Propping myself in the exploded doorway, I took the lighter to both wicks and pulled the pin from the grenade. I tossed them all over my shoulder before rolling to the side and throwing myself out of the open doorway and onto the open pod waiting for me. The breath was knocked from me as I landed on the plastician, a Tintagelian material that was harder than steel and that formed the smaller ships. Sliding inside, I didn't even give the top enough time to close before I hit the evacuation button.
I was thrown back against the seat as the pod exploded off the side of the ship. My hands grasped the control stick, the only other thing within the small container with me as I fumbled to control it. I jerked the stick back as I shot straight into the air. The blistering wind burned my face and eyes before the top finally slid to a complete close. I was just getting control of the pod when a blast rocked through the ship and fire shot out the side of it. I had only a brief second to see the debris racing toward me before the pod spun out of control and my vision was filled with the ocean rushing up to meet me.
Chapter 24
Bethany,
The last of The Seekers coming at us tumbled to the ground with a thud that vibrated the earth beneath my feet. My arm limply fell to my side when flames shot from the side of the ship and a nightmarish grinding noise resonated through the day. I couldn't breathe; my heart was in my throat. Fire and ice seemed to flow through my veins in alternating waves that left me shaken. The already awkwardly tipped ship turned even more in the air as parts of it exploded into the sky and plummeted toward the ocean. I'd already seen the bodies spilling out of it, but even more fell out now as fresh holes appeared in the ship and it began a strange but gradual descent toward the sea.
"They did it," Darnell breathed as more flames erupted from the massive spaceship.
I could only watch in some sort of remote, frozen horror as the first part of the ship plunged into the ocean. "He's ok Bethany, I'm sure he got out. I'm sure he's ok," Bret said as he rested his hand on my shoulder.
"It's over. It has to be over now," Lloyd muttered. "Or nearly over. If they managed to take the ship down it has to be almost over."
For the first time in months I actually saw a glimmer of hope in the young soldier's eyes as he turned toward me. It was that hope that made me smile; that hope that helped to ease the ache in my chest. Hope, Cade had told me once in a dream to keep hold of it no matter what. I'd thought that had been one of the bleakest times of my life, but though I'd lost much more since then, the hope within Lloyd's eyes was something to try and hold onto as desolation and rage threatened to consume me.
"It has to be," I agreed in a choked voice. Bret's hand tightened on my shoulder. I searched the woods even though I knew it was much too soon to expect their return if they had survived. I couldn't tear my gaze from the trees though as I struggled to keep breathing. "We have to find the others, see if there are other creatures out there, if there are any survivors."
"We will," Bret assured me.
"Are you like one of them now?" Lloyd asked as his gaze ran over me.
I frowned as my attention turned to my arms. I hadn't realized that my veins were still filled with black until he spoke. That had never happened to me before Aiden had been killed and I'd attacked that other creature. Apparently though my cells had stabilized, my body had still harbored one more secret.
"Are my eyes black too?" I asked as I tried to will my arms to go back to normal but they remained the same. Panic filled me as I lifted my head to meet Bret's confused gaze.
"No, they're the same."
I turned toward Lloyd. Though he didn't look as if he would like to shoot me, he definitely stared at me like I was something he'd never seen before. "I'm not one of them," I said. "Bishop said my cells had stabilized but I don't know what's going on now."
"It's ok," Bret assured me as he turned me stiffly toward the house. "I know it's difficult but you probably just need to relax Bethany. Let's get you back inside."
"I think I let my control go," I mumbled as I turned my arms over. "They killed Aiden and I lost it and now..."
"You're going to be fine. You just have to calm down."
He propelled me up the steps of the porch and into the shadowed interior of the house. Molly remained at Aiden's side with tears streaming down her cheeks. Jenna was in the corner by the window with Abby, who was still crying as she hugged Jenna. Matt was pale and shaken as he hovered in the doorway with Barney at his feet.
