The Roar (The Roar Series Book 1)

by A. M. White

  He looked up at me, worry in his face. “Stop,” he ordered. “There is enough out here willing to kill you. I don’t need you doing it for them.”

  “Is it bad?” I wondered. I didn’t want to look. The sight of my own blood staining my shirt made me woozy.

  Cara produced the small bottle and held it to her eyes. “There’s not much left,” she said.

  “Well, let me put it this way, it’s not good,” he announced and poked the area around the wound.

  I flinched, the pressure stung.

  I smacked his hand. “It’s not like I did it on purpose. Give me a break,” I argued.

  Cara broke in, “With this little bit left, I should stitch you up, then use a tiny bit of the cream. I don’t want to run out. We should make camp very soon that way we can get Max’s shoes settled and you stitched up.”

  Max was still waiting on the stump. He chimed in,” And, I can help. Right now, I feel like a metaphorical bump on a log.”

  We all chuckled. He looked so sad but his words were trying to get him through it.

  Timothy picked me up. “Put pressure on it,” he said to me. “I’m going to take Alex down to the platform for camp. I’ll be right back. Keep an eye on my sister, Max.”

  He grinned, “I intend to, don’t you worry.”

  Timothy sneered, “Exactly what I thought you’d say.”

  I nudged him.

  With large strides, he carried me up river. He didn’t run this time.

  “Really, I am sorry. I was just trying to help,” I mumbled.

  “I know, but I can’t stand seeing you hurt,” he relented.

  I snuggled into him. “It’s going to be okay, right?”

  “Yes,” he confirmed, “although it’s going to hurt bad when she stitches you.” He winced.

  “Can’t wait,” I rolled my eyes.

  He came to a place on the shore where the brush thickened all the way down to the water. He made his way up and through the trees.

  On the other side, the rocks were much more prevalent. This seemed like a good place for a shelter to be in the trees. Anyone coming from upriver would be forced to go around the brush. From that direction, yards of rock and a steep embankment would cause a slow and tedious venture.

  One of the trees had a vine hanging from it. Timothy pulled it and it unfurled into a knotted ladder.

  “You are going to have to move to my back and hold on tight. I know it’s going to hurt,” he sympathized.

  I shifted onto his back, groaning through the pain. My side throbbed.

  Timothy clutched the vine tightly and used his legs to push up. He then slid his hands up further and repeated the motion. Finally, we reached the small platform in the tree. Timothy shrugged me to the side and laid me down. He took off his jacket and tucked it around me.

  “Stay put,” he ordered. He kissed me on the cheek and disappeared down the vine.

  I stared at the stars above. I could barely hear him make a sound as he hit the ground or headed back to the others. I kept my hands on the wound and shivered. My hands were wet with river water and blood. Anticipating the stitches, it gave me goosebumps.

  I heard the vine tighten and Timothy stepped onto the boards. Cara slid from his back. She put her hands on his shoulders.

  “Knock it off!” She exclaimed. “I’ve had to put up with you two lovebirds for a while. Get over it. You better go get him and bring him back safely. Plus, I was just consoling him.”

  Timothy held his hands in the air. “I’m not sure how you expected me to handle walking up on you in an intimate embrace with someone we know very little about,” he accused.

  “Bleeding here,” I interrupted.

  They both turned to me. “I’m serious Timothy, you better not harm a hair on his head,” she demanded. Cara put the vine in his hand. “Go!”

  He huffed, but climbed down the vine. Cara spun on her heels and cursed. She tossed the bag beside me, sitting cross-legged.

  I smirked, “Seems like that went over well.”

  She glared at me with her white eyes. “It’s ridiculous. He can swoon over you anytime he wants. The moment I like a boy, he freaks,” she groaned.

  “First world problems,” I chortled.

  “What?” She gasped.

  “It’s something we used to say when something trivial bothered us,” I explained.

  She frowned at me.

  “I just meant that Timothy is upset about a hug that shouldn’t matter to him, in the scheme of things.”

