Jason holds out his hand. “Give it to me. I’ll put it up for you.”
I hand it over and watch him put it back in his bag.
“So Ken is your dad?”
“Yeah.”
I nod. I want to ask him about any other family members but I bite my tongue. I don’t want to mention or bring it up if they’re dead.
“So what’s the story here? What are you guys doing?” he asks.
“We were in Tallahassee for a school trip.”
“Oh? What was in Tallahassee?”
I don’t want to tell him, fearing it’ll make me seem like a nerd. I never worried about it before and I don’t know why I’m suddenly struck with the need to hide it right now. “A school trip,” I say again.
“Yeah, you said that. Are you from Florida?”
“No, Michigan.”
“You’re from Michigan and you end up in Florida for a school trip. Why Florida? That’s a long way from Michigan.”
“My, aren’t you full of questions.”
“My, aren’t you being cryptic.”
I take a deep breath. He’s going to find out sooner or later. “We were on a band trip.”
His eyebrows shoot up and a slow smile spreads across his face. Now all he has to do is cry out, “Nerd!” and I’d die on the spot.
I lean to the side, readying to get up and crawl back into my hole; at least there I can hide in embarrassment.
He puts a hand on my arm, stopping me. When I look back to him he’s still wearing his smile. “This one time, at band camp, hostile aliens invaded Earth.”
The laugh that comes out is much louder than it should be and I cover my mouth up with my hand.
“Epic,” he says, as I sit back down. “I played the trumpet in junior high.”
“I’m in high school,” I say quickly.
“When you said ‘school trip’ I figured that you meant high school.”
“Oh.”
“What instrument do you play?”
“Clarinet.”
He looks me up and down. “I took you for the drum line.”
I snort. “Drum line? You’re kidding right?”
“Female drummer. I can picture it now.” He closes his eyes and starts banging on his knees, humming a song I don’t know.
I put my hand over his, stopping him. My heart skips a beat at the contact. I pull away quickly. “Well, since I told you that I don’t play the drums then you can give up that idea.”
“Ah, it was a fantasy, and a very good one I might add.”
I recognize that he’s teasing me and smile, letting the light mood lift my spirits. “What about you? Are you and your dad going home?”
“No, we just left our hunting cabin. Well, what was left of our cabin.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. We weren’t going to stay there for long anyway. Just long enough to get some supplies and then off to find my mom and little brother.”
“Oh, God,” I say covering up my mouth. “They were taken.”
He blew out a heavy breath. “No and thank God. My mom and Jasper, my little brother, were in Washington, D.C. when the aliens came. That’s where we’re going now.”
“What are they doing there?”
“My mom is a part of the White House Press Corps, she was working.”
“Oh.” I frown in confusion. “So your mom works in D.C.…and you and your dad were hunting when the aliens invaded?”
“No. My dad was at home in Georgia when he had…um…to come to get me from college. While he was there the invasion happened. We went to our hunting cabin first, to stock up on weapons and supplies. We thought about going home to Georgia, but decided against it. We didn’t think it would do any good. There was probably nothing left, so now we’re on our way to Washington.”
I think I’m more confused than ever. “So your mom and dad are split up?”
He shakes his head. “No, my dad is the Senator for Georgia. Our main home is there. He just happened to be there when he got the call and had to come and get me from school.”
“Wow. Senator?”
“Yep,” he says not elaborating anymore.
“So what’s the call?” I ask intrigued.
He shrugs. “I was kicked out of the University of Texas.”
I open my eyes wide. “Wow. Do you care to elaborate?”
“Not really. None of that matters anymore.”
I want to press, but I respect his privacy. He’s right, whatever the reason doesn’t matter anymore. It’s not like anyone will be pulling up his school records. “Where was your hunting cabin?”
“Randolph, Alabama.”
“That’s so far away. How long have you been traveling?”
He tilts his head in thought. “The President of my school had us on lock down for that first day, but then, when they started bombing the campus, we left. We made it to Pine Bluff, Arkansas in about six days. We stayed there with my dad’s friend for two weeks, making jerky and waiting out the invasion, we didn’t know how this was all going to play out. Then my dad decided that we had to get to Washington to where my mom and brother are. So we left Arkansas and headed to our hunting cabin, got more supplies and rested up and we’ve been traveling ever since.”
“When did you leave Alabama?” I ask, trying to figure out how fast they are moving.
“Six days ago.”
“Wow, you guys move fast.”
“Well, it’s just the two of us, so staying out of sight isn’t a problem. We walked as far as we could then, when we got tired, we would sleep for about two hours and then get up and do it again. I’m exhausted, but I don’t think I could rest for more than two hours at a time anyway.”
“Is that why you’re up?”
“Mostly. And it’s also my turn to keep watch.”
“How long do you think it’ll take us to make it to Michigan?”
“It shouldn’t take you longer than twelve to thirteen days.”
In twelve to thirteen days I could be home with my mom.
