas!" he shouted.

Gas. I took the word as an immediate order, reaching into the wide pocket of my backpack. Empty. Hissing, I looked at Becky's. Her canister caught the dim flickers of light coming in from the windows, illuminating it and making it glow.

I grabbed it and, without hesitation, pulled the pin, held my breath, and tossed it into the air.

It spun in slow motion.

"Naomi! I said I'd kill you, and Ricky here can't save you!" Jorge screamed.

The canister twirled as the sleeping mist circled it like decorative cigarette smoke. With my cheeks puffed out to hold in my last breath, I watched my silent weapon, hoping it struck and landed with purpose.

"How the hell did you forget my name, puñeta!" Enrique shouted. He cuffed his fists just under Jorge's chest and pulled back, catapulting my bother. The two of them crashed on the floor, knocking into boxes that smashed under their weight. My brother's head slammed down first, and I saw the skin split. Blood leaked onto the floor and the top of Enrique's shoulder. My heart screamed.

We were supposed to save him, not hurt him!

Still holding my breath, I ran forward. Becky tried to stop me, but I pulled my hands free from hers. Covering my mouth and nose, she screamed, "Naomi, don't!"

I had to. Infected or not, Jorge was my brother, and I needed to protect him. He spent his life shielding me and risked everything to keep me safe during this Planique catastrophe. How would it look if I stood by, just watching him succumb to the parasite aiming to destroy us all?

My lungs burned, aching for a breath, but I reached the two men and pulled Jorge out of Enrique's hold. We fell to the floor, rolling off of our larger friend. Two more spins and we were side by side, stunned, and my head throbbed painfully.

Jorge's eyes flickered as he snarled. "Little cat..."

I sucked in air, even though I shouldn't have. The throbbing blended with drowsiness, but I forced my arms to move, finding what was left of my strength to push up from the floor. "We're going to help you, we—"

Jorge moved faster than I did. In a heartbeat, he tackled me and pinned me under his weight. He bared his teeth and chuckled so much that saliva dripped on my forehead. Was this it? Would he complete his promise?

Enrique scrambled to his feet, groggy, staggered, slow as the gas mist took hold. Becky ran forward, whimpering as she ran through the smoke.

I locked eyes with my brother. The edges of my vision blurred. This was it. Planique would defeat me. At least I didn't die at the start.

Tears slipped down the corners of my eyes and into my ears. Jorge pinned my hands together with one of his. His violent heartbeat drummed under his fingertips as, like mine, tears slid down his cheeks. That was my brother in there. The emotions under his skin were not rage but fear. Jorge would never hurt me. I needed Planique to realize that they were trying to control the wrong man.

His other hand moved to my neck as Enrique's thumping steps came in our direction.

"Naomi!" Becky's cry was muffled under her hand.

I took in a trembling breath as I coughed through the fumes, never breaking my brother's sad yet menacing stare. "Cats don't get lost easily, remember?" I croaked as fresh tears fell.

His hand closed around my neck. I choked. Enrique was close but not close enough. As Jorge's hand tightened, I let out a whimpering gasp and managed to allow words to fall from my lips. "This cat never stopped... following you."

Jorge stopped. His weight eased as his fingers released tension. My heart trembled with the next beat. I lifted my leg into a bend just under his, and he sat back slightly like I was a chair.

His tears were waterfalls as he let me go. His hands formed fists against his heart. "Naomi..." he breathed.

But then his eyes darkened, and those fists rose over his head. His mouth opened wide, and I expected a shout.

Yet, before a sound left him, Enrique tackled Jorge off of me. They fell to the floor. Before my brother could fight back, Enrique grabbed his shoulders, flipped him into a choking position, and squeezed.

The crimson light in Jorge's eyes slipped into sleep as Enrique panted beside his head.

"We need to go," Enrique croaked, coughing as the mist overpowered AJ's.

I managed to stand as I fell into Becky's arms. We needed to go; we needed to finish this serum.

Jorge would be okay. He had to be.

*
Word Count: 9204