Ravenous

by Erica Stevens

  He’d been on edge since we’d left the apartment. The strange thing was that I didn’t think it had anything to do with what had happened with Bret, but with something else entirely. He was pale again, his mouth pinched once more. I wondered if perhaps he hadn’t slept like the rest of us. I worried about him, afraid that he was going to make himself sick with lack of sleep and nutrition.

  I didn’t like the idea of staying here, or going back outside. Unfortunately we didn’t have a choice. “I want to read this,” Aiden replied, tapping his fingers on the pages before him. “Maybe we should go back to the apartment till tomorrow night then.”

  “Are we taking all this stuff with us?” Jenna inquired softly. I had noticed that she had become a lot more agreeable, and nicer, since she’d seen Cade and I holding hands in front of Bret. “It’s pretty heavy.”

  “I guess we can leave it,” Aiden answered but his attention was elsewhere. He was like a pit bull when he became focused on something, he locked onto it and wouldn’t let go, and right now he was focused on that manual.

  “There’s no guarantee we’ll be able to make it back here,” I protested instantly.

  “Hmm, true,” Aiden muttered.

  I sighed as I shook my head at him. I moved away from the counter, heading to the back of the store. The windows held a glimpse of the ocean. Through the trees and homes, I could just make out the light of the moon sparkling across the gleaming surface of the water. It all looked so peaceful, so wonderfully normal and safe. For one brief moment I could almost believe that everything was as it should be. That there was no fear, hunger, or pain anymore.

  I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around myself as I tried to bottle the rush of emotions that surged up in me. For one brief, poignant moment, I allowed myself to long for everything that we had lost, everything that we would never have again. Then, I opened my eyes, and forced myself to accept the fact that this was our new reality. Running, hiding, being hungry, scared, dirty, and tired was all we would know for the rest of our lives. But at least we were alive, we still had loved ones, and we were still moving which was more than I could say for most people.

  “Are you ok Bethy?”

  I hadn’t heard Abby approach, but she was suddenly at my side. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? You seem so… ah… I don’t know, but you don’t seem like you lately.”

  She was trying to discreetly ask about Cade, but I didn’t have any answers for her. I didn’t know what it all meant, how it would all turn out. All I knew was that everything was very complicated and I wasn’t ready to talk about it. “None of us are the same lately.”

  “Bret…”

  “I don’t want to talk about it Abby.”

  “He loves you Bethany. He’s our friend. What are you doing?” I turned back to the window, unable to stand the wounded, pleading look in her eyes anymore. I felt bad enough without her heaping more guilt onto me. “Cade is…”

  I glanced sharply at her. “Is what?” I grated.

  She shrugged her delicate shoulders. “I don’t know; he’s always been distant, aloof, so cold and hard. He’s a stranger, we barely know him. Bethany…”

  “I can’t explain it Abby, I just can’t. It’s completely unexplainable but Cade isn’t those things, not really.”

  Abby was silent, her gaze drifted slowly toward where Jenna stood with Molly. I knew she was thinking about when Cade had threatened to leave Jenna at the dump. “That is who he is Bethy. It’s the way he is toward all of us.” Her dark eyes came slowly back to me. They were wide with dawning understanding, her mouth parted slightly as she gazed at me in surprise. “It’s just not who he is with you.”

  I shifted slightly before turning my attention back to the window. She was right, Cade was hard, he was cold, he was deadly, and he was volatile. They were all traits that he had clearly exhibited over the past few days. He just wasn’t like that with me, he never would be. I knew that intrinsically. I didn’t know how to explain that to her though, and I wasn’t sure she would understand even if I could explain it to her, especially when I didn’t. People had been weary of Cade for years; that wasn’t going to change simply because I wanted it to.

  She sighed softly and rested her hand lightly on my arm. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “I don’t,” I admitted honestly.

  She squeezed my arm gently before hooking her arm through mine and leaning against my side. “He is gorgeous,” she muttered.

