Ravenous

   “I know.”

   “Where did you get the guns?”

   Those onyx eyes were on me again, gleaming beautifully in the dim light. “I’ve been collecting them for awhile now.”

   I swallowed heavily, nodding slowly. I had hated driving in cars for a long time after my father was killed; it had been torture for me. Cade‘s parents had been killed in a home invasion, it seemed he had been trying to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again. I had dealt with my fear of cars by exposing myself to short rides that became gradually longer over time. I had never grown completely comfortable with them, but at least I was able to stay in them for a half an hour or so now. Cade had dealt with his fear by stockpiling guns.

   “How did you get them?”

   His mouth quirked slightly. “You can get anything you want if you have enough money, and know the right people.”

   “And you know the right people?” I retorted, slightly a

   “Yes. Or at least I did.”

   I nodded slowly, of course he would. That’s who he was after all. He had always been mysterious, always been whispered about. Rumors of dangerous and illegal activities ran rampant about him, everyone had eagerly gossiped about what they thought he was up to. Apparently at least some of it had been true.

   “But the aliens…”

   “Can’t take what they can’t find.”

   “That’s why you had to go back to your house.”

   “Yes.”

   I didn’t know what to say to that, what to do. I was out of words and he was so tantalizingly close to me. I wanted him to kiss me, wanted him to do something, but I could hear Bret’s words echoing in my ears. He loved me, and Cade was a puzzle that I didn’t understand. I was completely confused and I didn’t know how to figure it all out.

   And then Cade was closer to me, over me. He was all that I could see or think about. His hand was on my cheek, in my wet hair. I felt my mouth part involuntarily. My head was telling me that this was a bad idea, that this was wrong. My heart didn’t care. All I wanted was to feel his soft, wonderful lips again. His scent engulfed me. It was sharper than it had been yesterday, his own odor more potent, his cologne not as strong, but it was still wonderful. A creak on the stairs caused him to pull swiftly away. Disappointment filled me, I felt unsatisfied, lost. I wanted more.

   The door opened and Bret stepped out from the cellar, he glanced questioningly at Cade before focusing his attention on me. “Are you ok?”

   I smiled wanly at him as I nodded slowly. “Fine.”

   His gaze traveled slowly back to Cade before returning to the window. “Are they out there?”

   “Not right now,” Cade responded. “But they will be.”

   “They’ll come in here.”

   “Yes.”

   I shuddered, my hands dug into my arms as I clung to them. “We need to figure out a plan then.”

   Cade said nothing. What was there to say? I turned back to him, feeling lost and hopeless. It was not Cade that came forward to console me though, but Bret. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight against his chest. Though there wasn’t a whole lot of excitement in his arms, there was a sense of comfort and rightness that was undeniable. Bret loved me, I loved him. Maybe I didn’t love him the same way that he loved me, but it was still love. Or maybe I did love him in the same way, and this strange attraction toward Cade was just clouding my judgment.

   Either way, I didn’t have the time to figure it all out and wasn’t entirely sure that I cared to. There were far more important things to worry about now. “Where are your parents?” I inquired softly, tilting my head back to look up at him.

   His jaw clenched, his eyes became sad as he shook his head. “My father is one of them. I thought…” He swallowed heavily and cleared his throat. “I thought we’d be able to get back to him after we checked on you and Abby. I didn’t know; I would have brought him.”

   I rested a comforting hand over his, hating the anguish that radiated from him. I could already sense his bright light growing dimmer and I hated it. “It’s not your fault,” I assured him.

   He nodded. “My mother wasn’t home, but I assume that she is probably like them also. It seems most people are.” He said the words, but there was hope still within his gaze. “I wish I’d left a note or something just in case, I really thought we’d be able to make it back.”

   There was nothing I could say to that, no reassurances I could give him. “The others are awake, we should go back down,” Cade said softly.

   I stiffened as Bret tried to lead me toward the stairs. Like a stubborn child I could feel my heels digging into the floor in an attempt to stop his forward momentum. “Wait.” He stopped, frowning as he looked down at me. His clear green eyes were narrowed with worry. “We should stay up here, we’re trapped down there.”

   “We’re trapped up here too. They might not be able to find us down there, and you need to eat.”

   “We won’t know if they come in and we’re down there!” I protested hotly. I hated the unreasonable panic already begi

   “It will be fine Bethany, we’ll leave the door to the room open so we can hear them if they come in.”

   I was frantic, desperate not to return to those awful, dark depths, but there was little I could do about that. I couldn’t stay up here, it was too risky, and I was starving. I also didn’t want anyone else to know about my weakness. Certainly not Bret, he already thought I was fragile, already thought I was someone that always needed protecting. Even when I didn’t.

   I tried to choke back my panic, but there was little strength and courage left to draw upon. Those resources seemed to be quickly drying up. I clung to my pride as I relented enough to be pulled back down the stairs. I didn’t look back at Cade, I couldn’t. I didn’t want to see the displeasure over being interrupted, or the pity I was certain was burning within those dark eyes. He knew, no matter how hard I tried to hide it, he knew about my terror and he pitied me for it. I kept my attention focused on my feet; I concentrated on simply breathing in and out as Cade closed the door behind us.

   We stepped off the steps and into the darkness. Someone had been waiting for us as the light immediately clicked on at the bottom. Aiden stood beneath the bulb, string in hand as he surveyed the three of us. His clear mahogany eyes, so similar to Abby’s, were still swollen with sleep, but he was alert.

   “What’s going on up there?” he asked softly.

   “It’s quiet, for now,” Cade responded.

   Aiden nodded, his hand slid off the string. The door to the secret room creaked open and Abby poked her head out. “Can we eat now?”

   “I told them to wait until everyone was here,” Aiden explained. “Yes.”

   Abby ducked back into the room, she reemerged with the bag of food. My stomach felt empty, I needed nourishment, but my appetite was gone. “Is there any change in them?” I inquired softly about Peter and our mom.

   “No.”

  Abby handed me a thing of peanut butter crackers, I could only stare dumbly at it. “Will they ever wake up?” she asked softly.

   My gaze drifted toward Cade as thoughts of the man from the street flashed through my mind. He had woken up. He had come back to life, either because the pain had been so excruciating, or because there was something about those suckers that reawakened their victims. Or maybe it was the aliens themselves that somehow triggered a reawakening in their victims. Maybe the aliens enjoyed watching people struggle, and suffer, before they died such an awful death.