“This way,” Aiden gasped.
We followed silently as he took a sharp right; he darted through someone’s yard before stopping at the edge of the woods. I stared out at the dark parking lot before us. Dread filled me at the thought of running out there. We would be exposed, vulnerable.
Aiden and Cade dropped the equipment they had been carrying. They shuffled between each other, muttering softly, and then a small flashlight clicked on. “Aiden!” I hissed.
His mahogany eyes were dark, piercing as he gazed at me over the beam. I was pinned by that stare, frozen within its desperate depths. “Do you want to use this crap or not!?” he demanded.
I bit my bottom lip as I finally turned back to the hungry fire. Above the tree line I could make out the angry glow of the flames. We had gained some time, but there was too much kindling and fuel in between the fire, and us, to think that it had been much. We had an hour, maybe two, before those flames came far too close for my liking.
“Why are there only four tanks?”
My head snapped around at Jenna’s question. I strained to see into the box that Cade had been carrying, hoping that I had missed something, hoping that fear had caused me to lose my ability to count right. One, two, three, four… No, no, there had to be more. One, two, three, four…
But no matter how I turned that box, no matter how I twisted it in my head, I still only saw four tanks within it. “They were the only ones,” Cade said softly.
“I saw at least ten tanks in that store!” Jenna retorted fiercely, terror causing her bitchier side to reemerge in front of Bret. But then again, I was feeling pretty damn terrified and bitchy right now too.
Cade’s dark eyes were piercing; Jenna recoiled slightly from him as he leveled her with his hard gaze. “They were the only ones with oxygen in them,” Cade elaborated.
My heart plummeted; my legs suddenly became so weak I could hardly stand. I slumped to the ground, despair filling me, tears burning my already burning eyes. The ash was not as thick here, but it would be soon. I stared out at the parking lot toward the glimmering, beckoning ocean beyond. There were still some boats floating out there, bobbing silently on the small waves that lapped against them. They taunted me with their presence; they would be so useful right now. One of them could save us. But to climb on one, start it up, and use it would be certain death. We were trapped, stuck, and staring at the things that could rescue us.
“What are we going to do?” Abby breathed.
“Share them,” Molly answered simply as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
I swallowed heavily at the suggestion. It was such a long swim to be sharing tanks, especially when most of us didn’t have a clue as to what we were doing. I turned to Cade, trying not to give way to my panic. His eyes burned into mine. Though he wasn’t within reach, I could feel the soothing caress of his presence on my raw soul. Simply looking at him gave me strength.
“Is that possible?” Jenna squeaked.
“It’s going to have to be,” Molly muttered her attention riveted upon the contents of the box as she pawed through it.
I watched with growing unease as she began to pull things out and lay them neatly upon the ground.
CHAPTER 17
I felt like swamp thing/idiot as I walked/wobbled toward the edge of the water. I also felt completely exposed. It was only a brief moment that we would be in the open, only a brief moment in which there was a chance we would be spotted, but that moment was far too big for my liking.
We had avoided the parking lot area, moving further down the shoreline to a more secluded spot. It was a long distance to the mainland from here, but we had all opted for a longer swim rather than longer exposure time. Molly, as the only one with experience, was the only one with her own tank. It would be better if she possessed it and was able to help out if something went wrong, or someone panicked. Molly and Aiden were also the only ones with compasses.
I glanced at Cade, my eyes lingering upon the rope tying us together, tying all of us together, except for Molly. She would need to be free if something went wrong and her help was needed. I didn’t like this, not one bit. Though the ocean was vast and wide open, I could already feel a growing sense of panic at being trapped beneath its rolling waves.
Aiden and Abby had been paired together in the front; Bret and Jenna were behind them, and finally Cade and I. Cade had the tank strapped to his back, though I had a feeling that he would try and force me to take the mouthpiece far more often than I would need it. I only hoped he didn’t hurt himself in the process.
