Chapter 23

It wasn't often that Maggie let her nerves show, but since arriving at the hospital she hadn't quite been herself. She would seem on edge, agitated, staring off into space or pacing her room. She spent a lot of her time going out on guard duty despite being on strict orders from Anne to rest and let her injuries heal. Hal mentioned something about her being in hospital a lot as a kid and that being here brought up a lot of bad memories. Grace didn't press the subject. She knew Maggie was private about her past and that she was guarded with her emotions. That's why it struck Grace to see her so distressed.

"I'm worried about Hal," Maggie admitted, her jaw rigid as she practically paced the corridor. "He really believes Karen. The Hal I know wouldn't let his guard down so easily."

Grace was almost getting dizzy watching her. "It's worse than you think," she frowned. "She has him believing Ben is trying to recruit her or something. He's saying she's in danger because of him."

"More like the other way around," Maggie scoffed.

"We're trying to find him now. Hal's looking upstairs."

"And Karen?"

"She's still in her cell."

"Okay." Maggie looked back down the corridor, still catching her breath. "I'll pay her a visit before she does any more damage. You find Ben."

"Hang on." She watched Maggie carefully as the woman put her hands on her holstered guns. A feeling of dread shot through her. "What are you gonna do? Maggie?"

"I'm going to convince her to leave," she said, turning away and heading for Karen's room.

Grace chased after her immediately. "I'll come with you."

"It's okay. I can handle her."

"I'm not letting you go alone," Grace grabbed her arm, pulling her to a halt. "We'll do this together."

Maggie released a breath she had apparently been holding in for a beat too long. Then, hesitantly, she nodded.

The two girls entered the psych ward together. They dismissed Jon, who was on guard, claiming his shift was over. The man didn't bat an eyelid - probably glad to be given a break from babysitting. As soon as he left, Maggie slowly entered the room as Grace gently closed the door behind them.

Karen, who was still sitting on her bed, wrinkled her nose as she watched Maggie and Grace approach her. "What are you doing?"

"We're gonna have a little girl talk," Maggie said, whipping out both revolvers and holding them in each hand. She passed one to Grace behind her.

Karen's baby blues gleamed with alarm as she shuffled back on her bed. "I don't understand."

"I think you do. I think you understand really, really well, actually," continued Maggie, holding her weapon at her hip. "So let's stop playing games, okay?"

Karen eyed the guns, nervously getting to her feet. "Look honestly, I don't –" She breathed deeply. "This isn't about Hal, is it?"

Maggie's gaze was fierce as she scowled at Karen. "Yeah. It's about Hal. And Ben. And Tom Mason. In fact, it's about the entire Second Mass and how you're gonna crawl back to whatever dung heap you came from and leave us all alone."

Karen's brows drew together as she stifled a confused laugh. Her eyes locked on to Grace who was watching patiently behind Maggie. Apparently, Maggie's fury was unparalleled even to Grace's own anger. Grace realised in that moment how much Maggie had come to care for the Second Mass, and Hal especially. She was risking her life - and her relationship with Hal - just to protect him from Karen.

"So this is it, huh?" Karen scorned, folding her arms. "The mean girls are ganging up on me? Forcing me out of the group?"

"Just listen to her, Karen," Grace warned, holding the revolver by her side. "This doesn't have to get ugly."

"I think it does," snapped Karen, glaring at Maggie again. "This is rich, isn't it? Now I'm the bad girl, and you're innocent little Maggie with a heart of gold."

Maggie barely blinked, still pointing her gun at Karen. Grace didn't know how she was keeping so calm. She was practically shaking with adrenaline as Karen continued berating Maggie.

"You know, I feel sorry for you," Karen continued, narrowing her eyes at Maggie. "You have spent so long pushing people away, you have no idea how to get close to anyone anymore." She took a risky step forward, tilting her head in mock sympathy. "Now you're doing the same thing with Hal. 'Cause you don't think you deserve him. And you know what?" She leaned closer. "You're right."

She chuckled spitefully and Grace began to grind her teeth together.

"You know, I used to think about your time with Pope," Karen continued with a contemplative look on her face as she positioned herself directly in front of Maggie."Despite all your stories about how they mistreated you, the truth is, I think you felt more comfortable with them than you have with anyone else in your whole pathetic life".

Maggie glared at her. "You don't know me."

"I think I do," smirked Karen. "And you know what? Maybe that life with Pope and his gang? Maybe that's the life you really deserve."

"That's enough," snapped Grace, coming forward. "I'm sick of you manipulating everyone, trying to get under everyone's skin. This is where it ends. You're leaving here one way or another, before you can do any more harm."

"And here comes Grace Mason riding in on her white horse," scoffed Karen, turning towards Grace. "The Second Mass' own warrior princess. No one's good enough for the Masons, are they? God forbid Hal or Ben make their own decisions or be on anyone's side except yours." She shook her head, looking at Grace with disdain. "One day those boys are going to see you for the egotistical control-freak you really are and leave you behind."

Grace's nostrils flared, her lip curling.

"Maybe you're the one who causes harm, Grace," Karen continued mercilessly. "Maybe you should ask yourself why so many people die around you…your mother, Uncle Scott, Jimmy…all those people at Fitchburg."

Grace froze. "What?"

"How else did you think the skitters knew where you were?" asked Karen smugly. "You told them."

Grace swallowed, her expression hardening. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I was on that ship, Grace. I saw what they did to people. What they put in people. It was quite clever really. Using humans to spy on their own people."

"You're lying! They didn't do anything to me."

