Ravenous (Book 1, The Ravening Series)
Page 11
CHAPTER 10
I staggered through the door of the antique shop. My stomach heaved as I slumped to the floor. I could barely catch my breath; my lungs were on fire as I strained to keep control of my shaking body. I jumped when hands seized hold of me. "It's ok Bethy."
It wasn't ok, both Aiden and I knew that, but I wasn't about to protest. He hauled me to my feet, pulling me beside him as he led me through the store. It was a good thing Aiden was more graceful than I was, I would have knocked everything in the store over if he hadn't been leading me. My stomach rolled again, bile burned the back of my throat but I refused to vomit, I would not lose the meager contents of my stomach here.
"Stairs Bethy, where are the stairs?" he breathed in my ear.
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 turned on the light. 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 the creature either. I wanted to deny that fact, but I couldn't. I knew deep in my heart 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 I hadn't noticed before, a coldness that left me almost as shaken as the bloodbath we’d 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.