“Yes.”
“Bret, Molly?” My voice squeaked, I could barely breathe as I awaited his answer.
Aiden grinned at me. “They’re fine,” he assured me. “Bret’s on the road across from the gas station, Molly’s on the road next to it keeping watch for you guys.”
Cade and Jenna had edged closer, but remained behind us. “What happened?” Jenna asked.
Aiden’s eyes darkened as sadness crept over his features. “I don’t really know; we were almost to the bridge when it all just went to shit.” His gaze moved away from us, he seemed to be focusing on something that neither of us could see. “That guy that was with us, he was in the front. When that light hit him...” Aiden’s voice grew taut; a small tremor shimmered through him. “The edges of the light seemed to set him on fire, from the inside out.”
My mouth had gone dry as he uttered the words inside out. Instinctively I sought out Cade and seized hold of his hand. “The fire actually came from his mouth.” Aiden shuddered; his eyes came back to us. “I could feel it creeping up inside of me. I could feel it licking against my organs, burning its way through me. Thankfully, whereas the others had been trapped by the light, we weren't far enough in to be completely caught up by it. The three of us were able to break free, able to run. I didn’t even know where we were until we managed to get to the other side of the IHOP.”
Abby threw herself back into his arms. I released Cade and wrapped my arms around them both. “Thank God you’re ok,” I whispered.
“You too,” he said with a small smile. “And from the looks of you it doesn’t seem like you had a very easy time of it.”
“It was awful,” Abby agreed.
“Let’s go find the others and you can tell us all about it. We’ve found a place to stay for the past couple of days. I’ll take you there before going to retrieve them.”
***
The shower had been lukewarm by the time I got to it, but I didn’t care, it was still amazing. I scrubbed myself so ferociously that my skin was red and chapped by the time I was done. I lathered conditioner into my hair hoping that it would help untangle the horrific mess it had become.
We had managed to dig up some clothes upon entering the basement apartment, but they were all men’s clothes. I didn’t care; I would rather have walked around nude then put my disgusting dump clothes back on again. My old clothes were sitting in a trash bag now, but I could still smell them. Either that or the stench really had permeated my skin forever. Just the thought made me scrub myself again, it was becoming painful to do so, but I didn’t care.
Intending to save at least some warm water for Cade, I finally tore myself away from the delightful spray. I dressed in the loose fitting tee and oversized pants. Using a belt I cinched the waist and rolled the bottom of the jeans up. It took me awhile, a lot of hair, and a lot of wincing and cursing, but I was finally able to untangle my hair so that it fell around my shoulders and back again.
I didn’t pick up the trash bag with my clothes in it, but opened up the door and kicked it out. Much like a soccer ball, I bounced it back and forth as I made my way down the hall. I kicked it next to the other two bags sitting by the bulkhead in the small galley kitchen. There was no stove but a hotplate sat next to the microwave. I didn’t know if the home above had been the parents of the guy that had lived here, but the entrance into the house had been blocked off. The bulkhead was the only way in or out.
The basement had no windows, but we had only turned on one lamp upon entering. The lamp was in the far back, in a small living room with a battered sofa and a ratty armchair that looked entirely inviting. I slumped into the chair, pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was considering that stuffing was popping out of the arms. Cade slipped down the hall and moved toward the shower.
I drew my legs up onto the seat, closed my eyes, and passed out.
I didn’t know how much time had passed before I woke again. It was impossible to tell time in the windowless room. My legs were asleep, my neck ached from sleeping at such an awkward angle, but I felt better than I had earlier. “You’re awake.”
My hands slapped down on the arms as I bolted upright. I hadn’t realized that Bret was on the couch until he'd spoken. I winced as my legs protested against me straightening them and my neck screamed in twisted agony, but I was eventually able to unravel myself from my cramped position. “I didn’t see you there. Where is everyone?”
“Bedroom down the hall. How are you?”
I swallowed heavily. His tone sounded dull and flat. There was something wrong, and I was afraid I already knew what it was. I'd been an idiot to fall asleep before I’d had a chance to talk to him; it seemed as if Jenna had beaten me to it. “Ok.”
“From what Abby said it sounded like you guys had a rough time out there.”
“It could have been worse. Far worse.”
I tried to make him out on the couch, but all I could see was a deeper shadow as someone had turned off the lamp. There was definitely something off about him, but I wasn’t sure if Jenna had talked to him, or if he was just as exhausted as the rest of us. I swallowed heavily. If Jenna hadn’t spoken to him, then I had to now. There was no point in dragging this out, no reason to cause him more grief than I was already going to. I couldn’t keep up this charade, and I had a feeling that Cade wouldn’t allow it to continue for much longer.
The couch groaned as he stood up and shuffled toward me. Guilt and self hatred flooded me as he knelt before me and took hold of my hands. I was about to pull my hands away, but he leaned forward and kissed me before I could react. My head spun, I almost recoiled from him, but I couldn’t bring myself to be that cruel. Bret didn’t deserve that, he didn’t deserve any of this. There was no spark in the kiss, no passion, but it was comforting, familiar, and sweet. I allowed him to kiss me briefly before I pulled away from him.
“I’m glad you’re safe Bethany, and that you’re here. With me.”
“Bret…”
“We can get through this, together. We can get through anything together.”
His hands squeezed mine more firmly as he leaned closer. I swallowed heavily, unsure how to proceed. I'd never dealt with anything like this before. “Bret, we have to talk.”
“You had a rough time out there.”
“We all did.”
“Sometimes things happen…” My eyebrows drew together as my mouth pursed. Had Jenna talked to him, or had he picked up on a strange vibe from Cade and I? Either way, it seemed as if he was determined not to hear what I had to say, or to rationalize it away.