  “He definitely has worse to be thinking about,” she confirmed.

  Cara started preparing. She set the bottle on the floor and pulled a string from her pant leg. Then, she crawled on the boards picking at splinters.

  “Wait,” I stopped her. “Are you planning on stitching me with a splinter and a string from your pants?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I do,” she responded from all fours. “The salve will disinfect the area to make sure it won’t give you an infection.”

  “Just checking,” I laughed and rested my head back on the floor.

  “Aha!” She exclaimed and pried a sliver from a piece of wood. “Now, I need one to drill a hole through it.”

  I sighed. This procedure was beginning to sound a lot like torture.

  Cara continued to crawl around the platform. The ladder cinched against the tree. Timothy scooted up, with Max clinging to him. Both of them were panting.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. My head rested to the side.

  Max awkwardly stumbled off of Timothy. “Something is on fire,” he reported. “It might be my house.”

  It set in that someone may have heard the gun shots and went to investigate. If someone found a house full of death, they may set it on fire. Problem was that may draw more attention.

  “What do you think?” I asked Timothy.

  He made his way to me. He bowed his head and brought my hand to his cheek.

  “The smoke was coming from that direction. It very well might be the house,” he sighed. “There’s not much we can do tonight but stay as quiet as possible to not give away our position. I really hope our backtracking will pay off.”

  I closed my eyes. The house had been built on the side of a downgrade. The part we were in was above ground level. They couldn’t trace the people inside. However, if someone heard the shots and went there, they could have been followed. There were many, what ifs.

  Cara swiftly knocked the splinter that was meant for a needle. She silently pulled Timothy closer. Max took off his shirt and twisted it to make a gag for me. The quick thinking on his part gave him a brownie point.

  Timothy straddled me and held my hands to his chest. I mentally prepared for the pain to come. Cara poked through my skin.

  I wailed into the cloth while Max held it in my mouth. She withdrew the make shift needle and plunged it into my flesh again. I convulsed from the seething pain. This went on, again and again until I thankfully lost consciousness.

  Chapter Twenty- Six

  Sometime during the night, I awoke to find I was wrapped up in Timothy. He enveloped my body like he was shielding it. I ached, but felt better than I had. I slowly peeled his arm from me and sat upright.

  Cara and Max were on the other side of him, breathing evenly. Max’s arm was draped across Cara’s stomach. I smiled to myself. I was glad she had found someone to care about.

  I lay back down. My breath hung in the air above me in little white puffs. I pulled Timothy’s arm back over me and snuggled into his warmth.

  As my eyes began to close, a twig cracked from the side where the brush was thick. I honed in on the area it originated. Another rustle followed. I tapped Timothy, his eyes sprang open. My finger on his lip, he waited. A footstep shuffled from below.

  Timothy motioned for me to stay quiet and not to wake the others. He then turned himself to the space between the boards, his hands held him on a plank. He turned his head to me, sullen.

  I bent to look for myself. Between the wo
od and limbs, a mole soldier crept with a gun pointed ahead. Two others loomed behind. They scanned the landscape below.

  My head shot to the vine. Luckily, someone had remembered to pull it up. The soldier in lead looked up, I held my breath. I hoped the moss and foliage hid us well. He waved the others ahead.

  The soldiers passed us and went to the rocks. One of them whispered. I couldn’t hear what he said but they turned back. This time, they rounded further into the woods. Timothy placed his hand on my back and pushed me against the floor. A light flashed in the top of the trees behind us. Birds scattered from their roost.

  The footsteps trailed off in the distance.

  Timothy pulled me close to him, “I am not going to lie to you. I am afraid,” he confessed. “If we die out here, I want you to know that I love you. I don’t know how it happened, but I do.”

  His eyes pierced mine. I laid my head sideways on my folded hands.

  “I am doing my very best to not fall for you,” I admitted. “I know I wasn’t part of the plan. If I love you, it will change the things you imagined for yourself. I can’t let me get in your way.”

