Hunted_Falling Darkness_Book 3 Read online

  “Did you see anything,” Kate whispered. Everyone looked over at them, knowing what she’d asked even if they hadn’t heard her words.

  Ethan’s voice floated in the stale air. “Nothing.”

  As they sat in silence, the minutes ticked by. Eyes darted around nervously at any creak or squeak made by the wind, the shifting cabin, or shifting feet.

  They’d been sitting so long daylight diminished, and darkness started to settle in. Kate hadn’t had a bite to eat all day, and her stomach grumbled noisily.

  “I think they forgot about us,” Kate whispered as she nudged Ethan.

  He stared into her eyes for a moment before getting up. Every eye in the room was on him as his footsteps scratched across the floor.

  Ethan held his breath as he peeked out of the curtain. He blinked his widened eyes several times before turning toward the group.

  “It’s clear,” Ethan said, letting out a long exhale, “but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Can we move?” Emily asked barely moving her lips. “My legs are numb.”

  Ethan stroked his fingers through his hair as he bobbed his head up and down. “Maybe we’ll hear them coming.”

  “Maybe?” Emily asked scrunching up her nose.

  Ethan’s nostrils flared. He looked away from her and picked up the backpacks. “Let’s eat.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Sullivan said, loudly popping up on to his feet.

  Ethan shot daggers out of his eyes, and Sullivan’s grin faded. He looked down at the floor as he lowered himself back down.

  Kate helped Ethan pass out a ration to each person. She didn’t say anything about the diminishing supplies. They only had enough food for a day or two, and Kate wasn’t sure if they’d find anything at the rate they were going. The group was slow. They didn’t cover much ground.

  She slumped back down to the ground taking small bites of her bar. Her eyes moved around the room. Claire and Emily were curled up on the floor. Nikki was resting her head on Jaspers shoulder as her eyes were fixed on her necklace.

  Garrett stared at the window, and Will was whispering something to Ned as he bobbed his head up and down. Kate’s eyes shifted and locked onto Sullivan’s. At first she thought he was staring at her, but after a minute, she realized he was staring at the backpack.

  Kate wrapped her fingers around the strap and tucked the bag behind her back. Sullivan glanced up but quickly looked away pretending Kate hadn’t caught him staring at the pack.

  Ethan sat down next to Kate and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Take a rest.”

  “I can’t,” Kate said, but she was functioning at a level beyond exhaustion.

  “Try,” Ethan whispered into her ear before wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He gently pressed down her head until it was against his chest.

  At first Kate felt stiff, but after a long blink, her body relaxed. She forced her eyes to stay open, but with each passing minute, the room grew darker and darker. Before she knew it, the room was so dark she could only see the shadows of the others against the walls.

  It wasn’t long until Kate’s eyes didn’t open after a long blink. When they opened again, there was a small candle on the counter. Its light created shadows dancing to tribal music that Kate could only hear in her mind.

  Her eyes moved around the room, stopping when she saw Will crouched down next to Ethan whispering. Ethan eased Kate down, adjusting the backpack under her head.

  “I’ll be right back,” he whispered.

  “Where are you going?” Kate asked her voice rippled and scratched against the back of her throat.

  “Ned needs to use the outhouse.” Ethan placed his hand on the side of Kate’s head. He stroked her hair before standing and walking away from her. She watched his boots as they walked across the floor, stopping at the window. The door creaked open, and she couldn’t see him anymore.

  Kate couldn’t fall back asleep with her heart pounding against her chest. Each beat echoed through her body like tall waves crashing against the sandy shore.

  She sat up and sucked in a deep breath. Kate tried to stay still, but she couldn’t. Her shoulder twitched, and she hopped up to her feet. The floor creaked as she stepped over to the window.

  Kate’s body shook when someone touched her shoulder. Her arm jerked as if she was going to swing before she realized it was only Will.

  “I can’t see anything,” Kate said.

  “He’ll be okay,” Will said, his voice cotton candy soft.

