Ravenous (Book 1, The Ravening Series)

by Erica Stevens

CHAPTER 24

  We trudged through the woods with our heads bent and our shoulders slumped. I had more bug bites on me than freckles now and I'd given up on trying slapping them away. We had managed to get some sleep, but not much. Jenna had been bitchier than usual for the first hour of our walk. She had finally, and thankfully, grown silent.

  "How much further do you think it is?" Abby asked.

  "Mile, maybe two," Cade answered absently.

  It’s not far, I kept telling myself. An hour at the most, and that was only if the terrain became rough, which I didn't think it would. Or I hoped it wouldn't anyway. There weren't any dumps between us and the gas station at least. I kept my head down, my feet throbbed, my legs were weak but I could make it. We all could.

  Though the trees mostly blocked the sun, the heat of the day had grown oppressive. I was beginning to feel like a wilted dandelion even though a sea breeze stirred the leaves in the trees.

  I was so focused on my misery that I didn't notice Cade had stopped until I bumped into him. He pushed me behind him with his arm as he studied the woods. His body was as taut as a bowstring as it vibrated with tension. I frowned as I glanced around. There were a couple of squirrels sitting in the trees so I didn't think the aliens were near, but something had caught Cade's attention.

  The distinct crack of a twig caused me to jump. Jenna and Abby huddled closer to us. A squirrel dashed through the branches of a tree, creating a small raucous as it leapt into another one before disappearing into the woods. Was it fleeing from approaching aliens or from some other unseen thing?

  "Abby? Bethany?"

  I spun in the direction the voice had come from. "Aiden?" I croaked.

  He stared at us like we were a band of circus performers out for a Sunday stroll in our underwear. I knew we looked awful. Our clothes were caked with muck; Abby's delicate features were streaked with dirt and slime. Her coffee brown hair was now black, and a tangled rats nest. Jenna's strawberry hair was also far darker; she'd placed it into a braid before going into the dump so it wasn't the tangled mess mine and Abby's was. My own honey hued hair was now a snarled, filthy brown.

  No wonder Aiden was having a tough time recognizing us beneath the layers of grime.

  I couldn't stop the smile spreading over my face at the blessed sight of him. He still appeared a little singed, or shocked, from whatever had happened to him on the bridge. His fair hair was standing on end, and burn marks marred the pale skin of his arms, neck and face. But he was cleaner than we were, and I was certain he smelled far better.

  Abby let out a delighted cry and raced toward him. Aiden grinned as he held out his arms to receive her. I followed behind her, but by the time I got to them Aiden's nose was already wrinkled and his lip curled as he pulled back. "Holy crap Abby you smell awful!" he cried.

  I halted in mid-stride, unable to stop my burst of laughter. He turned toward me and held his arms out. "I don't smell any better," I assured him.

  "I don't care."

  My laughter ceased as I stepped into his welcoming embrace. Though he was brave enough to hug me, it didn't last long, and Abby and I left a sludge mark on the front of his shirt. "Are you ok?" I asked.

  "Yes."

  "Bret, Molly?" My voice squeaked, I could barely breathe as I awaited his answer.

  Aiden grinned at me. "They're fine," he assured me. "Bret's on the road across from the gas station, Molly's on the road next to it keeping watch for you guys."

  Cade and Jenna had edged closer, but remained behind us. "What happened?" Jenna asked.

  Aiden's eyes darkened as sadness crept over his features. "I don't really know; we were almost to the bridge when it all just went to shit." His gaze moved away from us, he seemed to be focusing on something neither of us could see. "The guy who was with us, he was in the front. When that light hit him..." Aiden's voice grew taut; a small tremor shimmered through him. "The edges of the light seemed to set him on fire, from the inside out."

  My mouth had gone dry as he uttered the words inside out. Instinctively I sought out Cade and took hold of his hand. "The fire actually came from his mouth." Aiden shuddered; his eyes came back to us. "I could feel it creeping up inside of me. I could feel it licking against my organs, burning its way through me. Thankfully, whereas the others had been trapped by the light, we weren't far enough in to be completely caught up by it. The three of us were able to break free, able to run. I didn't even know where we were until we managed to get to the other side of the IHOP."

  Abby threw herself back into his arms. I released Cade and wrapped my arms around them both. "Thank God you're ok," I whispered.

  "You too," he said with a small smile. "And from the looks of you it doesn't seem like you had a very easy time of it."

  "It was awful," Abby agreed.

  "Let's go find the others and you can tell us all about it. We've found a place to stay for the past couple of days. I'll take you there before going to retrieve them."