Ravenous

   “Why would they destroy the bridge?” Je

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

   “No,” Aiden’s forehead furrowed in thought as he puzzled it out. “Someone madeit 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 them, 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 some onehad 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 wedid 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 stu

   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 isthat?” 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.