I managed to raise a tremulous arm and point in the direction of where the stairs were. He took an abrupt right as he headed for the door. Holding me up, he pulled the door open. The stairs were hidden amongst the shadows but neither Aiden nor I turn on the light on. We strained not to fall down the steep steps as we felt our way along the wall. We were halfway down when I vomited.
I simply couldn’t hold it in anymore. The awful screams, sights, and sounds haunted my every movement.
Aiden leaned against the wall as he held me against his chest and rubbed my hair. I was shaking, on the verge of vomiting again when Bret stepped into the stairwell followed rapidly 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 stumbled up a few steps before tripping and falling to my knees. “Wait!”
“Bethy.”
“Let go of me!” I nearly screeched when Aiden wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me toward him. “I can’t be here! Aiden, let go of me!”
He didn’t let me go; instead he pulled me further down the stairs. Bret and Cade followed behind as I tussled 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 harsh 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. Not all of it was from that creature either. 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 been stuffed like a fat tick, ripe with all the blood of the people we knew.
“Where is the room?” Bret asked.
Cade strode toward the back wall. There was a harshness to him that I hadn't noticed before, a coldness that left me almost as shaken as the bloodbath we had just witnessed. I thought I might throw up again.
My head was spinning; I was going to vomit again. I wondered briefly if the blow to my head had been worse than I'd thought. I heard Abby’s gasp of fear, relief filled me as unconsciousness 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 had to get out of here. My head throbbed dully but the nausea had subsided and I felt much better than I had before passing out.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I found the switch for the door and pushed it open. I stumbled out and managed to catch myself before I crashed into something. I turned back to the people within the room. 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. Cade was the farthest away, sitting with his back against the wall and his chin on his chest. Bret was close to where I'd 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 carefully closed. I crept up the stairs, being far stealthier than I had ever thought I could be. But then again, there was a lot I'd 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 a sliver, I stuck my eye against the crack as I strained 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; at least the world had been frozen overnight.
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 blonde hair was a tangled mess and I thought I might have to cut it off. There was a bruise forming on one side of my face, it took up most of my cheek. The freckles that speckled my face appeared to have disappeared beneath the bruise so that I was only half-freckled now. It was a disconcerting effect, but one that I found fascinating.
Beneath the bruise was a jagged slice about three inches in length. I touched it tenderly, wincing as pain lanced through the area where the creature had struck me. It was ugly looking but it wouldn't leave a scar and it was far better than the alternative. Even with the bruise I wasn't completely hideous, I wasn't stunning or perfectly manicured like Jenna, but I wasn't awful either. My features weren't elfin like Abby's but they were proportioned well enough for my face.
If I was better at placing my feet I probably wouldn't feel as awkward as I always did. My mother had always assured me I would grow into my body, but it hadn't happened yet.
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. My lip curled as I washed the blood splatters from the basin.
I felt marginally better afterwards, but not much. I yearned for the backpacks full of toothpaste and clothes that had been abandoned at my house. I would have killed for a hairbrush and conditioner as I worked to remove 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.
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 to enjoy its soothing warmth, and reassuring presence. The world continued to turn and some form of life would go on, even if it wasn’t human.
My hand trembled as I pulled one of the slats on the blinds down. I peered cautiously out at the unnaturally still street. Even creepier 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 at the harsh whisper. Releasing the blind I turned as Cade stepped out of the cellar. His eyes narrowed in displeasure, his full lips compressed into a severe 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. “What are you doing?”