“Abby? Bethany?”
I jumped slightly, spinning in the direction the voice had come from. “Aiden?” I whispered in surprise.
He stepped out from behind a tree, his eyes wide as he stared at us in shock. I knew we looked awful. Our clothes were caked with muck; Abby’s delicate features were streaked and coated with dirt and slime. Her dark brown hair was now black, and a tangled rats nest. Jenna’s strawberry hair was also far darker; she’d placed it into a braid before going into the dump so it was not the tangled mess that Abby’s and mine was. My own honey hued hair was a dark, snarled, filthy brown.
No wonder Aiden was having a hard time recognizing us beneath the layers of filth.
I couldn’t stop the smile that spread over my face at the blessed sight of him. He still appeared slightly singed, or shocked, from whatever had happened to him on the bridge. His light hair was standing up, and burn marks marred the fair skin of his arms. But he was cleaner than we were, and I was certain he smelled far better.
Abby let out a delighted cry and raced toward him. Aiden grinned brightly at her as he held out his arms to receive her. I followed behind her, but by the time I reached them, Aiden was already pulling back, a disgusted look on his face. “Holy crap Abby you smell awful!” he gasped.
I halted in midstride, unable to stop the burst of laughter that bubbled out of me. He turned toward me, holding his arms out. “I don’t smell any better,” I assured him.
“I don’t care.”
My laughter ceased as I stepped into his warm, welcoming embrace. Though he was brave enough to hug me, it did not last long, and Abby and I left a sludge mark on the front of his shirt. “Are you ok?” I asked softly.
“Yes.”
“Bret, Molly?” My voice squeaked, I could barely breathe as I awaited his answer.
Aiden grinned at me. “They’re fine,” he assured me. “Bret’s on the road across from the gas station, Molly’s on the road next to it keeping watch for you guys.”
Cade and Jenna had edged closer, but remained slightly behind us. “What happened?” Jenna asked quietly.
Aiden’s eyes darkened, anger and sadness crept over his features. “I don’t really know; we were almost to the bridge when all hell broke loose.” His gaze moved away from us, he seemed to be focusing on something that neither of us could see. “That guy that was with us, he was in the front. When that light hit him...” Aiden’s voice grew taut; a slight tremor shimmered through him. “The edges of the light seemed to set him on fire, from the inside out.”
My heart was hammering, my mouth dry with horror as he uttered the words inside out. Instinctively I sought out Cade and seized hold of his hand. “The fire actually came from his mouth.” Aiden shuddered; his eyes came back to us. “I could feel it creeping up inside of me. I could feel it licking against my organs, burning its way through me. Thankfully, whereas the others had been trapped by the light, we were not far enough into it to be completely ensnared by it. The three of us were able to break free, able to run. I didn’t even know where we were until we reached the other side of the IHOP.”
Abby threw herself back into his arms, clinging tightly to him. I released Cade as I made my way to them, wrapping my arms around them both. “Thank God you’re ok,” I whispered.
“You too,” he said with a small smile. “And from the looks of you it doesn’t seem like you had a very easy time of it.”
“It was awful,” Abby agreed.
“Let’s go find the others and you can tell us all about it. We’ve found a place to stay for the past couple of days. I’ll take you there before going to retrieve them.”
***
The shower had been lukewarm by the time I got to it, but I didn’t care, it was still wonderful. I scrubbed myself so ferociously that my skin was red and chapped by the time I was done. I lathered conditioner into my hair hoping that it would help untangle the horrific mess my hair had become.
We had managed to dig up some clothes upon entering the basement apartment, but they were all men’s clothes. I didn’t care; I would rather have walked around nude then put my disgusting dump clothes back on again. My old clothes were sitting in a trash bag now, but I could still smell them. Either that or the stench really had permeated my skin forever. Just the thought made me scrub myself again, it was becoming painful to do so, but I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted the smell to go away.