  She turned to meet his eyes, but the light behind him turned him into a dark shadow with pitch black eyes. Seeing him like that only made her think of The Unholy swarming Ethan and Ned more.

  Will’s expression shifted into a frown. Kate turned back to the window just as something outside made a loud clanking noise.

  Everyone in the room shifted. Their eyes glowed in the darkness as they all listened. Kate’s heart was pounding so furiously, her fingers pulsed.

  She took a step toward the door, but Will grabbed her shoulders and held her in place.

  “He’d kill me if I let you go out there,” Will said failing to keep his voice down.

  “They might need me,” Kate said, her hand hovering just over her hip.

  “Maybe they just tripped,” Will said tightening his grip.

  Kate held her breath as she listened in the silence. Just before she drew in a breath, she heard it.

  A moan. They were out there.

  15

  Kate attempted to launch herself at the door, but Will dug his fingertips deeper into her shoulders. She whipped her head around and glared at him in the darkness.

  “Let go of me,” she hissed.

  “If you go out there, you could make it worse for everyone in here,” Will said so quickly his words bumped into one another.

  “They might need me!” Kate said her eyes glassy. She shifted her shoulders and broke free of his grasp. Kate didn’t hesitate before slipping out of the door.

  Her eyes darted around in the darkness, stopping when they landed on The Unholy two feet in front of her reaching toward her. Kate’s hand moved fast as she plunged the blade into its head. The movement had been swift. Automatic. An attack that she’d perfected long ago.

  She pushed the lifeless being out of the way and slowly stepped toward the side of the house. Kate couldn’t hear anything. She took another step and gasped when she saw Ethan kneeling on the ground.

  “Ethan?” she whispered.

  His head jerked sharply. “Kate,” he said inside a breath, “help me get him inside.”

  Kate looked around, but all she saw was a scattering of a few Unholy. She moved quickly and together they helped Ned inside.

  “What happened? Was he bit?” Kate asked.

  “No,” Ethan said shaking his head. “They didn’t even get close to him. I don’t know what happened.”

  Ned couldn’t answer. His head was drooped forward and his body so weak, they carried his weight.

  They turned the corner, and Ethan noticed The Unholy on the ground. “You got jumped?”

  “I was ready,” Kate said opening the front door. Will was waiting on the other side, and at first, Kate couldn’t tell if he was angry or worried.

  He closed the door behind them without making a sound. “What happened?”

  Ethan and Kate lowered Ned down to the floor. His head flopped back, and his arms rolled out to the side, his fingers loose.

  “Jesus! What happened,” Will said placing his fingers on Ned’s wrist. “It’s weak. Ned?”

  Silence.

  “Ned!” Will repeated.

  Ned’s lips parted, and his jaw slackened. He grabbed his wrist again but dropped it to press his palms against Ned’s sunken chest.

  “Oh my God,” Emily whimpered as she chewed her fingernails.

  Will stopped and pressed his ear to Ned’s chest. He shook his head as he rose up and started compressions again.

  If Will noticed Ned’s head roll to the side,
his eyes half-open, he ignored it.

  “Will,” Ethan said breaking the silence. He placed his hand on Will’s shoulder, but Will abruptly jerked it off. “He’s gone.”

  “No,” Will said still pushing down on the man’s chest. “I can… I just… all I need….”

  Will pulled back. He placed his hands on his knees as his shoulders rounded forward. Will knew Ethan was right. He knew Ned was gone.

  There was a rustling behind Kate that sounded loud in the silence. She turned and saw Sullivan digging through the backpack Kate had been using as a pillow.

  “What are you doing?” Kate asked as she reached down and yanked the bag out of his hand by the strap.

  A small ripping noise sliced through the air, and several bottles dropped onto the ground rattling as they stopped at Kate’s feet. She looked at Sullivan with wide eyes, but he shook his head as he stood.

  “I was getting Will some water,” he said holding the plastic bottle out toward Kate. “That’s all!”