  I chuckled softly as I hugged her to me, taking solace in her warmth. “It’s time to head back.” Cade was suddenly beside us, he didn’t acknowledge the midnight hair falling into one of his eyes as he focused on me. “Your brother is determined to read that thing cover to cover.”

  “Of course he is,” Abby said as she pulled away from me.

  She only made it one step before an echoing, crashing screech froze her in place. The sound rumbled throughout the night, shaking the building as its crescendo rose to ever higher levels. Abby threw her hands over her ears. She took a step back as it grew steadily louder, and more ear piercing with every second. I didn’t even realize that Jenna was screaming until Molly slammed her hand over Jenna’s mouth to silence her. It made little difference though; I never heard Jenna’s screams above the rising shriek pulsating through the air. It was so loud that the bones in my body, and my teeth, began to rattle.

  Abby was nearly on top of me as she fell back. Cade seized hold of my arms as a series of rambling crashes, and the brutal squeal of twisted metal, resonated through the air. It seemed to go on forever, rising and falling in streams of sound that shook the windows and caused the floor to tremble and shake. I didn’t know what the hell was causing the noise but I was beginning to fear that it was never going to stop, that it was just going to continue endlessly on until it deafened us, or drove us all mad with fear and confusion.

  And then suddenly it stopped. The ensuing, encompassing quiet was more unnerving than the awful sound had been. We all held our breaths, our eyes wide in the dark as we strained to hear or see anything. My ears were ringing; I was shaking slightly within Cade’s grip. I kept waiting for the noise to start again, kept waiting for something to happen, but the world remained eerily quiet.

  “What… what the hell was that?” Molly gasped.

  Aiden took a step from behind the counter; his face far paler than normal. “I think it was the bridge.”

  “What!?”

  “The bridge, I think the bridge just collapsed, or was blown up, or whatever. But I’m pretty sure that was the Bourne bridge.”

  Horror curdled through me. Though I couldn’t see it from here, I knew that he was right. The Bourne bridge was gone. It had been a constant staple in my life. As a child I had feared driving over it, terrified that it would collapse beneath us. After my father’s death I hadn’t stayed in a car long enough to make the trip over the bridge until a couple of years ago. Both bridges were a major topic of conversation for the locals, in the summer, when the tourists flooded in and created massive congestion. Everyone planned their days around them, knew when to avoid them, or when they were going to be completely screwed and have to sit in traffic, sometimes for hours. The bridges had been nearly identical, and beautiful. They were large, sweeping testimonials to the architecture and technology of the thirties and now, at least one of them was a pile of rubble within the canal it had once gracefully spanned.

  “Why would they destroy the bridge?” Jenna whispered.

  “Someone must have tried to get across again,” Abby replied.

  “No,” Aiden’s forehead furrowed in thought as he puzzled it out. “Someone made it across.”

  A jolt of surprise rocked me. “What?” I inquired.

  Excitement filled Aiden’s eyes. “Think about it, those things were waiting for us to try and cross that bridge, waiting for us so they could spring their trap. They wouldn’t destroy the bridge; it was the perfect opportunity for them to catch more of us. For th
em, those bridges were like picking off ants at a picnic, easy, simple, and they had the right bait. They wouldn’t destroy that opportunity unless something had gone wrong, unless someone had made it across. Unless someone survived.”

  Hope swelled up my throat. “You really think so?”

  “I do.”

  I glanced eagerly at Cade, but his eyes were distant and turbulent as he focused on the far wall. “Or we did it,” Cade said softly.

  “Huh?” Abby asked.

  “There has to be some military still around, there are most definitely other survivors out there. It could have been either group that destroyed the bridge.”

  “But why?”

  “To deter others from attempting to cross it. To ruin the trap, to keep more people from getting killed.”

  There was a long silence before Bret finally spoke. “Either way it’s a good thing that the bridge is gone. Either someone made it safely to the other side and is seeking help, or there are others on the other side looking to hurt the aliens, and they could help us. At least no one else will be hurt again.”