Knives had been handed out in case someone got into trouble and had to be cut away. In case they had to be sacrificed. I didn’t have a knife, but then I wouldn’t have been able to cut the rope and sacrifice anyone, no matter what happened. I shuddered at the thought, shifting the bag of guns on my back as fear trickled through me. The weight of the guns was reassuring. They had been divided into three water proof bags and given to the three of us without tanks.
I wasn’t too confident in this plan, but it was all we had. It had taken a half an hour for Molly to explain everything to us as quickly, and as well, as she could. It had been another half an hour before we found this secluded backyard. The fire was encroaching; small pops and bursts continued to fill the air. The falling ash was becoming thicker again. Dawn was only hours away. We didn’t have any time to try and formulate another plan.
I didn’t think there was one anyway.
“Let’s go.”
Molly slipped easily into the water, my entrance was nowhere near as graceful as hers as I flopped, floundered, and fell into the ocean. I was thankful for the wetsuit as the chill of the water hit my cheeks and hands. I inhaled sharply before ducking beneath the waves. Though I was nowhere near lacking in oxygen, my lungs began to burn as panic tried to claim me. Cade was suddenly beside me, I could not see him in the murky water, but his hand grasped hold of my arm before stroking slowly upward.
His presence caused the burning in my lungs to ease slightly. My fear ebbed. I clung to the rope, kicking easily through the water. It had not been long, I knew that, but I felt as if we were making good progress, even if I couldn’t see where the hell we were going. Apparently Molly decided that we were far enough down as she clicked on the light. I could barely see the dim glow, it briefly highlighted Aiden in front of me, and then it was gone as Molly turned it back off. There was a slight shifting in front of me, a small turning toward the right.
Cade was beside me again, I didn’t know what he intended until I felt the press of the mouth piece against my lips. I tasted salt and water as I inhaled deeply, grateful for the fresh surge of oxygen that filled my lungs. His hand pressed lightly over my mouth, looking to soothe me as we continued to slip silently through the sea.
This was going far better than I had anticipated; a fact that only caused my uneasiness to spike. Everything had been so hard until now; I had expected the same thing here. It made me anxious and tense, I was certain that something was going to happen. Cade tried to force me to keep the mouth piece, but I managed to give it back to him. For a brief moment my fingers entwined in his, and then he was taking the air from me.
We made our way through the water, the light would flare briefly every once in awhile before going back out. Subtle adjustments would be made in our direction as Molly read the compass. Three sharp tugs on the line alerted me that we were finally approaching land. Hope and fear shot through me. We were almost out of here, but there was no way to know what awaited us on the other side.
Then suddenly I felt it, a rising up of the ocean floor beneath us. We began a steady ascent, swimming upward, heading for land again. What the hell were we going to do if they were awaiting us? Nothing, there would be nothing we could do. We couldn’t get to the guns, we wouldn’t have enough time to flee back into the sea, and even if we did, we wouldn’t have enough oxygen to remain hidden for much longer.
We had done all that we could, now all we could do was
hope that luck stayed on our side. There was a slight shifting to the left; I followed easily along until I felt my head break water. I rose slowly, pulling the mask slightly up as I surveyed the rocky shore. Cade was beside me, his dark hair matted against his forehead, his dark eyes intense. He moved closer to me, his body pressing against mine as I shivered. The air was cold against my wet hair and skin.
“This way,” Molly whispered.
We half swam/walked closer to the shore. Molly pulled her flippers off, tossing them onto the shoreline. The darkness was so complete that I couldn’t see if there was anything waiting for us. I bent low, pulling the flippers off I wiggled my toes in the sand, taking a brief moment to enjoy the simple pleasure.
I could barely breathe as we scrambled onto the shore. We were exposed, vulnerable, out in the open. It was a good fifty feet before we would reach the shelter of the trees. The shore was rocky, rough, and painful beneath my bare feet but there was no way I was stopping to dig our shoes out of the bag on my back.