  Will reached back and picked up one of the bottles. His eyes squeezed together as he peered at the handwritten labels in the darkness.

  “What is it?” Ethan asked picking up an inhaler. He turned it in his hands as he looked at it.

  “Heart medicine,” Will said softly. He swallowed, but it looked as though it was painful.

  Claire stepped up next to Ethan and tapped his shoulder. “Can I have that?”

  Ethan glanced at Kate and then at Will before shrugging and handing her the inhaler. She smiled and stuffed it into her pocket.

  Will held up another bottle. “Anti-depressants and this one is typically given to patients with diabetes.” He looked over at Sullivan. “These were in the bag?”

  “I don’t know anything about it, they fell out when she pulled the bag away!” Sullivan said holding his palms up.

  “Why do we have these?” Will asked.

  Emily’s arms were crossed as she leaned back against the wall. “If no one needs those….”

  “Needs what?” Will asked sharply.

  “The anti-depressants,” Emily said, her voice floating through the air like a feather. “Before all this, that was my prescription.”

  Sullivan released a loud sigh. “Those were mine.”

  “Which ones?” Will said, but his eyes were already on the diabetes medication.

  Sullivan held out his hand and looked at the bottle. “I haven’t had them in a while. When I ate Kate’s bar… I needed it.”

  Will stood up and looked at the last bottle in his hand. His eyes slowly shifted down until they rested on Ned’s still body.

  “And the heart medicine was for Ned,” Will said. The silence grew thicker until Will raised his arm and threw the small plastic bottle against the wall. “God dammit! This could have saved him.”

  Kate reached out and placed her hand on Will’s forearm. “We don’t know that.”

  “Why didn’t they tell us about the medicine?” Will asked running his fingers through his already wild hair.

  “Maybe they would think you wouldn’t take us if they did,” Claire said with a shrug.

  “Is this what the evaluation was about?” Kate asked.

  Claire shook her head. “They didn’t ask me. That woman though, she seemed to know a lot without asking.”

  “She was good at guessing,” Ethan growled.

  “So good she could pick the correct medicines?” Will countered. “I don’t think so.”

  Ethan clenched his fist at his side. “How do you know so much about all of this anyway? About medicine? Helping Ned?”

  “I didn’t help Ned,” Will said anger darkening his eyes.

  “He was a nurse,” Kate said looking down at her feet before Will could scold her with his eyes.

  “Not that it makes any difference,” Will said as he sat down on the floor resting his wrists on his knees.

  Kate sat down next to him. She wanted to comfort him, but she couldn’t with all the eyes on them.

  Sullivan walked over to the candle and poured the contents of his bottle into his hand. He started chuckling.

  “What is it?” Ethan asked.

  “Apparently they couldn’t spare much. This won’t help. At least not much,” Sullivan said pouring the pills back into the bottle. He tucked it into his front pocket and placed his hand over it protectively.

  “Guess they felt better sending along something even though they probably knew it wouldn’t be enough,” Kate said.

  Ethan pressed his fingertips against his forehead. “There was probably plenty in the stupid storage facility. Bottles and bottles.”

  “Let’s go back there… tell them what they can do with their little gift,” Sullivan said.

  “We’re not going back,” Ethan said.

  “What? Why not? It wasn’t a fair trade,” Sullivan said his chin jutting outward.

  Kate stood holding her hands out. The room felt warmer as everyone’s blood started to boil.

  “It was a fair trade,” Kate said.

  “For you,” Emily said shifting her eyes away.

  Kate cocked her head to the side. “I didn’t see you stepping forward to lead.”

  “Kate’s right,” Ethan said stepping forward. “What’s done is done. If we go back there, they’ll just pull out their guns. Not to mention I’m not even sure we can get back there with that crowd of Unholy that might still be between them and us.”

  “So, what do we do?” Sullivan asked.

  “We keep going,” Ethan said.

  Sullivan released a laugh from deep inside. “Going to what?”

