I hadn’t been that close, but close enough to know what the cloud was capable of. If it had overtaken us, we probably would be lying out on the parking lot suffering or maybe dead.
Nick slowly turned toward the window, and I followed his gaze. The blue and gray particles of the clouds swirled around the glass.
“Come on,” Nick said placing his hand on my back. “Let’s join the others.”
In the back room, there were boxes everywhere, most of which were unopened. There were two open doors, one of which was a bathroom door, and the other which opened to an office.
Monica was lying on a sofa inside the office, and Shannon was pacing back and forth in front of the door. Bronx and Blair were opening one of the boxes while Danny stood there watching with his arms crossed. Nick joined them.
“Where’s Jamie?” I asked.
“Down here,” he said, and I turned sharply. He was sitting on the ground, his legs pulled up to his chest.
I crossed my arms and walked over to him. My eyes moved up and down as they scanned him.
“I’m fine,” he said with a thin-lipped smile.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Bronx glance our way for a split-second. The muscles in my neck tensed.
“Really, I promise,” Jamie said.
My knees weakened, and all I could think about was how badly I needed to sit down. To relax.
I lowered myself down next to Jamie and stretched my legs out in front of myself, crossing them at the ankles.
“Wonder how long we’ll be stuck in here,” Blair asked softly. It was obvious that the question had been intended for Nick.
“Probably not long. It’ll pass, and we’ll get back out there,” Nick said with a shrug. “Just a little hiccup in our plans.”
Blair twisted her shaking fingers into her hair. She chewed her lip as Bronx sorted through the box of orange drinks.
“Hey,” Nick said placing his hand on her shoulder. “We’re going to be okay. We all wanted a break anyway, right?”
“Yeah,” Blair said forcing a smile.
Jamie placed his hand on my thigh, and I quickly shot up. Bronx and Nick both glanced in our direction. He’d only been trying to comfort me, but I reacted as though he’d placed ice cubes down my pants.
“I should look for some candles,” I said running my hands down the sides of my thighs. My skin tingled where he’d touched me. “It’ll get dark soon, and we won’t be able to see at all.”
I dashed out of the room before anyone could stop me.
Eleven
I looked up and down what remained on the shelving units carefully. Gas stations probably didn’t even stock candles.
If I could have changed how I’d reacted to Jamie’s touch, I probably wouldn’t have changed a thing. I couldn’t let him get close, no matter how much I liked the feel of his hand on my leg.
“Hey,” Bronx said stepping up beside me. “Can I help?”
“Sure, if you want,” I said shrugging.
“You know,” Bronx said as he moved some of the items around on the shelf, “we still have candles in the backpacks.”
Busted. I scratched my head, and my shoulders slumped down. “I just needed a break.”
“What kind of a break?” Bronx asked, his eyes slightly narrowing.
“Just… um… my mind needed a break.”
“Okay then.” He was wearing a smile, but it looked as though it had been cut from someone else’s face and pasted onto his.
I crossed my arms and turned to him. “Try to understand, I’m someone that really kept to themselves, and now I’m constantly around people… strangers really.”
“I’m a stranger?”
“Well, maybe not you, but the others.”
“Jamie?”
“The other others.”
Bronx looked down at his feet and then into my eyes. “You know, I just want you to be happy.”
“I’m not going to be happy. How can anyone be happy? Have you taken a look out the window?” I asked throwing my hands into the air.
“I don’t mean about that,” Bronx said. “I’m talking about Jamie.”
My eyes closed and I sighed. Jamie was one of the last things I wanted to be talking about.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Bronx said holding up his palm. “If Jamie makes you happy, then I’m happy for you.”
He was giving up easily. Too easily. He didn’t even care to fight for me. God, I was losing it.
I chewed my cheek realizing that maybe he really did have an interest in the new girl. He wasn’t going to sit around waiting for me when I couldn’t make up my mind about anything.
How was I even still alive?
It was okay though. This made everything far easier. I wouldn’t have to worry about any hearts getting broken if he was kept at a distance.
There was a part of me that wanted to explain. To tell him that there wasn’t anything going on between Jamie and me, at least not any more than there was between Bronx and I. But I knew it was better to keep my mouth shut.
“But hey,” Bronx said placing his thumb on my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. “I’ve always got your back.” He leaned closer. “Always. No matter what.”
I forced a tight-lipped smile trying to hold myself together. Before I could say anything, he backed away. He kept walking, stopping and placing his hand on the door frame.
“When you’re ready, we’re in there… with candles,” he said before leaving.
It was weird how even though there hadn’t been all that much between Bronx and I, it still felt as though my heart had been broken. My hands covered my face as I dropped down to my bottom. Everything caught up to me, and the tears started falling. There didn’t seem to be anything I could do to stop them.
After a solid ten minutes, I pulled the fabric of my shirt from my shoulder and wiped away my tears. I pushed my shoulders back and got to my feet. It wasn’t like I had a lot of time to sit around feeling sorry for myself. In fact, I shouldn’t have allowed any time for that.
