CHAPTER 5
“It’s ok Bethany.” I heard him whisper through the haze of shock, memories, and sorrow assaulting me. “It’s ok to cry.”
Those hauntingly familiar words wrenched a soft sob from me. I bowed my head before him as he gently caressed my cheeks. I think he knew where my mind had gone, what memories haunted me now. “You didn’t come back after that night. You didn’t come back then.”
He sighed softly, his forehead resting against mine as his hands pressed tighter to my cheeks. “I couldn’t.” I understood. My fresh agony that night had reopened his barely healed wounds. That night he had come to offer me what comfort he could, but he had been unable to handle giving me anymore. It had been too hard for him. “This time, no matter what, I will come back for you Bethany, I promise. I will always come back for you. But you must stay here, with your sister, with your mother.”
I wanted to argue with him, wanted to fight his decision, but I couldn’t. He pressed something into my hand and closed my fingers gently around it. “I locked the store when we left. If I’m not back in three hours you and Abby are going to have to get your mother back to that room. Bring enough supplies for a week. Yes Bethany, you must do this.” He emphasized in response to my rapid head shaking.
“I can’t. That room.”
He lifted my face and took a step closer to me. “It’s the safest place for now. You need to find something to help you get your mother over there, and you will be ok in that room. It’s not that car Bethany.”
I recoiled from his words, shrinking before him as he struck straight at the heart of the matter. I tried to pull my face free of his grasp, angered and wounded by his words, but he refused to release me. “If they find us we will be trapped in there, cornered like rats.” I managed to stammer in my defense.
“They won’t find you.”
“You can’t know that!” I retorted sharply, struggling to hide my hurt behind my anger.
“No,” he said softly. “I can’t know that, but it is the safest place for all of you right now. I will meet you there if I can’t get back here in time.”
“Cade...”
He kissed me again, silencing my protest with his lips. I sighed against him, letting go of my hurt and anger as relief and pleasure swamped me. This was wonderful, he was wonderful, and I never wanted it to end. But it had to. I didn’t know what any of this meant, but I did know that I couldn’t keep him here. This time I was the one that pulled away. I rested my hands over his strong ones, squeezing them tight before moving away. He had to go; I knew that, he knew that. What neither of us knew was what was going to happen if he did return, or if he didn’t. But he had to leave now, before I couldn’t let him.
“I will come back Bethany,” he vowed
I nodded, managing a weak smile. I watched him move silently out of the room, disappearing swiftly from sight. My heart went with him. Abby moved into the doorway, her dark eyes wide and stunned as she gazed at me. “Well one thing’s for sure,” she said after a long moment of silence.
I licked my lips nervously. My body thrilled at the fact that I could still taste him upon me. Swallowing heavily, I tried to wet my parched throat. My heart thumped with terror and joy. He had to come back, he just had too. “What’s that?” I managed to croak out.
“If Bret isn’t frozen, he’s going to be pretty upset and pissed.”
My mouth parted, I inhaled sharply as shock slammed through me. It was the first time I had thought about Bret in a long time. The first time I’d thought about my wonderful, sweet, loving boyfriend who was nothing but kind and unfailingly faithful to me. How could I possibly have forgotten about him? Guilt and horror filled me; I slumped limply to the bed. I had forgotten about Bret, but if he was still moving, I knew that he had not forgotten about me. Not even for one small second would he have forgotten about me. In fact, if he was still moving I was certain he would be arriving here as soon as he could, with his best friend, my brother.
***
Abby and I struggled to move our mother onto the piece of plywood I had uncovered from behind our decrepit shed. Originally we had wanted to transport her in our old red wagon, but there was no way for us to maneuver it safely and quietly through the woods. The plywood was four feet long and three feet across and it was difficult to get our mother onto it. I hoped that Abby would be able to hold up her end; she was strong for her size, but not used to physical work.
It was going to be a long walk back to the antique store if we didn’t have help.
Tears slid slowly down Abby’s face as she stroked our mother’s hair for a brief moment. I was captivated by the striking similarities between them. Even if our mother was gone forever (a fact I didn’t even want to consider right now), she would live on in Abby far more than she would in Aiden or I.
For as long as I could keep Abby alive, anyway, I realized with a pang of longing. Abby was my responsibility now, and I had to keep her safe, no matter what happened.
I moved to the window, slowly pulling back the curtain. It was eerily quiet out there. The street lights, on a timer, had come to life a couple hours ago. Almost all of the houses on the street were dark. A few owners had accidently forgotten to turn off lights on their way out the door this morning, or perhaps they had left them on in preparation for their return home tonight. A home that none of them appeared to have come back to. No new ones turned on, none of them turned off. If there were other people out there still moving about, they were keeping their presence’s as secret as we were.
It was so lonely, so dark and frightening out there. I shuddered, trying hard not to let my fear show to Abby. “It’s been an hour,” Abby said softly.
“He’ll come back.” I replied more for my benefit than for hers. “Stay here Abby.”
She bolted from the bed, staggering toward me. “Where are you going?”
“I need to pack some things. Just stay away from the windows.”