Karen shrugged. "You've never felt quite yourself though, have you? Since you walked off the airship. Maybe you've had weird dreams? Visions?"

Grace's breath hitched in her throat. She remembered the vision she saw of her dad in the woods, back before Fitchburg burned to the ground. The image had felt so real it was enough to cause her to fall off her bike. Could she have done something and not remembered it?

"That's it."

As Maggie cocked her gun, Karen - in a flash - kicked up against the wall and flipped over her. Maggie let off a shot that hit the wall and as she spun around to face Karen, the girl forced the gun out of her hand and grabbed her.

Grace gasped, snapping out of her terrible thoughts. She raised her gun to shoot Karen, but the girl spun Maggie in front of her before pushing her into Grace and causing them to both fall to the floor.

Before they could recover, Karen had picked Maggie up over her head and thrown her into the wall so forcefully that a huge chunk of plaster broke off as Maggie smashed to the ground.

"Maggie!" Grace cried, breathing fast as she crawled to pick up Maggie's gun. As her fingers brushed the grip of the revolver, Karen's foot stomped on her wrist, causing Grace to howl in pain and release the weapon.

"You can't protect everyone, Grace," snarled Karen, increasing her weight on Grace's wrist. "You're not a hero. You're nothing."

Grace's hand was numb, her arm beginning to feel heavy and weak as she helplessly swiped at Karen's leg with her other arm. She glanced over at Maggie by the wall, who was lying weakly on her back, gasping and choking. Grace realised with horror that she was bleeding, her stitches torn open. Instinctively, Grace used her free arm to reach for the knife in her boot - but it was gone. She must have forgotten it in Casey's room when she took her boots off to sleep.

Screw it. She leaned her face towards Karen's shin and bit as hard as she could. The girl screamed and leapt backwards, releasing Grace's hand. As Grace scuttled towards the gun, Karen's foot suddenly battered her in the face, forcing her on her back. She looked around, panicked. Grace had lost both guns and Karen was coming at her with full force.

Karen picked her up by the neck, raising her high and squeezing. Grace gagged and choked, her hands instinctively grabbing for her throat as she fought for air. And then she started kicking. She kicked Karen in the stomach as hard as she could and sent her into the table behind her. Grace dropped to her knees, wheezing and coughing. Now she really wanted to hurt Karen. If she wasn't leaving without a fight, then a fight she would have.

"Bitch," Grace croaked, getting to her feet. She charged at Karen, but Karen caught her and easily threw her back onto the floor.

"Face it, Grace," panted Karen, looking down at her. "I'm stronger than you. Just give up. You've already got so many people hurt. Who will be next, huh? One of your little brothers?"

Grace, breathing heavily, used all her force to swipe her leg and trip Karen up. The girl gasped, hitting her head on the bed frame as she went down. Then Grace pinned her, knowing that with her alien strength, Karen would knock her off in no time. But it felt good to have the upper hand if just for a moment. She put her fingers around Karen's throat and squeezed, hoping it would at least disorientate her.

It seemed to work as Karen's eyes widened in fear and she let out a choked scream. Grace could feel the vibrations from her vocal chords against her fingers as it encouraged her to squeeze harder before Karen could recover. She felt like an animal, her teeth bearing, fighting for survival against a stronger predator. She had to strike while she could before the tables were turned.

"Grace?"

The voice snapped her out of her trance. She released Karen and saw Ben standing in the doorway with a look of disbelief.

"Ben, I…"

"What are you doing?"

"They tried to kill me," Karen coughed, squirming away from Grace. "They both came in here and threatened me!"

Ben's face was a picture of shock and confusion, and then he saw Maggie on the other side of the room, barely conscious. He knelt down to check her pulse. "What happened?"

"I had to defend myself," cried Karen, wiping the blood from her head. "I had no choice!"

"She's lying!" insisted Grace, scowling at Karen.

"So you didn't come in here to threaten her?" said Ben, getting back to his feet and looking at Grace with disappointment.

She hesitated. "We were just trying to get her to leave us alone, then she hurt Maggie."

"They came in here with guns, Ben!" Karen weeped, hugging herself. "No one here will ever trust us."

Ben stared at her for a long second. He appeared to be deciding something. "We're not safe here," he agreed, extending his hand out to Karen.

Grace shook her head vigorously as she watched Ben pull Karen up. "What? Ben, no. Don't listen to her. You're safe with us."

"And how long before someone attacks me like you attacked her?" Ben barked at her. "As long as we are the way we are, we'll never be accepted here."

"Where will we be safe?" Karen sniffed behind him.

"I know a place," Ben said to her. "But we'll have to leave here now."

Karen nodded, grabbing her jacket from the bed.

"No! You're not going anywhere!" Grace told him, still breathing hard.

"Yes we are," Ben said through gritted teeth. He was angry, yet calm, as if he was mostly just disappointed. "And you're not going to follow us, because that means letting Maggie bleed out."

Grace looked over at the poor girl laid out on the ground, her eyes closed, blood leaking from her stomach. She didn't have long.

"So you take care of Maggie, and don't worry about us, okay? We'll be fine."

"Ben…" she watched as Ben and Karen headed for the door. Karen was already half-way down the corridor and Ben was lingering by the door, indicating towards Maggie.

"Help her," he told Grace, before following Karen out of the room.

Grace let out an anguished huff. She wanted to follow Ben, to grab him, keep him here and away from Karen - but he was right. If she followed him, she would be leaving Maggie to die. And she couldn't do that. She knelt down beside Maggie and screamed for help as she tried to stop the blood flowing.

Save Maggie now; save Ben later. If it wasn't too late.