I walked over to the window, but nothing had changed. The cloud was just as thick as it had been when we arrived. If I would have stuck my hand out of the window, I wouldn’t have even been able to see it.
I felt awful about what happened between Bronx and me even if deep down I knew it was for the best. My back was sore, but I stiffened my spine and headed back to the join the others.
They were discussing why someone would bother to launch another attack. I was tempted to turn and go back into the other room.
It didn’t matter why, we were far beyond worrying about the why of any of the attacks, what mattered was that we were stuck and we didn’t know for how long. The bright side was that the gas station had more than enough supplies to keep us alive for months without digging into our backpacks.
Nick and Bronx found some tarps and some extra blankets. They set up two sleeping areas, one in the office near the sofa and the other next to a pile of boxes.
Shannon, Monica, and Blair were in the office, and Nick and Bronx went to the front of the gas station to make sure all the doors were locked. Danny was already zonked out on one of the blankets near the boxes. Jamie was staring at me, and even though there was a slight curl to his lips, I could see the concern in his eyes.
“How are you feeling?” I asked before he could talk to me about whatever it was that was on his mind.
“Oh,” Jamie said looking down at his chest. “Fine. Mostly. Still feels a bit heavy when I take a deep breath.”
Jamie took several steps closer, looking over his shoulder as he approached. His eyes landed on Danny on the ground and then at the mostly closed office door before turning back to me.
“I feel much better now that you’re next to me,” Jamie said. His grin faded slightly. “What happened earlier?”
“What do you mean?” I asked swallowing hard. I was pretty sure I knew what he meant, but he was so close my mind was a jumbled mess.
“W
hen you went looking for the candles. You left pretty abruptly,” he said looking into my eyes. “Did I do something wrong?”
I shook my head. “Of course, you didn’t. I just got overwhelmed, I guess.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Jamie lowered his gaze. “I probably didn’t help with any of that either.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Again, what do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
“No, really, what did you mean by that?”
Jamie drew in a deep breath. “Just back when we were at your place, I was pretty overwhelmed myself, but I know what I want now.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “I want to be there for you. Remember, we’re in this together. Me and you since the beginning.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. Jamie had come to my door when I was at my worst. And he hasn’t left my side since, even if he was good at sending mixed signals, he’s always been there.
The other problem was I couldn’t let myself go there with Jamie any more than I could have gone there with Bronx. But I couldn’t stand to have another cold shoulder around me either.
“Yeah,” I said. “We’re in this together, but we can’t forget that we’re not alone.”
“I screwed this up once maybe even twice, but I’m not going to make the same mistake again,” Jamie said cupping my face with his warm, silky hands.
Before I could stop him, he pressed his lips to mine. My eyes squeezed together feeling both the pleasure and the pain of his kiss.
I wanted it, but I knew it shouldn’t be happening. I should have put a stop to it, but I couldn’t.
Jamie’s lips hungrily moved over mine. His tongue sweetly smoothed over mine wrapping me in warmth.
My body relaxed. Every single nerve and muscle in my body turned into jelly. Even if my mind was fighting it, there wasn’t any other part of my body that was.
The floorboards creaked from the other room, and Jamie pulled back. His eyes were focused on my lips as a smile curled his mouth upward. My eyes closed briefly for a few additional seconds just so I could absorb the last feelings of relaxation.
I opened my eyes just as Nick and Bronx walked back into the storage area. My heart was still racing as I looked over at Bronx wondering if he could hear it. He didn’t even look in my direction.
“We’re all locked up tight for the night,” Nick announced. “I still think we should take turns keeping watch just in case, but I doubt anyone could find their way here in that fog, mist, poison or whatever it is anyway.”
Bronx and Nick exchanged a glance. Bronx covered his mouth as he let out a small cough.
“And if they did,” Bronx added in a low voice, “we probably shouldn’t let them in.”
“Right,” Nick said nodding his head as he looked in our direction. “In case they’re contaminated with whatever that cloud is carrying.”
“I’m on the first watch,” Bronx said as he lightly punched Nick on the upper arm. “Get some sleep, eh?”
Nick chuckled. “I’ll try.”
That night we all tried to get comfortable on the hard floor, but it was a challenge. The blankets provided little to no padding underneath us. Not to mention it was hard to sleep in the strange gas station. I would have much rather been alone inside my half-blown away apartment than laying on the storage room floor.
The others did better with sleeping than I did although from time to time I could hear them as they shifted their weight. In the office room, the sofa springs creaked occasionally when Monica moved around always with a soft, almost non-existent whimper.
It was probably at least an hour after Bronx’s watch had ended and Nick’s began, that I heard the noises.
I sat up and looked around the room. The others wide-open, fear-filled, glassy eyes were shining in the candlelight.
“What is it?” I whispered, and Jamie sat up.
His eyes moved around the room as if he were searching for the answer. “I think it’s just the wind.”
I jumped when I noticed Nick’s shadow looming in the doorway. His hands were gripping the door frame as if he were trying to hold the building together.
The wind howled and every board that had been used to build the gas station cracked. I couldn’t see Nick’s expression, but I could see the nervousness in his glowing eyes.