Bishop grabbed hold of my arms and led me away from the doorway. "Lloyd, take the body..."
"No!" Molly and I cried at the same time.
"Bethany, seeing his body is not going to calm you down any. Take some deep breaths, it's the only way you're going to regain control of yourself," Bret said.
"I can't believe they did it," Jenna breathed from the window.
"They'll be back," I whispered. "They have to come back."
"Yes, they'll be back," Bishop assured me. He nodded toward Lloyd and Darnell as he turned me away from the table. "Sit, Bethany."
I grasped my brother's wrist as Lloyd took hold of his shoulders. "You are not taking him yet," I grated through clenched teeth. I had Aiden's body, I had my chance to say goodbye. I may never get that chance with Cade and I wasn't willing to part ways with my brother just yet. "Please, leave him. It's not him causing this."
I closed my eyes as I bent my head and took a deep breath. "It's me," I whispered. "It's me."
Or rather it was the piece of me I was missing. A piece of me I was terrified had just been swallowed by the sea. I thought I would know if something had happened to him but I didn't know anything right now. There was nothing but anger and confusion inside of me, nothing but emptiness and loss.
I opened my eyes and was taken aback by the reflection of a woman I didn't recognize in the mirror behind Molly. The veins in my face were all clearly visible as the black I had seen within Cade seeped through them. I had been taken over and though I'd come to accept the fact that I wasn't completely human nor was I an alien, I was slapped in the face with the realization that I was something new, something different, and I had to get my act together.
I couldn't sit here and wallow in the desolation trying to consume me. It would only make me volatile and though I'd always remained mostly in control, this loss of restraint could get someone hurt. Someone else that I loved and cared for could die, and I could be the one that did it.
I had survived the wreck that had killed my father; I had survived the infusion of Cade's blood in my system, the loss of my mother, and the loss of my brother. If Cade didn't return I would grieve him every day for the rest of my life, I would never again know the peace and joy that only his arms and love could bring to me, but I wasn't alone in this world and I never would be.
I focused my attention on Abby and Jenna. I could feel the iciness that had settled into me after Aiden's death easing away as tears began to spill from my eyes and the blackness slowly receded from my face. My heart felt like it was shattering in a whole new way when my gaze fell upon the open sky outside of the windows and I realized that the ship had been completely consumed by the sea.
The ship had been there for so long now that I'd forgotten how clear and massive the sky could be. How beautiful.
My hand slipped from Aiden's wrist as fresh sobs wracked through me. So much had been lost today and yet so much had been gained. I clung to the hope that one of those gains had been the return of our freedom as Abby enveloped me with her tiny arms and pressed her cheek against mine.
***
After a final count we discovered that nearly a quarter of the compound had been lost to The Seekers, including Cory's mate, Blanche. Greg, Darnell and Arlene supervised the gathering of the bodies as Rosemary tried to comfort the broken Souls and Tintagelians that had been left behind. I knew how they felt as every movement was exhausting, every breath was a struggle, and every heartbeat felt fractured and off beat.
Bishop had taken some people to extra
ct some of the venom The Seekers contained to keep on hand in case we ever came across more of The Frozen Ones again. It was a horrendous way to reawaken them and I thought the odds of finding more of them were slim given the fact that we hadn't encountered any in at least a month, but it was better to have the venom just in case.
I tried not to think about the death and melancholy surrounding me as I concentrated on shoveling dirt from the hole that would hold my brother. Bret worked beside me tirelessly, his head bowed as his bare shoulders bunched and flexed beneath the torchlight that illuminated the night. Sobs resonated throughout and though my chest felt as if someone had punched me repeatedly, I didn't shed any more tears. I wasn't sure there was enough water left in me for tears.
I glanced at the charred forest behind me, but most of the fire had burned itself out and what did still burn had been contained to a small area that others were working to put out now. The acrid scent of smoke and burnt wood clogged my mouth and nostrils making it difficult to breathe.