I want to ask him if him and his dad can maybe postpone their trip to D.C. and help us get to Michigan. We have no chance of surviving on our own and he and Ken seem to know how to handle themselves.
“Dad and I already decided that we’re going to get you all to the Ohio border. It’s not Michigan, but it’s close.”
I let go of the breath I had been holding. “Thank you. I know I keep saying that. But we need the help.”
“We couldn’t let you guys keep traveling alone. Not with what happened back there.”
“They just kind of ambushed us. We didn’t stand a chance. I don’t even want to think about what…”
I want to say “what would have happened to the rest of us,” but the words choke up in the back of my throat, because I do start to think about it. Ian and Wade would have been forced to “protect” the Tanners. MJ would’ve become a modern day slave and there’s no doubt in my mind that the Tanners would have soon turned their attentions to Mia, Shayla and myself, despite how they felt about race mixing.
Jason puts an arm around my shoulder, bringing me closer to him. Fire ignites across my skin, making my nerve endings tingle. I take in a rush of air at the contact, as his arm settles on my neck. Skin-to-skin we touch. My heart skips one beat and then another, until it’s a fluttering mess. Air seems to vacate my lungs and, without being able to breathe properly, I begin to wheeze.
“It’s going to be okay. We won’t be running into them anymore.”
I struggle to pull air into my lungs, but my chest won’t expand enough to let it fill the spaces.
Oh, God I’m going to pass out.
Tingles of heat creep across my hairline and brow.
Am I sweating?
I don’t need the smell of new sweat to make me that more unappealing. I’m sure I already reek. Just as the thought crosses my mind I want to scream out.
Crap.
I press my arms to my sides and a little bit of me d
ies as I try to imagine how bad I stink. Maybe I don’t need to breathe? Then he won’t smell my breath.
Stop this. Whatever this is.
But pulling away or pushing his arm off doesn’t register as options for me even though I know that breaking the contact will probably stop the crazy storm of emotions that’s raging within me.
I bring up my legs and bury my mouth between my legs. “But what about people like them?”
“Huh? I can barely hear you.”
Or smell me either.
Bringing my head up and breathing rancid breath into his face is also not an option. So I speak louder, “I mean, we came across folks like you that were helpful and more than willing to share information and tips.” I shake my head, rattling it against my knees. “But the Tanners…I didn’t know people like them were out there. We’re supposed to be fighting against the aliens, not each other.”
He lets out a heavy sigh and I swear, even though I’m leaning down, I can still feel the heat from his breath caress the back of my neck.
What does my hair look like?
As if I wasn’t freaking out enough, another random thought crosses my mind. I’m looking like a plumb fool. The braid Mia put in my head a couple of days ago probably looks ratty and dirty.
“It’s sad, but people like the Tanners are opportunists.” He pulls his arm away and I feel the void of broken contact.
Good.
But a piece of me wants him to touch me again.
Get a grip.
I take in a few steadying, deep breaths, trying to control my breathing. I wish I could do the same with my heart, but it’s working so hard and so fast I don’t think it’ll ever recover.
“Are you okay?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m just…glad that it’s all over.” I lean away from him. Not so much to where we’ll appear awkward to anyone watching, but enough so he won’t feel comfortable hugging me again. I don’t know what happened, but I can’t let it happen again.
“They aren’t coming back. People like them are cruel. They try to find ways to exploit anyone weaker than them.”
“We’re not weak. They just caught us off guard.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that, since you all didn’t have any real weapons, you were free game to them. If you had guns I’m pretty sure they would’ve let you pass by without as much as a peep.”
“You’re probably right. Wade is pretty handy with a gun. I’m sure he would have taken care of them if he had a chance.”
The idea of Wade being forced to kill someone makes a shudder run down my spine. That’s not what he signed up for when we started our trek back home. It’s not what any of us anticipated. But now, thanks to the Tanners, it’s most likely on everyone’s mind.
“He said he had hunting experience, so dad gave him a gun.”
I let out a relieved breath. With a gun Wade can help them protect the rest of us.
“As a matter of fact, we gave Ian and MJ guns too.”
Chapter Nine
For the first time since we started this journey, I feel as though we’ll make it. A gun would stop anyone who plans to do us harm in their tracks. But, most importantly, guns will also stop the aliens from getting us.
I peer up, bad breath be damned. “I want one too.”
He tilts his head. “A gun? You?”
I straighten my shoulders. “Since you’re handing out firearms, why not me?”
“Fresh out.”
The shoulders I held so straight and tight fall into a slump. “Fine. But I’m keeping the knife.”
“Sure. You can borrow it.”
Borrow. Yeah right. Let him try to pry it away from me.
“So what’s the story with you and the big guy anyway?”
I frown. Who could he be talking about? Ian isn’t big at all. MJ is big but Wade is bigger. “Wade?”
“Yeah him.”
I shrug. “He’s my friend.”
“Back there it looked like he was more than a friend.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He pulls his lips to one side, as if in thought, and I notice how perfectly plump they are. Pink and soft. I quickly glance away. I don’t need to be looking or thinking about his lips. This isn’t the time or place.