Wanting to save at least some warm water for Cade, I finally tore myself away from the spray of the shower. I dressed in the loose fitting tee and oversized pants. Using a belt I cinched the waist and rolled the bottom of the jeans up. It took me a long time, a lot of hair, and a lot of wincing and cursing, but I was finally able to untangle my hair so that it fell around my shoulders and back again.
I didn’t pick up the trash bag with my clothes in it; I couldn’t bring myself to touch it, but opened up the door and kicked it out. Much like a soccer ball, I bounced it back and forth between my feet as I made my way down the dark hall before kicking it next to the other two bags sitting by the bulkhead in the small galley kitchen. There was no stove but a hotplate sat next to the microwave. The apartment was sparse; it seemed as if a college student had lived here. I didn’t know if the home above had been his parents, but the entrance into the house had been blocked off. The bulkhead was the only way in or out.
The basement had no windows, but we had only turned on one light upon entering. The light was in the far back, in a small living room with a battered sofa and a ratty armchair that looked entirely inviting. I slumped into the chair, surprised by how comfortable it was considering that stuffing was popping out of the arms. Cade slipped down the hall, moving swiftly toward the shower.
I drew my legs up onto the seat, closed my eyes, and passed out.
I didn’t know how much time had passed when I woke up again. It was impossible to tell time in the windowless room. My legs were cramped, my neck ached from sleeping at such an awkward angle, but I felt better than I had earlier. “You’re awake.”
I started, blinking slightly in surprise. I hadn’t realized that Bret was on the couch until he had spoken. I winced as my legs protested against me straightening them and my neck screamed in twisted agony, but I was slowly able to unravel myself from my cramped position. “I didn’t see you there. Where is everyone?”
“Bedroom down the hall. How are you?”
I swallowed heavily. His tone sounded off, dull, flat. There was something wrong, and I was afraid I already knew what it was. I had been an idiot to fall asleep before I’d had a chance to talk to him; it seemed as if Jenna had beaten me to it. “Ok.”
“From what Abby said it sounded like you guys had a rough time out there.”
“It could have been worse. Far worse.”
I tried to make him out on the couch, but it was too dark in the room. There was definitely something off about him, but I wasn’t sure if Jenna had talked to him, or if he was just as exhausted as the rest of us. I swallowed heavily. If Jenna hadn’t spoken to him, then I had to now. There was no point in dragging this out, no reason to cause him more pain than I was already going to. I couldn’t keep up this charade, and I had a feeling that Cade wouldn’t allow it to continue for much longer. If I didn’t do something, I was certain Cade would.
The couch groaned slightly as he stood up and came slowly toward me in the dark. Guilt and self hatred flooded me as he knelt before me and took hold of my hands. I wanted to pull my hands away, but he leaned forward and kissed me before I could react. My head spun, I wanted to recoil from him, but I couldn’t bring myself to be that cruel. Bret didn’t deserve that, he didn’t deserve any of this. There was no spark in the kiss, no desire, but it was comforting, familiar, and sweet. I allowed him to kiss me for a moment longer before I slowly pulled away from him.
“I’m glad you’re safe Bethany, and that you’re here. With me.”
“Bret…”
“We can get through this, together. We can get th
rough anything together.”
His hands were tight on mine, squeezing more firmly as he leaned closer. I swallowed heavily, unsure how to proceed. I had never dealt with anything like this before. “Bret, we need to talk.”
“You had a rough time out there.”
“We all did.”
“Sometimes things happen…” I frowned at him, my eyebrows drawing tightly together. Had Jenna talked to him, or had he picked up on a strange vibe from Cade and I? Either way, it seemed as if he was determined not to hear what I had to say, or to rationalize it away.
“Did you speak to Jenna?’
“Jenna? No why?”
I hedged, uncertain how to proceed. He must have picked up on something between Cade and I; or perhaps Cade had said something after I’d fallen asleep. “Bret there’s something we need to talk about. Did Cade…”
His hands tightened on mine, he leaned closer. “We don’t have to talk about him. When people are frightened, or stressed, they do things that they normally wouldn’t do.”