“Bethany…”
I left the room before she could protest further. I felt bad leaving her there, but I needed some time alone to think, and attempt to sort this whole mess out. Not like that was going to be possible. I made my way swiftly to the bedroom that Abby and I shared. Whereas I was a complete neat freak, Abby was the exact opposite. It was difficult to make out the mess of clothes on the floor by her bed, or avoid tripping over them. I had not seen or heard any movement for hours, but I felt as if the slightest noise would be heard all the way to the moon if I made it.
I dug out my school backpack and dumped the contents on the bed. For the first time I did not bother to place them neatly. There was no need; I did not think I would be returning either here, or to school. I quickly gathered my clothes, shoving them into the backpack along with shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. I wished that I could pack more, but I had to keep things as light as possible, especially without being able to drive anywhere. I grabbed Abby’s backpack and began to shove clothes inside for her. I knew she would want to pack her own things, and would take an excruciatingly long time to do so. I was nipping that little problem in the bud right now.
I carried both backpacks, with their meager contents, out to the hall where I placed them by the door for later. I moved swiftly downstairs, feeling my way through the dark. Creeping into the kitchen I pulled a trash bag from beneath the sink. I packed only a few perishables. We would have to eat them right away, but I wanted to bring as much food as possible and there was not much in the way of canned goods. I topped the bag off with paper plates, spoons, and forks before tossing in a can opener. From the pantry I pulled a case of water out before grabbing some Gatorade and a few sodas. In the end I put the sodas back, Abby would want them, but they would only weigh the plywood down more.
I placed the bag by the backdoor. Pressing my hand longingly against the glass, I stared out at the silent night. Thankfully the moon was not bright tonight, but the stars shone in the sky, lighting the darkness. For a brief moment I allowed myself to
dream of the time before the aliens had come, a time when I had looked to the sky and wondered if there was anything else out there.
I wished that question had never been answered.
At first they had seemed peaceful, eager to help us, happy to impart their wisdom. But after the beginning peace, and shared advances, things began to change. It started slowly, with a few rights stripped away here and there. It had been so slow in fact that we hadn’t truly noticed their losses until it had been too late. Weapons were barred, to promote peace amongst us all. The aliens claimed that they did not possess weapons, or at least not ones they were willing to show us at that time. It was obvious now that their weapons were far more twisted and deadly than anything we ever could have imagined, or possessed.
Then our cell phones were done away with. It was odd not to have the device strapped to me all the time, but the towers were taken down because the aliens claimed that they did, in fact, cause cancer and other health problems. Our government had believed them; apparently they’d had evidence of the fact. Airplanes were banned next; their danger to the alien spacecrafts, and to human life, was the explanation behind that one. We travelled in alien space craft’s when it was necessary, but it wasn’t often they allowed humans on board. It was mostly government officials, powerful businessmen, certain wealthy, and some famous people that were allowed on the smaller alien ships. The transition was eagerly accepted by some, but a growing dissent had started to move throughout.
However, it was too late to stop the rapid acceleration that was taking place. The internet was next, they did not offer a reason for this, there was no need to anymore as they methodically took everything over and shut it down. Vehicles and driving had been banned last week, and it was at this point in time that most people began to realize that we were separated from the rest of the world, cut off from the towns next to us even.
It was too late by then. We had nothing left, they had taken it all, and we had allowed them to do it. And now they had come for our lives. They were sweeping through our streets, literally sucking the life from people. I shuddered, my hand pressed tighter to the glass. I wanted Cade back; I had to know that he was ok. I wished that Aiden was here, that I knew if my brother was safe.
I needed Bret also, what I had done with Cade was awful, but I did love Bret. He was impossible not to love. He was so open and honest and caring that there were times when I thought he was too good to be true, but he was. Times when I felt like less of a person because I knew I was not as good as he was, and that I never could be. I was withdrawn; I was adrift in the world with little idea of where I wanted to go, even before all of this had occurred, and I could be very cynical. I knew the world was a cold, cruel place that was just waiting to strike the ones we loved down. But Bret did not see it that way. He saw it as something good and wondrous, something bright and beautiful. He saw it as something to be treasured and enjoyed every day.
Bret was a true joy to me, an amazing man that I couldn’t begin to fathom, and wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to. Someone like Bret shouldn’t be figured out; he should only be enjoyed and cherished. And I did cherish him, even if his kisses didn’t cause the same heart stopping physical need, and yearning, that Cade’s did. Even if I had never felt completely understood and accepted by Bret. At least not in the same strange way that Cade seemed to understand and accept me. Bret thought I could be better; he tried in subtle and not so subtle ways to change my reserved nature. It was strange to realize that Cade seemed to accept me for me, seemed to believe that I was already stronger and more capable than I believed myself to be. He had more faith in me than anyone I had ever known before and it humbled and awed me.
An aching sadness began to fill me. If Bret was frozen then there was a good possibility that his light would be taken from this world. That would be one of the greatest losses this planet would ever know. Yet, if he wasn’t frozen, there was the distinct possibility that he would not emerge from this the same. That his inherent goodness would be tarnished by the evil threatening us now. If he knew about my feelings for Cade, and what had just passed between us, a part of him would be broken.