  “At this point, I don’t care,” he said. “I want you to live more than I’ve ever wanted someone to because I don’t want to be without you. Is that horrible?”

  “Timothy, Mr. Logical, you do know you will hate yourself in the morning for saying all this, right? “ I tried to peer into him the same way he did to me.

  Timothy put his hand in my hair. Love and want spread across his lined face. He pulled my head toward his. Our lips met and he kissed me deeply. I kissed him back. I was in trouble, at that moment, I knew there was no doubting that I loved him.

  Max murmured something in his sleep. It intruded upon our moment. We both glanced over at the pair next to us. Max didn’t move but I saw his fingers clinging to Cara for dear life.

  I directed Timothy back to me. “Give it a chance, for them,” I shrugged. “Both of them have found a little hope in each other. It’s not so bad to see your sister happy, is it?”

  “No,” he conceded, “but I want to protect her. She’s been through a lot. She still hurts from not having a real life, one that isn’t clouded by other people’s agendas.”

  “Has she ever been in love?” I treaded carefully on the subject.

  “Not that I know of,” he speculated.

  “Max seems like a good first love for her. He seems innocent enough and I don’t think he will hurt her on purpose,” I said.

  “Are you a good first love?” His eyes twinkled in the dim light.

  “I’m your first love?” I gasped.

  He bit his bottom lip. He was slightly embarrassed by his confession.

  “Probably not in this world, I frowned. I’m clumsy, jaded from loss, and the camp drained years from me. I had way too much time to think,” I admitted.

  He grinned, “I’m a great catch myself. No family or friends. All I have to my name is a tiny shack on the seashore. My job is dangerous and I’m a wanted man by a conquering nation of genocidal earth dwellers.”

  I leaned forward and kissed him lightly. “Do you think they are gone for the night?” I changed the subject.

  “Not sure, they may come back to do a final sweep before heading back,” he grimaced. “I’ll stay awake to keep an eye out.”

  “I’ll keep you company,” I offered.

  I knew it was a lie as soon as I said it. I dozed off in seconds.

  A new dream came to haunt me. I was running into Max’s house after we heard the gunshots. Timothy ran in first. I heard another shot and pushed the front door open. Max’s dad shoved me down and fled upstairs. There were more gunshots above. I recovered and ran into the living room.

  Timothy was standing over the strewn bodies, his back to me. I put my hand on his back and whispered his name. He didn’t respond. I rounded him, to find him wide eyed with his hand over his heart. He lifted his hand and blood sprayed all over me.

  “Alex,” he croaked.

  He fell and I went down with him. I tried to cover the gaping hole in his chest but blood came pouring out.

  The blood began to burn my skin. It was like acid on me. I screamed and flung my arms to shake it off. It blistered my arms. I felt it working through my face and neck.

  “Run!” Timothy gurgled.

  My eyes shot open, grabbing for Timothy. I moaned with fear. He was there, instantly. He scooped me into his lap and rocked. I abruptly realized that I was crying. Strands of my hair stuck to my face in sweat and tears.

  My fit woke Cara and Max. They rose, wiping their eyes from sleep.

  Cara crawled over to me. The sun was still beneath the horizon. Her white eyes searched mine.

  “How does it feel today?” She asked about my cut.

  “It feels much better,” I breathed.

  Max scooted over to have a look, as well. Cara lifted my stained shirt. The stitches were prominent against the white of my skin. A small amount of dried blood caked the area. She plucked the blood away to inspect the wound thoroughly. The dried blood flaked away, leaving a clean stitch job. The cut itself was purple from healing greatly overnight.

  Max leaned over Cara’s shoulder. “That is truly amazing,” he said with astonishment. “I’ve never seen anything heal like that.”

  I smiled at him. “Don’t let her fool you,” I praised, “Cara is a remarkable healer. If it weren’t for her, I’d be dead a few times by now.”

  “She also did a heck of a job fitting the aluminum to my soles,” he boasted, lifting a foot for me to see.

  Cara blushed fiercely. “Well, someone had to do it, since Timothy was gushing over you the whole time,” she teased me.

