Life Blood---XXV---Page No 93

their faces with streaks of white, designs like the men in the square were putting on.

"She's going to be all right," Marcelina was saying. "But we
have to get you back now. You'll need your strength."
        I needed it then. My stomach had really begun to gyrate, and
my vision had started growing colored. I noticed I was sweating,
even though the day was cooling down. Actually, I felt as though I
was about to pass out. What had those women fed me?
        It was finally dawning on me that Marcelina's fearfulness back
in the hut had nothing to do with betraying Alex Goddard. It was
because she knew she was betraying me.

Well, damn her, I'm not going to let Alex Goddard win, no matter what.

"Marcelina, please help me. I've got to get Sarah out of here. Now. I don't know what poison drug he's giving her, but he's
driving her insane."

"We'll take care of her," she said. But I could barely make out
the words. They echoed bouncing around in my head.
        "I'm really getting dizzy." I glanced over again at the women
standing by the door. "Please tell me what they—?"
        "The elixir," she said. "For tomorrow at sunup. That's when
you'll see his real power."

I'd begun experiencing white spots before my eyes—and for

some reason I had a vision of the Army Jeeps parked up the hill. I didn't know how the two were connected but in my jumbled
thoughts they seemed to be.

Just get Sarah and get out into the air. Walk, don't think, and you can do it. . .

I pulled her next to me and struggled toward the door, the women studying us, unmoving.

"Morgy, I've missed you so much," Sarah was saying, slipping
her arms around my neck to help herself walk. "I'm . . . I'm ready
to go home."

"I've missed you too." I think my heart was bursting as I urged her on through the stone portico. At last. Had something clicked that freed her from Alex Goddard? Maybe her mind was finally
becoming her own.

When we got outside, the skies were growing ever more

foreboding, storm clouds looming. Steve had been right about the coming rain, but now it seemed the perfect cover for us to just get out. I took a deep breath of the misty air and forced myself to start helping Sarah up the cobblestone path.

"Sar, you can walk, I know you can. Be strong. For both of us.
I'm . . ."

I felt myself sinking slowly to the cold stones of the walkway,
the hard abrasion against my knees, Sarah tumbling forward as I
pulled her down on top of me, Marcelina's arms around me trying
to hold me up. It was the last real sensation I would remember.