  “We should get out of here. No matter which side did it, it’s going to attract a lot of attention and we aren’t that far from the bridge.” Molly worriedly bit on her bottom lip as she stared wearily at the window.

  She was right, of course, but the last thing I wanted was to go back outside. I felt even more exposed and vulnerable right now, though that made little sense. Everyone seemed to feel the same way, as no one moved. I finally broke out of the paralysis that was clinging to me. Slowly, shaking slightly, I pulled away from Cade and made my way to the front door. I pulled the blinds apart as I peered out at the dark night. I could see nothing, but I had the unsettling feeling that there was a menacing presence just waiting for us out there.

  I backed away from the door. Goose pimples broke out on my skin as a cold chill swept down my spine. “How long will it take you to read that thing?” I managed to croak out.

  “I don’t know, an hour maybe two.”

  “I don’t think we have that long.”

  “Betha…”

  Aiden’s words were cut off as another rattling explosion rent the air. I jumped back, nearly following over my own feet as I staggered away from the door. The glass window exploded inward, littering the store with shards of sharp glass. Cade lurched forward, grabbing hold of my arms he pulled me down, covering me with his body as another loud bang rent the air. I curled into a ball beneath him, throwing my hands over my ears as I tried to protect them from the noise.

  Cade scrambled slightly over me for something I couldn’t see. He returned, pulling my hand away he pressed his mouth to my ear. “We need to go Bethany.”

  “Where!?” I cried over the resounding explosions.

  Cade didn’t answer as he seized hold of my hand and helped pull me to my feet. Another loud bang shattered one of the windows at the far end of the store. The explosions seemed to be getting steadily closer, and we were in a room filled with oxygen tanks. Horror filled me, cold terror seized me.

  Cade released me, stumbling forward as he staggered toward the wall containing the scuba gear. “Give me a hand!” he yelled at Bret.

  Bret and Aiden lurched forward. They helped Cade to tear the equipment from the walls. I seized hold of one of the boxes containing an assortment of floaties and tubes. The contents scattered across the floor as I hurriedly dumped them out. I tossed the box to Aiden, searching for another one as they began to fill it.

  Another explosion shook the earth; I could barely breathe through the terror filling me. My ears were ringing from the continuous onslaught of noise. The ground beneath my feet was vibrating. I jumped slightly as a hand wrapped around my arm, Bret pulled me against his side. “This way Bethany!” he shouted above the noise.

  I searched for Aiden and Cade, but they were struggling to carry the equipment and the box. “We have to help them!” I gasped, struggling against his hold on me.

  “We have to get out of here!” he snapped back.

  “Wait…” I struggled to break free of him, but he would not let me go. “Cade.”

  Cade’s head whipped around, his eyes narrowed upon us as his lips clamped tight. “Get her out of here!” he snarled with such ferocity that even I was stunned. “Now! Get her out now!”

  Bret tugged on my arm, and this time I relented to him. Abby was already by the back door, holding it open for us. Bret pulled me rapidly forward; I nearly tripped over my own feet as I struggled to keep up with him. I was stiff, braced for further explosions, but no more rent the air. I staggered out the door, inhaling giant gulps of air that was nowhere near as fresh as I had hoped it would be. It smelled rancid, it tasted foul. There was a bitterness to it that caused me to recoil. My lungs burned from the tainted air, my nose hairs were singed as the horrendous smell and intense heat burned into my nostrils.

  For a brief, entirely disorienting moment, I thought that it was snowing. But it couldn’t be snowing, not in August anyway, could it? Then again, far stranger things had happened over the past few days, snow in August didn’t seem entirely impossible at the moment. I reached my hand up, blinking against the fine particles coating my eyelashes, falling across my face, and turning the night sky completely black as they blocked out the stars and moon. The fine particles were pungent against my lips, bitter on my tongue. It took me a long moment to realize that it was not in fact snow, but fine, flowing ash.

