Thirteen
I started toward the window, but Jamie grabbed my arm. At the same moment, Nick held up his palm to stop me.
“They’re just cutting through the yard,” Nick said. “I wonder if they’re stationed nearby.”
I followed his eyes as they moved over to Maggie. She didn’t seem to be paying any attention to what was happening at that moment. Maggie was more wrapped up in what was happening inside her brain.
“We really need to think about leaving soon,” Nick said, his voice pillow soft, and his eyes glued to mine. “They’re gone.”
Nick stepped away from the window and started to pace. I could feel Jamie’s body tensing with every passing second.
“Instead of going back out there to look for weapons, how about we check the other apartments,” Nick said stopping his feet. He clasped his hands behind his back and rocked back on his heels. “Someone in here must have something.”
“It’s possible,” Bronx said, nodding.
“Sounds safer,” Jamie said glancing toward the window. “At least a little.”
Nick clapped his hands together, shoving them in his pockets when the sharp noise echoed in the corner of the quiet room.
“There are a few hours of day left, should we go see what we can find?” Nick asked his eyes firmly placed on Bronx.
“Sure,” Bronx said straightening his spine. “Let’s go.”
It was clear I wasn’t invited, which was fine because I didn’t want to go. I’d had enough excitement for one day.
It wasn’t long after they were gone I felt the tension finally leave my body. At least part of the tightness in my muscles could have been blamed on Nick.
I sat at my kitchen table, snacking on crackers while Blair and Jamie sat in the living room. Blair flipped through an old magazine and Jamie was twisting his fingers as he kept an eye on Maggie.
Each bite I took seemed to thunder through the room, but if the others heard it, they made no mention of it. I pushed the crackers away, put my elbow on the table and rested my head down on my fist.
The room was silent except for the occasional rustling of the magazine pages. I started reading the nutritional value on the cracker box for the sixth time.
Both my mind and body were tired, but I wanted to wait for Nick and Bronx to return before excusing myself to my room. The daylight seemed to be vanishing quicker than it had the other days and when I heard the distant rumble of thunder, I knew why.
I walked over to the window and watched the clouds as they rolled in. Maybe the storm would help with the temperature although I was certain my apartment would be stuffy for as long as we were all packed inside.
With the vanishing light, Nick and Bronx would probably be back soon. They wouldn’t be able to get much searching done in the darkness.
Jamie caught my eye as I looked toward the door, and I wondered if he’d had the same thought. With every passing second, I was expecting their knock, but it didn’t happen.
Jamie got up and lit the candles. The light danced across his face as he looked into my eyes from only a few feet away.
“They should be back by now,” his voice thick with worry.
Blair looked up suddenly interested… and concerned.
“Should you go look for them?” Blair asked. “He is your brother.”
“What? No,” Jamie said shaking his head. “That’s a terrible idea. No one is leaving this apartment.”
There was a long silence. Blair didn’t look away from Jamie, her expression unreadable.
“They can take care of themselves,” Jamie said stepping to the side. “Excuse me.”
He walked into the kitchen and turned his back to us. I turned and smiled at Blair.
“He’s right. My brother can definitely take care of himself,” I said, but my eyes narrowed awkwardly.
He hadn’t always been able to take care of himself, but he’d always been strong. And that was mostly what I was referring to because if anything went wrong, he’d find a way to survive.
Lightning struck nearby, and the entire building shook. The floor continued to vibrate as if the strike had caused an earthquake.
Once the light was gone Nick and Bronx wouldn’t be able to see well enough to even make their way back. They wouldn’t even attempt it.
The only thing we could do was wait.
“I’m going to try to get some sleep,” I announced. My sentence punctuated by a bolt of lightning in the distance.
“I can’t believe you aren’t worried,” Blair said, the light caught her judging eyes.
“Who said I’m not worried?” I said standing, trying to keep my hands relaxed even though they wanted to tighten into white-knuckled fists. I opened my mouth to say more but quickly snapped it shut.
I didn’t care what Blair thought of me. She didn’t know anything about me or my brother.
“They’ll be back in the morning,” I said through my teeth. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jamie watching me. He looked like he was worried he’d have to break up a fight. “That’s safer for them than trying to find their way around in the pitch black of the hallways. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
I turned on my heel and darted into my room without waiting for a response. Not that she was going to make one, but if she did, I didn’t want to hear it.
I wanted to close my door to block her from my view, but with my brother and Bronx missing, I couldn’t. Not tonight.
Maybe they’d find a flashlight.
Maybe they’d find their way back, and if they did, I wanted to hear them. I wanted to be able to let them in.
Rain tapped against my window, and instead of soothing me like it used to, it prickled my nerves. I kept picturing the men in masks down in the yard looking up toward the window. I’d only see them when the lightning flashed.
A shiver ran through my body. The candle from the other room didn’t offer my bedroom much light. I hated the dark. Always had.
