Ravenous (Book 1 The Ravening Series) (12 page)

   I simply couldn’t hold it in anymore. The awful scream
s, sights, and sounds haunted my every moment.

   Aiden paused, leaning against the wall as he held me against his chest, gently rubbing my hair. I was shaking, on the verge of vomiting again when Bret stepped into the stairwell
followed swiftly by Cade. I pulled away from Aiden as I leapt forward, scrambling to try and get back out as Cade started to close the door. “No, wait!” I gasped, stumbling up a few steps. “Wait!”

   “Bethy.”

   “Let go of me!” I nearly screeched when Aiden wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back toward him. Panic was clawing at me, tearing through me in unending waves of horror. “I can’t be here! Aiden, let
go
of me!”

   He didn’t let me go
; instead he pulled me further down the stairs, dragging me into the darkness. Bret and Cade followed slowly behind as I struggled within Aiden’s grasp and then went limp. Cade found the cord and pulled the switch on the light. I ducked my head, unable to look; my eyes were still wounded from the bright light of earlier. I blinked rapidly as I tried to focus my gaze.

   I was covered in blood, some of it was mine. Most of it wasn’t
. And not all of it was from that creature. I wanted to deny that fact, but I couldn’t. I knew deep in my heart that most of the blood was from my neighbors, my friends. That thing had exploded like a fat tick, ripe with all the blood of the people we knew. 

  “
Bethy you’re safe, be glad.” I couldn’t be glad; there was no way that I could ever be glad again. I barely knew how to breathe anymore, let alone be happy I was still breathing.

  
Aiden was practically carrying me now. “Where is the room?” Bret asked softly.

   Cade was suddenly before us, his eyes dark and distant. There was
a hardness to him that I had not noticed before, a coldness that left me almost as shaken as the bloodbath we had just witnessed. I thought I might throw up again.

   I was stumbling
, staggering, my head was spinning. I heard Abby’s gasp of fear, relief filled me as darkness descended over me.  

***

   I didn’t know what time it was when I woke up. I did know that everyone else in the room was sound asleep, and I needed to get the hell out of here. I was silent as I stood; I tried hard to control the frantic beat of my heart, and the rising panic trying to claim me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found the switch for the door and pushed on it.

   The door swung slowly
open. I stumbled into the darkness, managing to catch myself before I crashed into something. I turned back, staring at the people within the room, my friends, my family. Abby was curled against Aiden; she looked even younger and far more vulnerable in her sleep. Jenna was in a ball; her head rested on one of the old blankets that had been draped over a crate within the room. Cade was further in the back, sitting with his back against the wall, his chin on his chest. It was obvious he had fallen asleep while trying to keep watch. Bret was close to where I had been sleeping, I think he had been even closer to me, but had rolled away in his sleep.

  
I took one last look at them before I slid the door silently closed. I crept slowly up the stairs, being far quieter than I had ever thought I could be. But then again, there was a lot that I had done this day that I hadn’t thought I ever would, or could, do. I had never dreamed I would fire a gun, let alone help to kill something with it.

   Opening the door just a sliver, I stuck my eye against t
he crack as I struggled to see anything. My ears strained as I searched for noise. I felt brave enough, and secure enough, to open the door a little further before slipping completely out of the cellar. Sunlight filtered through the blinds, another day had risen; the world still turned, and I was still in hell.

   The first thing I
looked for was the bathroom, which I found in a small room behind the counter. I was horrified by the blood that streaked my face. My blue eyes were shadowed by dark circles; my long hair was a tangled mess I was half afraid I would have to cut off. There was a dark bruise forming on one side of my face, it took up most of my cheek. Beneath the bruise was a jagged slice about three inches long. I touched it tenderly, wincing as pain lanced through the area where the creature had struck me.

  
I turned the water on, and to the best of my ability, scrubbed the blood from my face and arms before ducking my head to wash as much of the blood out of my hair as I could. The water ran red and the sink was a mess by the time I was done. Fresh nausea turned through my stomach as I washed the blood splatters from the basin. I was able to keep from throwing up this time though.

  
I felt marginally better afterwards, but not much. I longed for the backpacks full of toothpaste and clothes that had been abandoned at my house. I longed for a hairbrush and conditioner as I struggled to unknot the tangles with my fingers. It took awhile, and I ripped out a lot of hair in the process, but I finally managed to get most of it unknotted.

  
Sighing softly, I made my way to the front of the store. The blinds were still drawn, but the sun crept in around the edges of them. I inhaled deeply, taking a moment of joy in its soothing warmth, and reassuring presence. All hell had broken lose, the world continued to turn, some form of life would go on. Even if it wasn’t human.

  
My hand trembled as I reached forward and pulled one of the slats down. I peered cautiously out at the street. It was eerily quiet out there. Even eerier were the things left behind. Bicycles, papers, coffee cups, wallets, purses, and even shoes were scattered about the street, with other possessions, like discarded causalities of war. There were no bodies out there though, there were no people left at all.

   I shuddered as
I stared at the desolate scene. It almost seemed as if it might be safe to go outside again. I knew it wasn’t. I may not be able to see them right now, but they were out there. Somewhere. But we couldn’t stay here forever either. We would eventually have to move, they would find us if we didn’t.

   Or maybe they wouldn’t…

   “Bethany.” I jumped slightly at the hissed whisper. Releasing the blind I turned as Cade stepped out of the cellar. His eyes narrowed in displeasure, his full lips compressed into a tight line. The blood that had coated him last night was gone, and now that I thought of it, I realized that they had all been cleaner than me. They must have washed themselves after I had passed out last night. “What are you doing?”