“Bret…”
“It’s ok Bethany; things will go back to normal now. Or at least as normal as they can be under the circumstances.”
I didn’t know what to say to him, I could barely breathe through the anguish clenching my chest. I had known Bret most of my life, he was a good person. He was a wonderful person. It was me that was awful, and wrong and hurtful. I clasped both of his hands tightly in mine. I knew what had to be done, but maybe it didn’t have to be done right now. It was obvious that he didn’t want it to be right now, obvious that he was clinging to the hope that we would be fine. There wasn’t much that I could give him, but I could give him that at least. Couldn’t I?
Movement caught my attention. My eyes snapped toward the doorway, widening slightly as I spotted Cade. I didn’t know long he had been standing there, but if he hadn’t moved I never would have noticed him. It seemed as if he was a part of the shadows, he blended seamlessly in with the darkness. I watched him for a long moment, amazed and slightly unnerved by the way the shadows embraced him so completely.
I pulled back, unable to stop myself as Bret leaned forward to kiss me again. Pain flashed through his eyes, his hands clenched upon mine as he sat back on his heels. I couldn’t look at either of them as I untangled my hands from Bret’s grasp and rose slowly. My back protested the movement as I stretched my cramped muscles, but it felt good to move again.
I blinked against the harsh flare of light as Cade flipped the switch. Anger flashed across Bret’s features when he spotted Cade leaning in the doorway. “What do you want?” Bret demanded.
Apparently Bret had decided to take all of his anger out on Cade, instead of me. Cade lifted a dark eyebrow; wry amusement flitted over his handsome features. Under the amusement though was a seething mass of tension and anger. This was a situation that was going to have to be resolved, soon, or it was going to get ugly. It never should have gotten to this point to begin with.
And it was entirely my fault.
“You know what I want, or at least who,” Cade drawled.
My mouth dropped, my hands clenched tightly on my arms as I stared at him in utter disbelief. I couldn’t believe he had just said that. “Son of a bitch!” Bret snarled.
I seized hold of Bret’s arm as he took an angry step forward. He looked about ready to beat the crap out of Cade, but Cade remained standing nonchalantly in the doorway. He didn’t appear at all fazed by Bret’s anger though Bret was a good thirty pounds heavier, and two inches taller. “I just thought that all the cards should be on the table, so there is no confusion about what my intentions are.” I could only stand there and continue to gape at Cade as his gaze burned over me. “I know what I want, and now you do too.”
Bret was shaking in my grip, his hands fisted at his sides. I was trembling from the effects of Cade’s sizzling look, and from the words he had just uttered. I was frightened, heartbroken, and torn. “Don’t do this now,” I managed to whisper. Bret didn’t relax in my grasp, but his gaze did come slowly toward me. The betrayal and anger in his eyes made me want to cry. “Bret, I’m sorry, I really am. I didn’t mean for this to happen, I never meant to hurt you, it’s the last thing in the world I ever…”
I gasped in surprise as he knocked my hand aside and jerked his arm from my gasp. Cade’s casual demeanor vanished as he came away from the door. Anger darkened his features; his eyes were ice cold with fury. My heart leapt into my throat, I darted in between them, throwing up my hands to halt Cade’s approach.
“You want to take this out on someone then take it out on me!” Cade snarled. His rage was so volatile, so intense, that it caused the hair on the nape of my neck to stand up. It didn’t matter if Bret was bigger; in that moment I was certain that Cade might just kill him. “Not her, me.”
Before I knew what Cade intended he seized hold of my hand with surprising tenderness, considering the enraged look on his face, and began to rub it. “Its fine, I’m fine,” I managed to stammer out. His eyes came slowly toward me; they crinkled at the edges as his gaze softened slightly. My hand clenched around his, I could not stop the immediate physical and emotional reaction that surged through me.
