“Everything okay?” I asked taking a step toward her.
“He’s not feeling well, and to be honest, I’m not doing that great either.” Nina nodded toward the window. “Safe to come up?”
“Think so,” Bronx said just as Blair and Nick stepped into view. She had one hand on his forearm and the other around his back.
Nick rubbed his fingers in Milo’s hair as he walked by them. “What’s going on out there?”
Blair helped Nick onto the sofa instead of the chair. The dark circles under their eyes revealed just how exhausted they were. They weren’t getting a break.
Bronx cleared his throat. “It’s raining—”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Nick said.
“Let me finish.” Bronx looked at him without blinking.
Nick made a grand flourish with his hand as Blair helped him get his leg up on the sofa.
“It’s raining oil,” Bronx said looking out the window again as if making sure what he saw had really been there.
“Oil?” Nick’s eyes narrowed.
“Well, it’s a substance like oil.” Bronx shrugged. “Can’t even see out the window any longer.”
“How about the door?” Nick asked.
Bronx shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Nick said wiggling back and forth to get comfortable.
“You don’t seem very worried,” I said chewing my lip.
Nick snorted. “What can we really do about it?” He closed his eyes. “First the sky, then the fog, and now this. I’m not surprised.”
Bronx and I exchanged a glance.
“Look,” Nick said pushing himself up. He looked into my eyes. “We have enough in here to last us months. I need the rest.” He eased himself back down. “It’s not like we have a lot of options anyway.”
He was right. We were trapped inside my grandma’s house. God only knows what that black gunk would do to us if we came into contact with it. My guess is it would do what the sky and the fog had done… kill.
Blair flopped down in the chair, each blink taking more time than the last.
“Would you like me to show you to your room?” I asked Blair.
“I should probably stay down here with Nick,” she said barely opening her eyes.
“It’s okay, Blair,” Nick said. “Go on, get some sleep.”
Blair leaned forward heavily. “You sure?”
“I’m positive,” Nick said without opening his eyes.
She pushed herself to her feet and walked over to him. Bronx and I both watched as she leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead.
“Call for me if you need anything,” Blair whispered before turning and holding up her palm toward me. “I’ll find it myself.”
“No problem. It’s the one that looks like a little boy’s room,” I said raising my brow.
Once she was upstairs, Bronx nudged me. “Why don’t you give her the girls room?”
“My old room? Does it matter? I thought pink suited you just fine when you had the robe on,” I said with a shrug.
“Shh!” he said turning his back toward Nick. I wasn’t sure, but in the candlelight, it seemed as though his cheeks had ever so slightly turned pink. Bronx sighed and pulled open the curtain as he frowned. “Dammit.”
As I glanced over Bronx’s shoulder to have a look at the blackness that coated the window, I winced at the pain that surged through my gut.
“Uh,” I said grabbing my stomach.
Bronx turned and looked me up and down. “You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I said as the wave of stomach pain started to fade… only it didn’t fade completely. It just waned slightly before increasing.
My fingertips dug into my stomach through my shirt as if I were trying to reach inside and fix whatever was tightening my insides.
“You don’t look good,” Bronx said.
“I think I need to lie down.”
Nick must have fallen asleep otherwise he would have been sitting there looking at me with the same worried eyes I’d seen in the front yard when he’d learned of Jamie’s death.
“Let me help you up,” Bronx said taking my arm.
I didn’t argue. I didn’t back away, but it was mostly because I didn’t have the energy.
He led me toward the stairs, but before I took the first step, I hesitated. My stomach was bubbling like a pot ready to boil over.
“One second,” I said holding up my hand. “I think… I think I need to….”
I charged away from Bronx and through the hallway. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it into the bathroom.
I wasn’t able to close the door before I lost my stomach inside the white porcelain bowl.
My insides were still heaving when I heard Bronx behind me groan. “Uhh… I’m not feeling so good. Move over.”
Chapter 14
I opened my eyes. The spot on the ceiling let me know I was in my grandma’s room. It was weird, but I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten up the stairs or into the bed.
There was a candle burning on the nightstand. It barely provided any light to the room. We’d used it so much that the wax was nearly to the bottom.
I rolled onto my side with effort and saw Danny laying next to me. Even in the darkness, I could tell his skin was still pale. He was sleeping, taking in small quick breaths.
When I tried to move, my stomach rumbled and not because I was hungry. It felt like there was a chainsaw slicing through my insides.
“Here,” a soft, soothing voice said in the silence. “Take a drink.”
I frowned as I turned onto my other side. Blair was sitting there holding a glass of water with a plastic straw bent to the side.
She aimed it at me, and I tried to take a drink, but I couldn’t swallow more than a small sip. The drops of water felt cool as they trickled down the back of my throat.
“Thanks,” I said lowering myself back to the pillow. “How did I get up here?”
“Shh,” she said glancing around me. Danny squirmed slightly but settled back into a light sleep. “Bronx managed to help me get you up here before he passed out himself.”