He trusted me completely, loved me unconditionally, and with an open honesty I hadn’t been sure I deserved even before I kissed Cade. Now I was certain that I didn’t deserve it. Bret could never know; I could never hurt him in such a way, or allow him to be hurt so badly. I had always known I was not the wonderful person Bret believed me to be, but he didn’t need to know just how awful I really was. Not yet anyway. He would find out soon enough, if he was still moving. Bret would finally see the darkness in me; he would finally acknowledge that I was not the perfect person he thought I was. I just hoped it didn’t destroy him.
I moved away from the window. I hated the stars now, despised their mocking wonder and brilliance. The stars had held their own secrets, but they had been horrible secrets that they’d spewed upon us in waves of hatred and death. I wondered if the rest of the world was sharing in this horrendous experience, or if the aliens were moving slowly. Perhaps they were methodically taking over the world one town at a time until it was completely theirs. I felt that it was more than likely that it was the whole world at once. They wouldn’t want to take the chance of others finding out what was going on, and finding some way to stop them.
If there was any way to stop them.
There was no way to know what was going on elsewhere though, no way for us to establish contact outside of this town, without leaving it. I had no idea how we would get our mother that far if it ended up just being Abigail and I. That was a problem I’d tackle if we came to it though.
Moving slowly through the kitchen, I avoided the table as I made my way back to the hall. I had just stepped out of the room when a light flashed over the back door. I froze, my heart hammering, my adrenaline pulsing rapidly through my body as I stood breathless and shaking. The light moved rapidly over the backdoor, bouncing around the room. At first I thought it was the beam from a flashlight, that either the aliens or some idiot was making their way through the woods behind our home. And then I realized that it was one of their smaller spaceships, one of the ones that I had only seen twice before. They were usually docked within the larger ships, hidden away. But when they had emerged they’d darted about with an easy grace that had been mesmerizing and stunning. The smaller ships had been purposely brought forth in order to show the government, and the people, the dexterity and speed that they possessed. They had been brought out as a way to gain trust, as a promise of brighter futures for all of us. Brighter futures that had turned out to be nothing but lies.
And now one of them was on the move again, but this time it was not whimsical and fascinating. This time it was terrifying. Nothing good could come from its sudden appearance. I slipped further into the shadow of the stairs, stunned by this sudden development. I didn’t think for a moment that they might be moving on already. Instinctively I knew that they wouldn’t leave until they made sure they had all of the people, and blood, they could gather.
The lights danced around the room, flashing off the countertops, floor, and table. It seemed as if they were trying to search for us within the house. But that was crazy. There was no way that they could know we were here. They couldn’t. Or could they?
I shuddered at the thought, my heart pounded as my throat went dry. Cade was out there somewhere, unprotected and vulnerable to the searching lights. I took another step back and then froze as I realized the lights were also bouncing across the front windows, filling the living room and hall. I couldn’t move, there was nowhere for me to go, no way to escape the increasingly frantic bounce and sway of the lights.
The silence was unnerving, profound. I could hear the frantic staccato of my heart as it hammered against my ribs. I didn’t breathe, I wasn’t sure I could draw air into my constricted chest. I stared at the roof above me, praying that Abby was away from the lights, that she didn’t attempt to go near a window. I loved her dearly, but sometimes she didn?
??t think through the consequences of her actions. I hoped that this was not one of those times.
I remained still as stone as the lights flashed over the house and me. The ships were moving far slower than they had during their exhibitions. What the hell were they doing?
And then, the screaming began.
CHAPTER 6
I bolted forward, racing down the hall as panic spurted through me. I completely forgot about the lights, completely forgot about my own safety as fear for Abby consumed me. I grasped hold of the banister and leapt up the stairs two at a time. My foot caught one of the steps wrong causing me to fall awkwardly. I scrambled to grasp hold of the banister; it was the only thing that kept me from tumbling over backwards down the stairs. Pain lanced through my knees and hands as I fell hard, but Abby’s endless screams drove me swiftly back to my feet.
“Abby! Abby!” I raced down the hall, fighting against the blinding lights flashing rapidly over my stunned eyes. I felt like I was in a hideously bad horror movie as I lifted my hands to try and fend off some of the intense light. Abby’s screams continued, rising and falling as her terror and fear pounded throughout the house. I plunged down the hall, no longer caring about the noise I made as I ran. It didn’t matter anyway; they already knew we were here.
I slammed off of a table in the hallway, knocking it over with a clattering bang. It skidded a few feet away; I had to jump over it as it tumbled down the hall. Abby’s cries abruptly broke off; the ensuing quiet was far worse than her screams had been. Light flooded my mother’s room as I burst through the doorway. I stumbled, fell, jumped back to my feet before stumbling back again and slamming into the bedroom wall.
I flattened against the wall, I couldn’t move; my eyes were wide with horror, my heart was in my throat as I took in the awful sight before me. It wasn’t us that the aliens were looking for, but our mother. That thing, that awful tentacle thing was in the room. It was moving up and down in a searching pattern as it slid across the floor toward where our mother still sat upon the plywood.