"How will we know if the other ships leave?"
I didn't know who had asked the question but it was Rosemary that answered. "They'll leave. If The Ancients are dead, they'll leave. They won't know what else to do and they'll be worried that their ships will be the next to go down. By this time tomorrow we'll know."
"The Ancients are dead," I said in a choked voice. "They didn't fail, I know they didn't."
Rosemary's deep brown eyes met mine and she gave a brisk nod. "You're right."
I turned away from her and resumed removing the dirt from my brother's grave. "Do you need a break?" Lloyd asked as he knelt before me.
I shook my head. "No."
My arms and shoulders were becoming increasingly sore but I was scared of what would happen if I stopped. The idea of having nothing to do, or focus on, was overwhelming and petrifying. No matter how sore I was, I wasn't going to stop. It was another hour before the hole was ready and Lloyd helped to pull me from it. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my arm and took a step away from the grave.
Molly and Abby had collected sticks and twigs that they had twisted into the form of a cross. Cloth and ribbons, scavenged from homes, had been twisted delicately into the cross. I was well aware of the fact that the ribbons were Aiden's favorite colors, royal blue and deep green.
Tears spilled down my cheeks as Bret hammered the cross into the ground and Lloyd and Darnell brought Aiden's body forth. Arlene followed behind with a small rock that had Aiden's name, birth date, and date of death scrawled on it in an elegant style that I never could have managed. Arlene placed the rock against the cross and nodded to me as she took a step back.
I took hold of Abby's hand while Aiden was lowered carefully into the ground. Darnell's head bowed as he recited a quick prayer and stepped aside. It wasn't enough, it could never be enough, he deserved so much more than this, I thought as I fought to keep myself together. But even as I thought it I picked up my shovel and began to toss dirt onto the body of my brother. It was more difficult this time as the tears clogging my nose and throat made it almost impossible to breathe.
After the last shovel full of dirt was tossed on the grave I gathered in a group with the others. The compound had been destroyed, but even though our only beds for this night would be the ground, I knew none of us would sleep. Tomorrow, Rosemary had said. Tomorrow we would know if it had all been for nothing, tomorrow we would know if we would have to continue to fight the monsters that had ruined all of our lives.
Though I'd thought that I'd never be able to sleep, exhaustion must have claimed me as my head snapped up sometime later in the night. I didn't know what had awoken me but I rose to my feet as a new sound drifted to me. Footsteps crunched within the woods seconds before Jessica and Craig emerged from the forest. Their hair stuck to their skulls, dirt streaked their faces, and scratches and blood marred their flesh. They looked like they had been run over by a bus, a few times, but they were alive and they were here.
Leo let out a strangled shout and shoved himself to his feet when he spotted Jessica. Cries of joy erupted from both of them as they embraced each other. Jodie leapt to her feet and raced to meet Craig. My heart soared, I frantically searched the woods behind them, but nothing else moved within the shadows.
"The others?" Rosemary asked when their joy over being reunited calmed a little.
I thought my heart was going to explode as I waited to hear what had happened to the others. Leo wiped the tears of joy from Jessica's face before she turned to face us. "Dead."
It felt like the ground had just been yanked out from under my feet. My heart plummeted; I took an unsteady step back as a wail of sorrow erupted from Steve's mate, Leighann. Betty's mate, Art, collapsed; his shoulders shook with the force of his sobs. Unable to support my weight anymore my knees buckled and I slumped to the ground. I pressed my fist against my mouth in order to suppress the scream of sorrow that threatened to erupt from me.
"We were separated from Cade just before the ship exploded. He may have made it into one of the escape pods, but he was the one that lit the last of the bombs. We were already away from the ship when they went off and the explosion..." Jessica's voice trailed off, her eyes met mine as she shook her head sadly. "I don't know what became of him."
All I wanted was for her to stop speaking and I was grateful when she finally did. Abby crawled up to my side and took hold of my hand. "There's still a chance he made it Bethany," she whispered.