I remembered him getting sick next to me in the bathroom. “Are we all sick? Is it happening again?”
“Nick and I are fine,” Blair said shaking her head. “I’m not going to have him come up here and help. He shouldn’t be climbing the stairs with his leg out of commission.”
I wanted to let her know that I didn’t ask for him to come up to me. But I didn’t care enough to make the distinction.
“He’s helping with Nina and Milo. They’re both sick too,” Blair whispered.
“How bad are they?” I asked feeling as though the room was spinning. “Is it because of the stuff outside?”
Blair shook her head. “Nick doesn’t think so. He thinks if it were because of that shit, that’s what he called it, we’d probably all be feeling sick. At least somewhat.”
“Why does he think that? We survived the red sky.”
“But we all got sick with the red sky, right? And with this, Nick and I are fine.”
“Maybe it just hasn’t happened yet,” I said mostly closing my eyes.
Blair gave me a little shrug. “Maybe. But he thinks it’s something else. Take another small drink. You need to try to stay hydrated. It’ll help you get better.”
I took a drink, managing to take a little more than I had the first time. My eyes closed and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could fight off falling back sleep.
“I don’t want to throw up again,” I mumbled.
“Well if you do, you’d rather have something in there. You don’t want to throw up bile again.”
“Again?” I asked.
Blair let out a sigh. “Just drink as much as you can. I’ll leave it here.”
“Okay.”
“Go on now, get more rest,” Blair said lightly placing her hand on my shoulder. I heard her place
the glass down on the nightstand before I drifted back into the darkness of sleep.
The house was so quiet I could hear Nick and Blair talking at the other end of the upstairs hallway. Danny was taking shallow breaths that were almost inaudible next to me, allowing me to make out most of their words.
“You think that stuff out there is another attack?” Blair asked.
“I do,” Nick said confidently.
“Why… why would they need to keep doing this?” There was a long pause before Blair spoke again. “They’ve won. They’ve killed everything.”
Nick huffed loudly. “Not everything. Maybe they’re testing various weapons or something.”
“Seems like they’ve been a success,” Blair said. “They can stop testing any day now.”
“That would be nice wouldn’t it?” Nick sighed.
Their voices lowered as they whispered back and forth a few seconds longer. Their voices were so low I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“Help me down,” Nick said.
I heard the floorboards creaked lightly under their feet as they made their way down the stairs. The soft footsteps echoed through the hallway.
“Then why are they sick?” Blair asked. “I don’t get it. Why them and not us? What is this one all about?”
The chair squeaked, and I imagined Nick had lowered himself down. “I don’t know.”
I had no idea what time it was, or even how many days had gone by when I opened my eyes again. It was still just as dark, and the only light in the room was the tiny light from the candle.
I pushed myself up glancing at Danny next to me. Little beads of sweat were gathered at his temples even though the room was a bit chilly.
“You’re up,” Blair said leaning into the doorway. “Bronx is doing a little better too. He’s downstairs.”
“My stomach still hurts,” I said.
“Let’s try to get you moving. More water. Some food.” She waved her hand at me to follow her.
I glanced at Danny before swinging my legs over the side of the bed. “Has he woken up at all?”
“A few times,” Blair said flapping her hand harder. “Never for long. It’s been hard to get him to drink.”
“How about Milo?”
“A little better. Nina too.” Blair sighed. “It’s been a long three days.” She cocked her head to the side. “Are you coming?”
I scooted off of the bed and wobbled. Blair took a step forward but stopped when I held up my palm.
“I got it. Just a little… woozy.” I picked up the glass off of the nightstand and put the straw to my lips. The water filled my mouth faster than I was able to swallow.
“Whoa, take it easy,” Blair said waving at me again. “Come on. Don’t make me drag you down the stairs.” She cocked her brow. “And don’t think I won’t.”
My knees felt weak as I followed her down the stairs. I wrapped my fingers around the banister afraid if I let go I might tumble down the stairs.
Nick was coming out of Nina’s room as I took my last step. He looked me up and down and forced a smile.
“Hey, you’re up,” Nick said.
“I’m not sure I should be,” I said.
He shrugged and offered me a breakfast pastry. “Try to eat something.”
“I’m not sure I should,” I said placing my hand on my stomach.
“You should,” Nick said grabbing my hand and placing the pastry on my palm. “It’ll help.”
“I don’t want to throw up.” I frowned.
Nick leaned closer and looked into my eyes. “Trust your brother. Eat.”
“Fine,” I said looking at Bronx as I took a small nibble.
“He made me eat too,” Bronx said tipping his head back against the top of the sofa. “It helped. I think.”
I sat down next to Bronx mostly looking at the pastry. “So, any changes with what’s going on outside?”
“Nope,” Nick said averting his eyes. “I’ve been tempted to open the door, but Blair won’t let me.”
Milo came out of the guest room and laid down on the floor. He started rolling the car back and forth on the carpet with his head down on his other arm.
“He’s doing better,” Nick said keeping his voice low. “Nina on the other hand.”