“He was…concerned about you. I thought you two were an item. I was just wondering. Everyone appeared paired up, that’s all. I just found it interesting.”
“I was afraid for my life, for everyone’s life. I’m not sure why that would be so interesting to you.”
“High school love always interests me.”
I smirk. “Is that right?” I view him up and down. “I never would have taken you for the type that’s interested in teenage angst. So what young adult stories do you read?”
“Why read it when I can live it vicariously through my little brother? He tells me all about his girl problems. I know way too much about teenage love, so much that I could probably write my own stories.”
“How old is he?” Please let him be younger than me, please let him be younger than me.
“He just turned fifteen.”
I feel better, knowing I’m a couple of years older than his brother. I don’t want Jason to see me as a little kid.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty. And how old are you?”
“Seventeen.”
“Jail bait.”
“Assuming there are any jails left,” I’m quick to point out. Maybe a little too quick, I think, just as soon as I say it.
He chuckles softly. “Probably right. If there were any jails left we would have dropped those bastards off.”
“Under the jail,” I add.
We sit in silence for a couple of minutes. It’s not at all uncomfortable, like the kind I would expect to have with a stranger. A bird chirps in the distance and another one answers. The need to get up and go back to my sleeping hole doesn’t grip me. Now that I have my insides under control, I like it here with him. “So twelve days, huh? That sure does give me something to look forward to.”
“It shouldn’t take long at all.” Then he scrunches his face and pulls his brows together. “Wait a minute. Tallahassee is only about four hundred miles from where we found you. What’s taking you guys so long to travel? MJ told me those bastards only held you all for one night.”
I give him a sideways glance. “We started off with forty students and three adults. Our teachers had to figure out a way to mobilize all of us. Which wasn’t easy—we had someone who was in a wheelchair and a lot of ninth graders with us. Our teachers were being cautions. They wanted to get us back safely.”
“Wow. I can’t imagine trying to travel with that many people.”
It was hell, I want to tell him. The teachers had a hard time trying to keep everyone together as a group and an even harder time at trying to keep everyone quiet. Frankly, I was surprised it took as long as it had for the aliens to find us. We were like a herd of elephants trampling northward.
He’s silent for a minute, I think trying to figure out how to ask the inevitable.
“You’re short about thirty people. What happened to them?” he finally asks, breaking the silence. “I’m sorry. I know I probably shouldn’t ask, and if I’m making you relive some painful memories you definitely don’t have to answer me.”
“Aliens. About fifteen days into it, we got attacked by aliens. I’m sure they must have thought they hit the jackpot, all those kids, free for the taking, with adults too old to really fight back.”
He hissed in a breath. “How many got away? Surely there had to have been more?”
I shake my head. “Just us that we know of. After it happened, we got to a safe distance and hung around for a couple of days, waiting to see if we could find anyone else. But no, nobody so far.”
“We passed a lot of aliens. There’s seems to be more in Texas and Alabama than we’ve seen here.”
“I’ve only seen them on television. T
hey’re scary—monstrous.”
“Wait. I thought you said…”
“No, I wasn’t there. Wade and I were scouting a route for the group to travel later that night. We almost made it back to camp though. If Wade hadn’t sprained his ankle, we would have been right there with them.”
“I’m so sorry, hon. You guys went through all that and then had to go through another hell last night.”
I can feel a tickle of a tear down my cheek and sadness trying to settle in my heart. I shrug, trying to stay strong and not give in to the urge to cry. “I’m sure everyone will have their own story to tell after all of this is over.” I say those words “after all of this is over” but I don’t really believe it. I don’t believe that this will ever truly be over. At least not in my lifetime.
“If you weren’t there, how did the blood get on you? Did the Tanners do that to you?” He indicated to my shirt. “Did those bastards touch you or the other girls?”
I don’t have to cast my eyes down to see what he’s talking about. With no change of clothes or no way to properly clean the ones we have, the blood stains are still there. “No. They left us alone.”
“But the blood?”
“Ms. Burgess, Ian, MJ, Shayla and Mia ran into us. Mia was covered in blood.” I pick at my shirt. “This is from her, when we were hugging each other.”
“At least you didn’t have to go through seeing that.”
I look up to him. The tears that I tried to hold back flow over the brim of my eyes. “I didn’t see it, but I feel…” A hiccupping sob breaks from my throat. “Guilt…so much guilt. For not being there with them. And I know I shouldn’t, but I’m so relieved that I wasn’t there and it just makes me feel like dirt.”
“Why? You should be relieved that you weren’t there. Who knows if you would’ve escaped with your friends? They could’ve been wearing your blood instead of someone else’s.”
He’s right, but I still can’t shake the guilt I have in me. And because of this the tears don’t stop flowing.
“You’re going home. To your family,” he whispers in a calming voice. “I’m sure they’re waiting for you.”
“My mom…she’ll be waiting for me.”
Against The Darkness (Cimmerian Moon) Page 10