"Yes," I forced myself to say. "Yes, there is."
***
My eyes felt like sandpaper as I tilted my head back to study the sky. They were gritty from tears and lack of sleep, but even so joy filled me as I watched the massive spaceship fading further into the distance. They were leaving, they were actually leaving.
Despite the heavy grief and oppression that had encompassed the survivors through the endless night, a loud cheer erupted from the gathered crowd. I couldn't help but shout along with them as fists pumped in the air and people hugged and embraced jubilantly.
Bret was laughing as he lifted me off of my feet and spun me in a circle. I hugged him back before he dropped me to the ground and happily embraced Jenna. There was no time to steady myself before Lloyd grabbed hold of my arm. I studied the soldier while I waited to see what his reaction would be to me. His youthful face split into a broad grin as he bent down and scooped me up.
"I had my doubts about him and you, but I'm glad you both proved them wrong," he declared as he held me close. "Don't lie to me again though."
I took solace in the strength of his arms and the forgiveness that he finally gave. "I won't," I promised.
"We'll always be here for you."
"I know," I whispered. "I'll always be here for you too."
He hugged me again before dropping me down. Darnell scooped me up and pounded my back so forcefully that I could hear the hollow echo of it rolling from my mouth. "I'm sure glad we found that ragtag group of yours!" he shouted in my ear.
I chuckled as I hugged his thick neck. "Me too!"
The large soldier finally placed me back on my feet. I didn't have much time to stay on them though as Bishop embraced me next. "Thank you," I whispered before he could speak. "Thank you for sticking by me, for trying to help me, for being Aiden's friend. Thank you for everything Bishop."
He chuckled as he kissed my cheek. "Thank you for keeping me occupied all this time, even if it was on a wild goose chase. I think I would have driven myself crazy otherwise."
"I think you would have driven us all crazy otherwise," I replied laughingly.
"True!"
He hugged me again and finally lowered me to the ground. I took a staggering step back before I was grabbed by someone else. I was beginning to feel a little dizzy as I was passed from person to person through what remained of our group. Tears of joy and loss slid down my cheeks as I was spun around and hugged by someone else.
My body reacted as if it had been hit by a bolt of electric
ity. All of my cells felt like they were filled with renewed life as they seemed to surge to the front of my body. A strangled cry escaped me, my head tipped back, but I already knew who I would find holding me. Cade's beautiful onyx eyes blazed down at me. His singed black hair was standing on end, there were burn marks and blood on his clothes and skin, but he was the most wonderful thing I'd ever seen.
A smile tugged at his lips. "I'm gone for one day and you're hugging everyone else?"
I couldn't get any words out as I flung my arms around him. My hands rapidly ran over him as I fervently tried to reassure myself that he was real, that I hadn't fallen asleep or was having some sort of hallucination. "Please," I whispered.
"I'm real love." His breath was warm against my ear as he kissed me tenderly. "I'm real."
He was real, he was here. I kissed his neck, chin and cheek before his head bent to mine and he took hold of my mouth. My body tightened and my pulse quickened as heat flowed through me. I allowed myself to drift into the pleasure and bliss that only he could give me. My body melded to his and I tried to pull him even closer, but it could never be close enough and no matter how badly I wanted him to, he couldn't erase the tragedies of yesterday.
He reluctantly pulled away and wiped the tears from my cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "What happened here?" he asked.
"They found us," I managed to get out. "It was... it was awful. Aiden..."
Words failed me as I shook my head. "Oh Bethy," he breathed as he pulled me against his chest and cradled my head.
My fingers curled into his back, I savored in this miracle I had been granted for a second time as he swayed me soothingly back and forth. So much had been lost yesterday and yet so much had been gained today. The emotions coursing through me were confusing and chaotic but for now I simply wanted to celebrate the freedom we had reclaimed and the feel of his warm, solid body against mine.