“What’s going on?” I had been so caught up in everything that I hadn’t noticed Aiden’s appearance in the room. His hair was rumpled from sleep, his eyes were slightly swollen, but there was a keen edge in his gaze that was slightly unnerving. “Are you ok?” he demanded of me, his attention honing in on Cade’s hands on mine.
“I’m fine. Everything’s fine,” I managed to reassure him.
He glanced at Bret, then at Cade, before finally settling on me again. Cade had been his friend once, but that had been years ago. Bret was his best friend now; I knew where Aiden’s loyalties would lie. I didn’t want him put in the middle of this. “Better be,” he said softly. “Abby, Molly, and Jenna are awake too.”
“Good, we need to figure out what we are going to do.”
“Didn’t Bret tell you?”
I glanced back at Bret, but he wouldn’t look at me, his gaze was focused on the far wall. His jaw was locked tight, his arms folded over his broad chest. I ached for the hurt I saw in him. Swallowing heavily I turned my attention back to Aiden. “No,” I said softly.
“The rental store down the road does have scuba gear.”
I frowned in confusion. “But you said that was a bad idea.”
“It’s the only one we have now. The fact that we have to get to the mainland has not changed Bethany. We can’t stay on this side. They’ll find us.” My hand tightened around Cade’s, I needed his strength. I knew I should let go of him, knew that I was only hurting Bret more, but I couldn’t bring myself to release him. I was a truly awful person. Cade’s hands wrapped around my arms, he pulled me a small step closer to him, his attention still half on Bret as he listened to Aiden. “We have to do something Bethany.”
Though Aiden was trying to keep his face expressionless, confusion and shock blazed from the eyes rapidly flickering back and forth between the three of us. He focused on me, shook his head, opened his mouth to say something, and then clamped it shut again. He hissed something under his breath, it was so low that I couldn’t make it out, but Cade pulled me even closer to him.
“I know we do,” I muttered.
“It’s getting dark now, we should be going soon.”
I couldn’t wait to get out of this apartment, and to put some space between Cade and Bret. But the thought of being outside again, of being completely exposed to those creatures once more, caused a cold chill to run down my spine.
CHAPTER 16
I turned the scuba tank over in my hands. I had no idea what the hell we were going to do with these damn things. What the hell were we thinking to even attempt this incredibly crazy idea, even if it had been my crazy idea? Drowning was not one of the ways I wanted to go out, but then again neither was getting my blood drained by some crazy freaking spider/tick/octopus/jellyfish like monster.
Both options sucked, but I preferred to give my body over to nature than the aliens any day. “There might be some kind of manual or something around here,” Aiden muttered, biting on his bottom lip as he wandered behind the counter. “A video even.”
“A video?” I inquired dryly.
“DVD maybe.”
I rolled my eyes as I shook my head. Only Aiden would think that he could play a DVD and know what to do, or that there even was a DVD on the basics of scuba diving. But then again, for all I knew, there actually might be one. Abby was holding up a set of flippers, studying them carefully as she flapped them in the air. We had lived on Cape Cod our entire lives, but strangely enough my siblings and I had never donned a set of flippers before.
“We do have Molly,” I reminded him.
Aiden shrugged absently. “Would still like to learn as much as possible beforehand.”
I followed Aiden behind the counter, holding the flashlight for him as he rummaged through the shelves. I didn’t think he had a shot in hell of finding a video, but I didn’t say that to him. I figured he simply needed something to distract him from what we were going to do. “Here’s something.”
“What?” I asked in surprise.
He pulled out a stack of papers and fluttered them in the air. “It’s a manual.” Well that might be helpful, I thought silently. Though, I was pretty sure that reading about scuba diving wasn’t the best way to learn how to do it. It was better than nothing though, that was for sure. He sat back on his heels, flipping through the pages. “It will help.”
He put it on top of the counter as he stood up. Cade and Molly came around from where they had been exploring the back of the store. “There’s a room back there, but it has windows. We either leave tonight for the mainland, or we go back to the apartment,” Cade informed us briskly.