Cade’s hand wrapped around my upper arm, he propelled me forward. We staggered, slipped, slid, and ran through the sifting sand. I could hardly breathe through the terror constricting my chest. I felt as if we were moving through quicksand.
We were almost to the tree line when light blazed over us. Everything seemed to slow; we were mired on the beach, trapped like rats beneath the glow. Everything around me was completely acute, bright, and vibrant. The air seemed to shimmer. I felt as if I could reach out and touch every particle. In those, the final moments of my life, I felt completely and entirely connected to the world, and the people around me. I could hear and see everything, I could feel the energy of the air, feel the life force that would forever connect me to the ones I loved. Though they were silent, I could almost hear the hum of the engines as one of the ships moved over us.
And then Cade was grabbing hold of me, wrapping his arms around me, and pulling me down beneath him. The earth rushed up to meet me, sand filled my nose and mouth. His hand was reaching in front of me, bronzed in the bright light. I didn’t know what he was doing until I saw the knife. Then, the rope connecting me to Aiden was sliced.
Relief filled me, hope and love bloomed in my chest as I realized he had just freed my brother and sister. They would be able to make it, we never would. We were too far behind, too far away from the sanctuary of the trees.
“Cade…”
“I love you Bethany.”
A sob ripped from me, my fingers dug into the sand. His lips were warm against my cheek, gentle as he caressed me. I turned into him, savoring our last moments together, taking comfort in the solid strength he radiated. I wanted to tell him that I loved him too, that I always had, and always would. The words stuck in my throat though, I couldn’t get them out past the terror encasing me.
“Bethany!” Abby’s screams echoed from the woods. Tears burned my eyes as I watched her struggling against Aiden’s tight hold. “Bethany!” I knew that Aiden would keep her safe. Ever practical, ever stoic Aiden would save Abby because he knew there was no hope for me.
Then another light blazed forth. A moan of agony and despair tore from me as it lit the woods. My siblings weren’t going to be able to escape either. They were as trapped as we were. The aliens had been waiting for us all along.
I was so caught up in my despair that I didn’t immediately recognize the noise that blazed out of the forest, erupted across the beach, and echoed through the night. Then, the sound pierced my foggy, distorted mind. I inhaled sharply, getting a mouthful of sand for my effort, but I didn’t care as gunshots continued to ring out across the beach. Far more gunshots than anything our supply of weapons could have achieved.
I lifted my head, wincing against the barrage of lights that burst from the woods. It was not another ship, but something else entirely. Cade was frozen above me, his muscles taut and hard. And then he was seizing hold of my arm and pulling me to my feet. “Stay low!”
I bent over as I ran forward, struggling through the sand sifting beneath my feet. I could barely see or hear anything over the noise and lights. Cade was beside me, he had ditched the tank from his back. He was reaching out for me when he tripped and fell. For a moment I didn’t understand what had happened, Cade was always so graceful and sure. Then I felt the sharp tug of the rope still binding us.
I cried out as I was pulled roughly back and knocked off my feet. My fingers clawed uselessly at the beach, but there was nothing for me to grab hold of, nothing to stop my violent propulsion backward. I flipped onto my back, horrified to see Cade halfway off the ground. One of those things was wrapped around his waist, tugging him into the air, and toward certain death.
A scream of terror tore from my throat. I lunged at him, trying to grasp hold of his hands as we were pulled backward. My heart hammered, it was not my life and safety that I was concerned with anymore, but his. Another tentacle snaked toward me, but Cade was somehow able to turn and knock it away. I was tugged sharply forward, lifted off the ground and awkwardly thrust back onto my feet. I stumbled, reaching for Cade again, but he was getting further away from me.
“Cade!” I screamed. Jerked roughly forward, I was spun sharply around before being slammed face down onto the beach as the rope joining us was pulled taut. The breath was knocked out of me, I could barely see as stars burst before my eyes. I struggled to clear my vision, spitting sand out as I tried hard to breathe again.