He exhaled sharply. “You guys should see this.”
Twelve
Danny, Jamie and I followed Nick and Bronx through the darkness to the large window at the front of the building. Everything outside was dark, and though I knew the cloud was still out there, I couldn’t see it, at least not until Nick held up the candle.
The particles inside the cloud swirled frantically around as the wind whistled and howled loudly. It was almost as if the cloud was alive, like a bloodthirsty wild animal.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Danny muttered. We all turned to him, and he shrugged. “What? I haven’t… have you?”
We all shook our heads. Jamie placed his hand on his chest, and I quickly turned to him, placing my hand on his shoulder.
“You okay?” I asked and Nick and Bronx both turned.
“Yeah,” Jamie said forcing a smile. “I’m fine, just having flashbacks maybe.”
“Get him in the back room,” Nick said, and I nodded.
Jamie didn’t argue or insist that he was fine, he accepted the help placing his arm around my shoulder and walking with me to the back room. I could feel that this time Bronx didn’t have his eyes on me.
Nick and Bronx started mumbling about sealing the cracks underneath the doors with plastic bags. The second we stepped inside the storage room, I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could hear them moving about.
Jamie sat down on his blanket and looked up at me. “I’m fine, really I am.”
My lips pressed together tightly as I crossed my arms.
“Don’t look so worried,” Jamie said. “I promise you, I’m okay.”
I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was saying what he knew I wanted to hear. He was saying the thing that wouldn’t worry any of us.
It wasn’t long before the silence between us shattered into a thousand little pieces. Monica’s screams sliced through the air as she begged for someone to help her.
I ran to the doorway and peered inside. Blair and Shannon were at her side trying to calm her.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I heard movement over my shoulder. Nick and Bronx were running toward us to find out what was going on. I looked at Nick as he approached. “She just started calling for help.”
Monica turned toward the door. Even in the darkness, I could tell her bulging eyes were red.
“My feet!” she screeched. “Please!”
Nick pushed past me and knelt down at Monica’s side. She looked at him with desperation in her eyes as she shook her head.
“Why aren’t you helping me?” she said.
“Get my flashlight!” Nick said over his shoulder and before I could move Bronx was already at the backpacks.
He fumbled around for a few seconds before he stepped between Jamie and me to enter the room. Bronx clicked the flashlight and aimed it at Monica’s feet.
Shannon started untying her shoes, and Monica bent forward at the waist, gripping the side of the sofa as she let out a painful cry.
“Oh my God!” she howled. “Just leave them, leave me alone.”
Nick placed his hand on her shoulder. “We can’t help if we can’t see what’s causing you so much pain.”
“I don’t care! I don’t care! Just stop touching me!” Monica cried.
Shannon ignored her and pulled off her shoe letting it drop to the ground. When she started tugging at Monica’s sock, her face scrunched up.
“Noooo,” Monica said her voice vanishing into nothing as her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell back on the sofa.
Shannon quickly pulled her fingers away from the top of the sock. She rubbed her hands vigorously on
her jeans.
“What is it?” Nick asked, his eyes narrowed.
“There’s something wrong,” Shannon said, the shadows in the room danced on her face. She looked up at Nick, swallowing hard. “I can’t get her socks off… they’re… they’re… umm.”
She couldn’t finish.
“They’re what?” Nick’s voice was soft.
“They’re stuck.”
“Stuck?” Bronx asked shaking his head as Blair leaned closer to Monica’s feet.
Blair shook her hands like she was warming up for a boxing match. She stood and grabbed some tissues off of the desk, covering her fingers before taking in a deep breath.
Shannon shook her head rapidly. “I don’t know if you should—”
“I’m doing it,” Blair said wincing as she dug her fingers under the hem of the sock.
Monica’s arm went limp and dropped off of the side of the sofa.
Blair peeled the sock, stopping when the fabric was near her ankle. It was more than enough to see there was something very, very wrong.
The light flickered briefly as Bronx tightened his grip on the handle of the flashlight.
“Holy shit,” Blair said taking a quick step back.
“Oh my, God,” Shannon said covering her mouth with her hands for a moment before dropping them back down to her thighs. She wiped them more vigorously on the rough fabric. “What’s happening to her?”
Monica’s flesh was black and blue as if her foot had been hit with a sledgehammer. The veins were slightly raised and swollen, protruding out of the flesh.
“What should we do?” Shannon said, her voice a higher pitch than usual. No one answered. “We have to do something to help her!”
Nick shook his head, it was clear he didn’t know what to do. “We have a first aid kit.”
“A first aid kit?” Shannon squeaked.
Monica started moaning. Her head rolled back and forth on the sofa armrest. “Just cut them off.”
“Well, I’m not doing that,” Nick said patting her hand.
“What are you going to do?” Shannon asked as she stood. She crossed her arms and stared at him.
Nick glanced at me and then at Bronx. “I… I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. Maybe she just needs to rest. Elevate them.”
The Red Sky Series (Book 2): Blue Cloud Page 7