A shadow stepped through my doorway, and for a minute it felt as though my heart had stopped. When I realized it was Jamie, it started pumping once again.
“You can come in,” I said when he didn’t move.
“Thanks, I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said standing at the edge of the bed near my feet. “That was a little heated out there.”
I tilted my head to the side and twisted my hair between my fingers. “It was? Didn’t notice.”
“Right,” Jamie said with a chuckle.
“I shouldn’t let her get on my nerves,” I said keeping my voice low.
“She’s good at that,” Jamie said. Even in the darkness, it looked as though he wished he could take back his words. There was a long pause before he spoke again. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I’ll stay up, you know, just in case.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to do that. I doubt I’ll be able to get any sleep anyway.”
“That worried?”
“An amount.” I let out a sigh. “Things are weird with Nick and me, but he’s my brother.”
The light caught Jamie’s half-grin. “I was an only child.”
I looked up at him and gave him a smile. For some reason, I didn’t want him to leave my room. I didn’t want him to leave me alone.
“Well, I should probably get back out there,” Jamie said.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, but it was the opposite of what I really wanted to say. I felt better when Jamie was next to me.
“Good night, Gwen,” he said tapping his knuckle on the door frame before exiting my room.
A sharp exhale escaped as he walked away. “Good night.”
Fourteen
When morning came I yawned so hard it pulled a muscle in my neck. My head shot up, and I dug my fingertips into my skin trying to ease away the pain.
I hadn’t slept much during the night, and now that there was some light I was sure it wouldn’t be long before Nick and Bronx returned. In fact, it was a little odd they
hadn’t already made their way back. Perhaps the hallways were darker with only the windows at the far ends.
Someone was moving around in the kitchen, but I couldn’t quite see who it was. Rather than have to be face to face with Blair, I waited.
My stomach grumbled. With each new day, my appetite returned more and more. I was pretty sure with how often the others snacked the same had been true for them. There would be more food in the other apartments, but at some point, food might become an issue.
My grandma would have some stored up. She loved to can, not to mention she always had cans of soup and other things she’d buy in bulk. She always said she wanted to make sure she had enough in case she couldn’t get into town. This probably hadn’t been what she meant.
It had been days since the attack and still there hadn’t been any signs of help. Maybe things out there were more widespread than I imagined. Maybe help really wasn’t coming.
“Morning,” Jamie said passing by my door. “Saw you were awake.”
“Yeah, just woke up,” I lied.
Jamie’s lips curled into a frown. “They’re not back yet.”
“Oh, yeah I figured someone would have woke me if they’d returned,” I said.
Jamie nodded. “Maybe I should go look for them. I mean they’re somewhere inside the building, right?”
“No, you shouldn’t. They’ll be back,” I said forcing a smile. “And if something happened, I wouldn’t want it to happen to you too.”
Jamie hesitated and then nodded as he returned a smile. “Want something to eat?”
“Definitely.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stretched my arms over my head. Jamie’s eyes were on me but turned away when I looked his way. “Let me change, and then I’ll be out.”
He nodded and left the room. I looked out of the door before softly closing it behind him.
Maggie had been lying on the floor in the exact same position she’d been in when I’d gone to bed. Blair was in the kitchen wiping the countertop with a paper towel as she snacked on something.
I grabbed a clean t-shirt and jeans from my dresser and dressed quickly. If Nick and Bronx came back, I wanted to be ready.
When I opened my bedroom door, I was hoping to see them standing there, but of course, they weren’t there. Blair stepped out of the kitchen and flopped down on the chair, picking up the same magazine she’d flipped through at least seven times.
I walked over to the window and stood next to Jamie. His chin jerked toward the sky.
“I think it’s clearing,” Jamie said.
The redness did seem as though it had changed. It was like a bright sunset, only it wouldn’t turn into night.
“I wonder if it’ll happen again,” I muttered.
“What?” Jamie asked.
“Another attack.”
Jamie stared at me. “Why would they? They probably think they already wiped everyone out.”
“Maybe they’ll find out they didn’t.”
“I guess, but maybe they’ll be happy with the massive amount of damage they’ve already done.” Jamie ran his hand through his messy hair. “It could be like this everywhere.”
Blair stepped up behind us and placed her hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “Try to stay positive. You’re always so negative. They’re probably organizing help right now.”
“If help were coming, it would have been here by now,” Jamie said.
“That’s not true. They’d need to make sure they didn’t get contaminated.” Blair’s eyes widened. “Oh! Maybe we’re in quarantine! Like in the movies.”
Jamie shook his head. “If that were the case they’d probably try to get a message to us.”
“How would they do that without cell phones?” Blair said scrunching up her nose.
“I don’t know they’d find a way,” Jamie said.
A quiet noise somewhere in the hallway made us all turn toward the door. Nick and Bronx must have been making their way back to the room.
I tiptoed across the floor and placed my palms against the door as I leaned forward to look out of the peephole. My breathing slowed as I watched for them to step into view.