  It was Timothy’s turn to redden. “Come on, Alex was hurt pretty bad. I was worried,” he confessed.

  “Alright, alright,” I intervened. “Thank you, both, for taking care of Max and me.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and shot Timothy a glance. I hoped he would read my face. The others needed to know about the soldiers during the night.

  He slightly nodded at me in understanding. “We had company last night,” he announced. “A few soldiers came through while Alex and I were up. They passed back through about two hours ago. I suspect they were heading home.”

  “They came through here and you didn’t wake us up?” Cara asked. She was angry.

  “You guys were sleeping soundly. I figured if I woke you, you might make noise,” Timothy explained.

  “Cara, when I saw them they were armed. We couldn’t have fought them. It was better to lay low,” I defended him.

  “Soldiers, you mean from your kind?” Max said harsher than was meant.

  “Yes,” We said in unison.

  “Um, sorry honey, but we forgot to mention that we killed a few before I met you. They don’t like us much right now, with the deserting, saving humans, and killing them and all,” she sneered.

  “Whoa,” Max raised his hands in surrender.

  “Take it easy, Cara,” Timothy demanded.

  “Okay, I’m alright with doing away with a few human killers, so relax,” Max said darkly.

  I shuddered because I knew Cara better by now; that was the wrong thing for Max to say. She was the kind of girl that talked tough but would prefer to not hurt anyone.

  Cara huffed and moved away from him. She started gathering things around the platform. She even cursed a few times to herself.

  Max appeared at a loss for words. He could tell that Cara was upset, but had no idea why.

  Timothy gave me a full on glare.

  I mouthed, “It will work out.”

  Cara ignored Max and watched Timothy, “What do we do now?”

  “We get to the boat,” he answered, “and ride it up river to the next settlement. I have a few things left to trade so I’ll get us some weapons. A crossbow would’ve come in handy last night.”

  “Does the boat have an engine or are we rowing?” I needed to prepare myself if it was the latter.


  “It has a small engine that won’t attract too much attention, but will drive against the current”, Timothy said. He dropped the vine from the platform. “Alex is going down with me. Are you guys okay to fend for yourselves?”

  It came off as a challenge to them. Could they figure it out? Could Max hold his own and maneuver down the vine?

  “I’ll go after you two and spot Cara,” Max proposed.

  Cara snickered, “Maybe I should go first to spot you?”

  I shook my head. “Max, you have a lot to learn about Cara.”

  “It seems so.” He sized her up.

  Timothy positioned me on his back. My side still ached, but it was tolerable. He inched his way down the vine and set me down on landing. We both turned our faces toward the platform.

  Cara and Max grabbed the vine. Cara stared him down.

  “Come on, let me be the gentleman. Let me worry about you some,” he reasoned.

  Cara paused and released the vine. She sighed, “You know, all I’ve ever wanted was someone to do that for me. Here I am fighting with you over the opportunity.”

  Max grinned from ear to ear, “Thank you for letting me.”

  He grasped the vine and wrapped his legs around it. Cara held the vine steady. He lowered himself to the ground.

  Timothy placed his hands on my waist. He rested his head on my shoulder as we watched them.

  Cara winked at Max and chided, “Just don’t expect me to be your damsel in distress.”

  She tucked her hands in her sleeves and slid down at a rate that made me gasp. Max caught her at the bottom.

  “Good lord, you’re a feisty one,” he grinned and pecked her on the lips.

  Timothy and I marched ahead.

  “You were right,” Timothy said.

  “One way or the other, they will figure it out,” I confided, “just like us.”

  He cocked his head at me. I stuck my tongue out at him. I had thought about how things would be if it didn’t work out between us. I hoped to never find out. However, the logical side of me reasoned that if we fell apart, we’d figure it out.

  Each of us took the stone field to the water our own way. Timothy stepped confidently and pulled me along. Max bounded over them like an animal pouncing. Cara looked a lot like a tightrope walker balancing with her arms out at her sides.