   “All of the people are gone.”

   “If you don’t take better care of yourself you’ll be gone too,” he muttered so quietly that I almost didn’t catch it all.

   “I’ve been taking care of myself for awhile now,” I retorted, trying hard not to lose my patience. I had thought that he was different than Bret, that he had a little more confidence
in me. Apparently I was wrong.

   His
midnight eyes raked me; his dark eyebrows drew sharply together. Then, his face relaxed slightly and a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. It was so very rare to see him smile that I had forgotten how sweet and melting it could be. He moved slowly toward me. Reaching behind me he pulled the blind apart to peer outside. My heart kicked up a beat; I could feel the blood rushing through my ears as it tripped eagerly along. His arm was near my head, the heat of his body pressed against me as he took a step closer.

   His gaze came slowly back to me as he released the blind. I stared silently up at him, hoping that he wouldn’t kiss me again
. Praying that he would. “I know you can take care of yourself, but wandering around alone isn’t safe. For anyone.”

   I swallowed heavily and managed a nod. “I didn’t want to be in that room.”

   “I know.”

   “Where did you get the guns?”

   Those onyx eyes were on me again, gleaming beautifully in the dim light. “I’ve been collecting them for awhile now.”

   I swallowed heavily, nodding slowly. I had hated driving in cars for a long time after my father
was killed; it had been torture for me. Cade‘s parents had been killed in a home invasion, it seemed he had been trying to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again. I had dealt with my fear of cars by exposing myself to short rides that became gradually longer over time. I had never grown completely comfortable with them, but at least I was able to stay in them for a half an hour or so now. Cade had dealt with his fear by stockpiling guns.

   “How did you get them?”

   His mouth quirked slightly. “You can get anything you want if you have enough money, and know the right people.”

   “And you know the right people?” I retorted, slightly annoyed by his offhanded manner.

   “Yes. Or at least I did.”

   I nodded slowly, of course he would. That’s who he was
after all. He had always been mysterious, always been whispered about. Rumors of dangerous and illegal activities ran rampant about him, everyone had eagerly gossiped about what they thought he was up to. Apparently at least some of it had been true.

   “But the aliens…”

   “Can’t take what they can’t find.”

   “That’s why you had to go back to your house.”

   “Yes.”       

   I didn’t know what
to say to that, what to do. I was out of words and he was so tantalizingly close to me. I wanted him to kiss me, wanted him to do something, but I could hear Bret’s words echoing in my ears. He loved me, and Cade was a puzzle that I didn’t understand. I was completely confused and I didn’t know how to figure it all out.

   And then
Cade was closer to me, over me. He was all that I could see or think about. His hand was on my cheek, in my wet hair. I felt my mouth part involuntarily. My head was telling me that this was a bad idea, that this was wrong. My heart didn’t care. All I wanted was to feel his soft, wonderful lips again. His scent engulfed me. It was sharper than it had been yesterday, his own odor more potent, his cologne not as strong, but it was still wonderful. A creak on the stairs caused him to pull swiftly away. Disappointment filled me, I felt unsatisfied, lost. I wanted more.

   The door opened and Bret stepped out from the cellar, he glanced questioningly at Cade before focusing his attention on me.
“Are you ok?”

   I smiled wanly at him as I nodded slowly.
“Fine.”

   His gaze traveled slowly back to Cade before returning to the window. “Are they out there?”

   “Not right now,” Cade responded. “But they will be.”

   “They’ll come in here.”
   “Yes.”
   I shuddered, my hands dug into my arms as I clung to them. “We need to figure out a plan then.”

   Cade said nothing. What was there to say? I turned back to him, feeling lost and hopeless. It was not Cade that came forward to console me though, but Bret. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight against his chest. Though there wasn’t a whole lot of excitement in his arms, there was a sense of comfort
and rightness that was undeniable. Bret loved me, I loved him. Maybe I didn’t love him the same way that he loved me, but it was still love. Or maybe I did love him in the same way, and this strange attraction toward Cade was just clouding my judgment.

   Either way, I didn’t have the time to figure it all out
and wasn’t entirely sure that I cared to. There were far more important things to worry about now. “Where are your parents?” I inquired softly, tilting my head back to look up at him.

   His jaw clenched, his eyes became sad as he shook his head. “My father is one of them. I thought…” He swallowed heavily
and cleared his throat. “I thought we’d be able to get back to him after we checked on you and Abby. I didn’t know; I would have brought him.”

   I rested a comforting hand over his, hating the anguish that radiated from him. I could already sense
his bright light growing dimmer and I hated it. “It’s not your fault,” I assured him.

   He nodded. “My mother wasn’t home, but I assume that she is probably like them also. It seems most people are.” He said the words, but there was hope still within his gaze. “I wish I’d left a note or something just in case, I really thought we’d be able to make it back.”

   There was nothing I could say to that, no reassurances I could give him. “The others are awake, we should go back down,” Cade said softly.

   I stiffened as Bret tried to lead me toward the stairs. Like a stubborn child I could feel my heels digging into the floor in
an attempt to stop his forward momentum. “Wait.” He stopped, frowning as he looked down at me. His clear green eyes were narrowed with worry. “We should stay up here, we’re trapped down there.”
   “We’re trapped up here too. They might not be able to find us down there, and you need to eat.”

   “We won’t know if they come
in and we’re down there!” I protested hotly. I hated the unreasonable panic already beginning to build in my chest at the mere thought of going down there again. I cursed this weakness, and cursed my susceptibility to it.