  I turned to the right, the building blocked some of my view but the sky behind the building was a vivid red orange hue. Whereas the night around us was as dark as midnight, it was as bright as the sun over there. And it looked angry, malevolent, and deadly. We all stood, staring in silent awe at the glowing, malicious sky. We had been so eager to flee the building, but now I found that my feet would not move. I didn’t want to see what the building hid, what was sheltered from our view.

  “Awful,” Abby breathed.

  “What is that?” Molly croaked out.

  “Flames from the bridge must have spread,” Bret said softly.

  “The gas station,” I whispered.

  “And the other buildings close to it. Those were the explosions. The fire is going to keep spreading. It will reach other propane tanks, gas tanks, oil tanks. We need to go before it reaches us.” I dropped my hands, dismayed by the coating of soot that clung to them. “We have no choice but to swim now.”

  He tugged me back a few steps. For a moment I was frozen, and then self preservation kicked in. Bret’s hand slipped away as we hurried down the hill, struggling to stay on our feet in the rough, dark terrain. I had to keep wiping the ashes from my eyes; they stuck heavily to my lashes making it even more difficult to see. The hill became slick with the material coating it, I slipped and slid, waiting for the inevitable moment when I lost my balance.

  Surprisingly, I was not the first one to go down. Instead, Molly let out a small cry as she lost her footing. Her arms pin wheeled in a useless attempt to keep her balance as her feet flew out from beneath her. I winced for her as she landed hard on her butt, bounced a few times before doing a complete ass over teakettle somersault.

  Bret and Abby made an attempt to grab hold of her, but she quickly catapulted out of their reach. Molly let out a soft cry of pain, but remained terrifyingly quiet as she plummeted out of view. “Molly!” Abby cried.

  “Hush!” Bret hissed sharply.

  “But…”

  “Shut up Abby, Molly did.”

  Abby grew quiet but I could almost hear her tears. My heart hammered in true panic. Was Molly ok? Had she been hurt in the fall? I had no way of knowing what the hell was at the bottom of the damn hill; I could barely see a foot in front of me due to the inescapable blackness. Were there rocks down there? Was the damn ocean down there?

  I chanced a glance over my shoulder; I could barely make out Cade and Aiden struggling down the hill behind us. Their breathing was loud in the oppressive air, but then, so was mine. My lungs labored, my throat burned
. It could not be good to be inhaling this crap, but there was little I could do about that now. Little that any of us could do.

  A loud pop sizzled through the air. A bright burst of light and fire leapt high into the air over the burning glow behind the store. A propane tank perhaps? I tried to recall the buildings in the area of the bridge. There was the IHOP, a hotel; no there were two hotels, a laundry mat, convenience store, gas station, funeral home, tourist traps, woods, and plenty of homes. There were so many things to spread the growing flames, things that would rapidly catch fire without anyone to stop the flow of the fire.

  And the aliens would not stop it. Not when they knew it would flush out the remaining people like rats fleeing a flood. And that’s exactly what we were now, trapped rats that they would narrow in on quickly. Especially if we continued to head toward the water.

  My heart flip flopped; I tore my attention away from the hated flames. Was that the real reason the aliens had destroyed the bridge? Had they wanted to ruin any chance of escape, and set fire to the land in order to draw us out?

  I wanted to cry, I didn’t dare. We still had some hope, some time, no matter how small it was. We just had to get away from here before the flames reached us.

  I was so intent on my thoughts that I didn’t realize the ground had begun to level out. Molly came into view, standing at the bottom of the hill. She was dirty, disheveled, and her bottom lip was bleeding but she appeared otherwise unharmed. We raced across the street, fleeing into the backyards of residential homes, staying parallel with the railroad tracks that ran near the beach. The tracks followed the water and the roads, yet the trees surrounding them offered us enough protection to stay hidden from anything above.

  Our breathing grew labored, my lungs were burning from the arid air, but no one asked to stop. No one said they couldn’t go on. It simply wasn’t an option right now. I don’t know how long we ran for, pounding over unseen ground, trying to escape the dark ash and deadly flames. I didn’t dare look back, I didn’t want to know how close the fire was, didn’t want to know how much time we had left.