“Same with Danny,” Blair said shaking her head. “I can barely get him to drink anything anymore.”
My eyes shifted toward the stairs. It was like I was trying to see Danny even though it wasn’t possible for me to see him through the walls.
He had to pull through. After everything he’d done for me… he… he just had to fight the illness.
“It’s weird though,” Nick said scratching the back of his neck. “Blair and I didn’t get sick at all. Even with the red sky, everyone got sick.”
It was weird although I was happy they hadn’t gotten sick. We might not have gotten better if it hadn’t been for Nick and Blair.
There had to be a reason that we had gotten ill, and Nick and Blair hadn’t. They’d been out there, and we’d been safe inside. We’d been eating canned items and drinking clean water.
It just didn’t make sense. That was until I realized what had happened that was different between us and them.
“Oh crap,” I said placing my hands on my stomach.
They all looked at me at once with worry in their eyes. Blair was at my side in an instant grabbing my arm, ready to usher me into the bathroom.
“Let’s go,” Blair said.
I shook my head. “No, not that. I realized what’s different. I realized why we got sick.”
Nick cocked his head to the side waiting for me to continue.
“The wolf.”
“The wolf?” Nick asked.
“We mentioned it… Danny killed a wolf,” I said swallowing hard. “And we ate it.”
Nick blew out a puff of air and shook his head. It looked as though he was shaking off the idea, but when he froze abruptly, I knew he was giving it some thought.
“Remember the bear?” Nick asked. I offered him a nod. “It had been crazed… wild, somehow it had been changed. What if it was some kind of poison?”
“And the wolf meat we ingested was poisoned,” I finished.
Nick combed his fingers through his hair. “Right now, it makes sense. And explains why Blair and I didn’t get sick.”
“It seems like they’ll be able to fight it off,” Blair said looking at Bronx, me and then at Milo. “For a bit there we were pretty worried.”
Milo stood up and blinked as he looked at us. “My mom is still sick. She wanted me to leave the room.”
“Sorry little man, she needs the rest,” Nick said. “She wants to get better for you, right?”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I kissed her forehead and left the room,” Milo said pulling his small shoulders back.
“Good kid.” Nick grinned. “Go on, back to playing.”
Blair walked over to Milo. “Actually, Milo needs his rest too.”
“Aww,” Milo groaned.
Blair stood there holding out her hand. When he ignored her, she placed her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side.
“Let’s go,” Blair said. “Let’s get a drink of water and then I’ll help you into the bed. Say goodnight to Nick.”
Milo stood and frowned. His complexion was still quite white, but there was a bit of pinkness in his cheeks.
“Good night, Nick,” Milo said.
“Night,” Nick said squeezing Milo’s shoulder.
After they were out of the room, I leaned toward Bronx. “Do we know it’s night?”
Bronx shook his head.
“With that shit all over the place it’s always night,” Nick said.
“I think at some point we’re going to have to open the door,” Bronx said.
Silence filled the room.
“We can’t risk letting it in here,” I said.
“I’ll check out the back door,” Bronx said. “We need to know what we’re dealing
with and I’m already sick anyway.”
“You look better,” I said with a quick breath. “We’ll just wait it out.”
Nick bit his lip as he stood and shot a quick glance in the direction of the guest room. “Okay don’t freak out.”
“What?” I said my heart feeling as though it had skipped a beat.
Nick scratched the front of his head, keeping his eyes down toward the floor. After a moment his eyes shifted upward and met mine. “I already looked.”
Chapter 15
“Are you stupid?” I asked.
Blair stepped into the room just as I stood. The anger bubbling inside of me was giving me a bit of energy.
“Don’t talk to your brother that way,” she said clicking her tongue as if she were scolding a child.
I glared at her as I crossed my arms. He was my brother, and I’d talk to him any way I liked regardless of her opinion on the matter. After she put up with years of Nick, we could broach the subject again.
My eyes landed on Nick and based on the way he was pleading with his eyes, I knew that Blair didn’t know what he’d done.
“He opened the door,” I said turning to Blair. “Did you know that? Did you know he put us all at risk?”
Blair’s mouth dropped slightly. She looked as though she’d been socked in the gut, but she quickly scrunched up her nose and shook it off.
“Are you stupid?” Blair asked shooting him an icy stare.
I couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction. Okay, it was a bit more than that, but my energy was quickly fading the more my stomach felt like it was being crumpled into a tight ball.
I awkwardly rolled slightly to the side on the balls of my feet. Bronx stood and caught my arm.
“I’m fine,” I said flashing him a tight-lipped smile. “Just tired.”
“Me too,” he smiled back.
I turned back to Nick. “And angry.”
“What’s done is done,” Nick said.
I chuckled. “Same old Nick.”
“Why would I be any different? Did you think a gunshot would change me?” Nick asked raising a brow. I didn’t even know how to respond to him. I knew enough that there wasn’t much of a point. “Do you want to know what I saw?”
The Red Sky Series Box Set Books 1-4: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series Page 38