I blinked several times, waiting and listening. After a long pause, a man in a mask slowly walked past the door.
His eyes were forward. There wasn’t anything special about my door that drew his attention, he just kept walking.
It felt like I couldn’t breathe. I was frozen in place hoping no one in the apartment would make a noise. Praying to God that Maggie didn’t have another panic attack.
When the man was out of my view, a second one made his way past. They walked slowly and softly, but they didn’t seem worried about what might be waiting on the other side of the doors.
My heart was racing. I slowly turned and looked at the others over my shoulder holding my shaking index finger to my lips.
There was no doubt they could tell something was wrong.
I turned back to the peephole afraid the bones in my neck might creak too loudly. My eye drew closer to the peephole.
I covered my mouth with my hand when I saw the masked man staring at my door. The doorknob jiggled.
He couldn’t see me. There was no way he could see me.
“What about this one?” he asked.
Faint mumbles made their way through the door, but I couldn’t make out what he’d been told. The man leaned closer to the door, but then backed up and turned down the hall in the same direction the other two had gone.
I closed my eyes, but other than that I didn’t move a muscle. There was no way to tell where they were… maybe they were still out there, or maybe they’d gone.
I’d probably held my position for at least ten minutes when I heard someone behind me. Jamie was standing there looking at me, worry pouring out of his eyes.
My lip quivered, and I leaned toward him, pressing my cheek against his chest. I was about to pull away, embarrassed at my reaction when his arms wrapped around me and squeezed me tighter to him.
I pulled back and looked up at him, his eyes locked with mine. After I blinked, his gaze shifted down toward my lips. His head inched closer, but when I saw Blair waving over his shoulder, I pulled back.
The concern in Jamie’s eyes changed to confusion. I jerked my chin toward Blair who was pointing toward the window.
Jamie’s comforting arms fell away, and he turned toward the window. I followed as he made his way closer.
He leaned forward peeking out at the side of the window, and I looked out the other side. Down in the yard were the three men with gas masks walking away from the building.
“Jesus,” I said sucking in a deep breath. My lungs had craved a full breath. I pointed at my apartment door. “They were out there. In the hall. Right outside our door.”
Maggie perked up slightly.
“What were they doing?” Blair asked.
“No idea,” I said shaking my head. “He was right on the other side of our door, turning the knob, then he walked away.”
“Are they gone?” Maggie asked sounding almost as if she were intoxicated. I glanced at her pill bottle on the floor near her and wondered if she’d taken more than she’d been prescribed.
“Yeah, they’re gone,” Jamie said.
Blair wrapped her arms around her middle. “What if they come back? I wish your brother and Bronx were here. I feel a lot safer with them around.”
It took everything I had not to roll my eyes at her. If Jamie was offended by her remark, he gave no indication.
“Well?” Blair asked tapping her foot. I looked down at it, and she stopped the noise.
“Well, what?” I asked.
She shook her head from side to side. “What if they come back?”
“I… I don’t know,” I said swallowing hard.
Blair cocked her head to the side. “That’s why I wish your brother was here.”
I turned away from her before I found my words. Telling her where to go wasn’t going to do any of us any good
.
It wasn’t like Nick had the answers. The only thing he had was a gun, and that probably wasn’t going to beat out the three masked men who were more heavily armed than he was.
There was always a chance that the men in gas masks didn’t care about us. Yes, it had seemed as though they’d shot that other man but he hadn’t looked well. Maybe they’d put him out of his misery.
Not that it was their choice to make. I nervously combed my fingers through my hair.
There was always the chance the men would do something if they found us. One thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t want to find out.
My body shook when someone pounded on the door. None of us moved.
Fifteen
Jamie and I stared at one another afraid of what was on the other side of the door. Whoever was out there pounded again, harder… desperate.
The men in masks hadn’t knocked. They’d turned the knob and tried to come inside.
I soundlessly dashed across the floor and pressed my face to the door. Nick and Bronx were out there each looking down opposite ends of the hall.
I unlocked the door and pulled it open. They both practically fell into the room, breathing heavily.
“Are you okay?” I said bending over, placing my hands on Nick.
“We’re fine,” Nick said holding up his hand. “We’re… fine.”
“Where were you?” I asked, looking back and forth between the two men. “What happened?”
Nick stood and wiped the sweat off his brow. “Those fuckers happened.”
“They’ll be back too,” Bronx added.
I shook my head.
“They’re working to clear out every apartment in the building. Bringing stuff back to their base,” Nick said. “We overheard them talking when we were hiding.”
“What took you so long to get back?” I asked.
Nick huffed. “They worked until it was dark. Left with their flashlights. We couldn’t even attempt to come back here, and then they were back at it before we could leave.”
“The only reason we’re here now is because they decided to take a break,” Bronx said. “They’re clearing the first floor, and then I’m sure they’ll come up here.”
The Red Sky Series Box Set Page 8