A couple hours after the telepathic encounter, Rachel was still a bit shaken. A code? What code? What was he talking about? He must've been crazy. Or she was finally starting to lose it. Without telling anyone, she decided to go on a much needed walk around the Glen to think. She never really had time to see the whole of it. She'd been busy with the Leaders, trying to decide what she could do to "do her part." 

She entered the dark, mysterious forest that was on the East side of the Glen. Before the Sun went out, it might've been a nice place with lots of sunshine, Rachel hoped. She trod deeper into it and tiny crosses caught her eye. She approached them cautiously just as she heard a blood-curdling scream. Her head whipped around and she ran towards the sound. The source of the sound had come from the Glen. It was a Marie... heading straight toward her! She dodged her and ran for the open, praying to God that she wouldn't trip. She screamed as the enraged girl took her down by the heels. Rachel struggled against her attacker. The girl turned her around and pinned her shoulders with her feet. She was infected! In broad daylight? Marie began beating her furiously.

"It's you! You did this to us! You and-and that boy!" she screamed. A crowd had gathered. They were all stunned. Rachel was pinned, she couldn't do anything. Her face was swelling, she could feel it. One eye was almost completely shut by the time Harriet and Sonya pushed through the crowd. Sonya tried to grab Rachel but Marie refused her. Harriet was about done with her, so she knocked her out with the wooden end of a garden hoe. Sonya, then, was successful in helping Rachel up. She collapsed onto Sonya and blacked out.

~~~~*~~~~

When she woke up, she was in the Medical house, on one of their scratchy beds. She looked up and saw Aris leaning on the door post, watching her.

You look good. he telepathically said to her with a smile.

"C'mon, man. I still haven't mastered that telepathy thing." She rested her head on the rough pillow. She could see out of both eyes now. The rest of her face probably looked horrendous. She got out of the bed and walked to the sink and washed her face.

"I look that bad, huh?" she chuckled.

"Maybe." he smiled.

"So you can talk?" she said as she dried her face, gently patting it so that she wouldn't activate the pain from the small black and purple circles on her face. He shrugged as she sat cris-cross on the edge of the bed. Her face turned grave as she wanted answers. "So, the code. What is that about? Is it in the ground, in the houses? Where is it? What will we do once we have it?"

"Hey, hey. Calm down. I know it's crazy." He straightened. "I don't understand it either-"

"You don't?!" She basically jumped off the bed. "You're the one that told me about it! How could you not understand!" She winced in pain. Her face felt like it was on fire. She covered her face in her hands and sat back down. "Sorry." Was all she could conjure up. It took a few minutes to get her bearings. Aris waited patiently. Rachel inhaled and held it. Exhaling, she said this, "Okay. Just... Just tell me what you know."