I was pulled toward the shore, drug by the rope binding us. Somehow I managed to flip onto my back once more. Grabbing hold of the rope I tried to dig my feet in, tried to get some kind of leverage as I fought to keep Cade from being torn away from me. My hands caught fire, rope burns tore across my palms, laying them raw, but I refused to let it go.
My feet hit the water; I was plunged in up to my knees. For one brief, horrifying moment, my eyes met Cade’s wide eyed gaze. For one brief, clarifying moment I knew true, and heart stopping, dismay. “Cade.” His name was just a whisper on my lips, a bare breath that even I barely heard, but I knew that he had somehow. I was jerked to my feet again as Cade cut the rope.
A scream of agony and fear swelled up my chest, choked through my throat, and tore out of me. “No!” I wailed as I fell into the ocean. I scrambled to my feet, crashing into the surf, trying to catch Cade as he disappeared from sight.
“No! Caaaaade!!!!”
I was so focused on him that I didn’t see the other tentacle coming at me until it knocked me off my feet.
CHAPTER 18
I didn’t know what happened after that, didn’t know where I was. Hands grasped at me, pulling me from the water, carrying me somewhere. I wasn’t handled roughly, but there was a hurried urgency to the hands that was disconcerting and frightening. I couldn’t quite make sense of anything; I didn’t know where I was. Time came in and out in flashing blurs that left me disoriented and confused.
At times I was certain that no time had passed, at others I felt as if an eternity had slipped by. Yet, through it all I was acutely aware of one fact and one fact alone.
Cade was gone.
He had cut the rope. He had been ripped away. He had been taken by those awful creatures. He was gone. He was probably dead.
In those moments of utter clarity the pain of his loss was so intense that it was all consuming, and debilitating. Agony would flare through me, it would sear me with its intensity and I would once again lose myself to the world of delirium and denial that enshrouded me.
And then one day, I awoke. At first I wanted to return to oblivion, wanted to lose myself to the world of delirium and denial. But I couldn’t. I had to face the facts, I had to face reality. I couldn’t simply curl into a ball and die like a part of me so badly wanted to. It hurt to breathe; my heart was a broken vessel that only served to pump blood through my veins. But it continued to pump, I continued to breathe, and apparently the world was still turning. It was time that I rejoined it.
I found myself in a small room, one that I didn’t rec
ognize, and one that I couldn’t begin to place. I frowned as I stared at the dingy white walls, gray concrete floor, and ceiling fan spinning ever so slowly above me. I was on a metal table; a thin mattress had been placed upon it.
What the hell?
I sat up slowly, wincing as I swung my legs over the side. Pain ran up my left leg, it lanced across my hips and waist. I was wearing a shirt that I didn’t recognize and a lose pair of sweats that were most definitely not mine. I pulled the shirt gingerly up, my mouth dropping slightly as I took in the long red wound marring my skin and the stitches holding it together. Pulling the pants down, I was not surprised to see a bandage covering my hip and upper thigh.
What had happened to me?
My eyebrows drew tightly together as I tried to ponder the answer to that question, but it completely eluded me, as did my location.
Bracing myself I slipped off the table. I winced as pain shot up my left side, but I was able to support my weight. The floor was cool beneath my bare feet as I crept toward the closed door. I bit on my lip, frightened by what I might find on the other side, but I had no choice. I knew Cade was gone, but where was my family? I needed to find them, they might need my help.
Although it was obvious that I had most certainly not been much help lately.
My hand trembled slightly on the knob; I held my breath as I pulled it slowly open. I placed an eye to the crack, peering out on a long, vacant hall. I blinked in surprise, trying to place what was stretching before me, but unable to do so. I shuffled slowly forward, moving past the few closed doors before coming across one that was cracked open. I hesitated, my hand resting against the cool steel as I pushed it slowly open.
My eyes widened in surprise, horror pooled through me as my mouth dropped open. A scream of terror burned its way up my throat; I could hardly breathe through the tight constriction that encased my chest. I had seen many horrible things in my life, but this had to be one of the worst.