  Ethan opened his mouth but snapped it shut. His shoulder rose, hardening for a moment before he released his breath allowing them to sink back down.

  “When we figure it out, you’ll be the first to know,” Kate said, raising a brow. “Don’t forget you have the option to leave anytime you want. No one is keeping you here against your will.”

  Kate gestured to the door, but Sullivan looked away. She straightened her spine.

  “That goes for anyone,” Kate said. “If you don’t want to be here, go. I have nothing to offer anyone, except the opportunity not to travel alone. None of us are promised a tomorrow, but I think it’s fair to say we all want one. Maybe if we’re together, we’ll be more likely to get one.”

  Everyone looked down at their feet. Nikki took Jasper’s hand into hers and smiled at Kate.

  Ethan stood next to Kate, their shoulders touched as he looked toward the window. He cleared his throat.

  “Get some rest,” Ethan said. “Morning will be here before you know it.”

  “What do we do about him?” Emily said rubbing her upper arm with her palm.

  “Ned?” Will asked with a sharpness to his voice.

  Emily nodded.

  Ethan walked across the floor and pulled the dusty sheet off the bed. He frowned as he draped it over Ned’s body.

  “Shouldn’t we bury him or something?” Emily asked.

  “With what?” Sullivan asked shaking his head slightly.

  “I don’t know,” Emily whined. “Who can sleep next to a dead body?”

  Sullivan rolled his eyes.

  “We can’t do much, putting him outside will be like bait to them. We don’t have a shovel, not to mention us being outside would also be like bait,” Ethan said, letting out a slow breath. “Lay down. Try to get some rest.”

  After a while, everyone settled down. Kate was pretty sure Emily popped one of her pills when she heard a soft gulp turn into a heavy cough.

  Will hadn’t moved. His head still hung low, and Kate knew he was blaming himself for not having saved Ned.

  She didn’t want him to feel bad. It wasn’t his fault. If they would have known about the medicine… and then again maybe that wouldn’t have helped.

  At least where Ned was, he wouldn’t have to worry about running from The Unholy. He was safe from their poison, unlike the rest of them.

  Kate rested her head down on the back
pack. She needed sleep because she needed to be ready for what tomorrow would bring.

  16

  The sun was just inching over the horizon when the group set out. They hadn’t known what to do with Ned’s body, so they left it inside the house. Hopefully, if The Unholy somehow got inside, they wouldn’t have any interest in him now that he’d passed.

  They walked in a large cluster through the trees and out into a clearing. It wasn’t long before they found a road. Grass grew over the edges, and there were thick cracks in the pavement that looked like black bolts of lightning, but it had to lead somewhere.

  What they didn’t know, was if it led anywhere they’d even want to be. They debated for a short time as they walked down the road. Some worried there would be trouble at the other end of the road, and others had hoped there would be food, water, medicine, maybe even help.

  Kate didn’t even know what she wanted to be at the other end. A bed. A place where she could put her head down without constant worry. Somewhere she could sit down and be with Ethan. Reconnect.

  Everything felt strained and stressful. She didn’t blame anyone but herself. What they were dealing with was her fault. It all spiraled out of control when she killed Simon.

  The mess they were all in was because of her actions, at least that’s what she believed. And she also believed she was a terrible person for wanting to run away from all of it to be on her own.

  Kate wanted to convince them they’d be better off without her, but she knew Ethan wouldn’t ever let her go. Or Will for that matter. But they must have been able to see her weakness by now. Her faults. Her mistakes. They should have been sending her on her way.

  “You okay?” Ethan asked squinting as he turned to her. The sun was bright… blinding… warm.

  “Tired I guess,” Kate said responding quickly.

  “I think we all are,” Ethan said rubbing her shoulder.

  Kate smiled, but her thoughts drifted back to what things had been like before. She’d been on her own, and things had gotten difficult, but she didn’t have to worry about anyone except for herself.

  Now, she didn’t know what to do, or where to go. What she wanted was different from what each one of them wanted, or at least that was what she assumed.