When I get back, it’s dark, which of course means the vampires are out, yelping and nipping at each other, their eyes dripping blood, their bodies decaying flesh. But they keep their distance from me, especially because I walk on top of the boulders; jumping from one to the other, making sure none of them follow me. Their cries echo through the night as I climb calmly up to the cave, quickly slipping inside before putting the rock in front of the entrance again.
It’s darker inside, yet my night vision allows me to see everything clearly as I walk to the back, stooping low to avoid hitting my head on the section of the cave that dips downward. I can see where everyone is sleeping. Aiden, who is leaning up against the wall, has his eyes shut, although I’m fairly certain he’s wide-awake, listening to me walk around.
I don’t go to him, heading off in the opposite direction, instead, and step over Nichelle’s leg that’s stretched out.
“You can see in the dark?” Nichelle asks me quietly. “Either that, or you are a really good guesser of where everything is.”
I sit down next to her on the dirt floor and lean against the rock wall behind me. “Yeah, I think maybe even better than I can in the daytime,” I tell her, absentmindedly touching the side of my eyes with my hand, pressing down, wondering why I can see in the dark. Sure, it’s because I’m a Day Taker, but how is it possible to see in the night. What makes it work?
Maci is cuddled next to her on the floor and I shake my head, trying not to smile. “It doesn’t take her long to get attached to someone does it?” I ask.
“She’s a good kid,” Nichelle says.
“She really is,” I agree with her.
“You two are close, aren’t you?” she asks, sitting up carefully so she doesn’t wake up Maci.
I shake my head, but it feels like a lie. “I’m not close to anyone really.” Thoughts of what Monarch has always said, rips into my head. You need to turn off your emotions. They will ruin you; what you need to do.
Before she can say anything else, I change the subject because this particular one is pissing me off. “How about you explain why the hell you came out here to look for me?”
“Because I was told this is where I could find you; at least people who used to belong to your colony… I’m supposed to take you back with me to our town.” She pauses, considering something. “There’s a man there. Mathew. He’s probably the oldest person in town. He says he has things he needs to tell you. Things that may be able to help you save humanity.”
“I don’t understand how someone I don’t even know could know about me,” I say. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Oh, you know him. You probably just don’t remember him.” She yawns. “He was a doctor a long time ago, but there were things being done he didn’t approve of, so he left and went out on his own.”
I listen to the steadiness of her heart beating and it lets me know what she says is true, or at least that she believes it’s true. I do remember there were a lot of doctors in white coats near me all the time when I was younger.
She suddenly reaches out in the darkness and grabs my arm. My initial reaction is to jerk away, but for some reason I don’t. “Kayla, you have to trust me. I need you to come back with me before it’s too late.”
“What do you mean before it’s too late?” I ask, glancing between her hand and her expression, which is filled with panic.
She pulls her hand away and sighs. “Mathew was bit by a vampire a few days ago.”
“If he was bit he would have either died or turned into one by now.” I know I should be more sympathetic; however sympathy isn’t really one of my traits.
“Normally, that’s true, but when Mathew was first involved with the doctors from your colony, he used some of the injections that they were experimenting with on himself.” She pauses for a moment, choosing her words carefully. “Although he’s not immune, one of the shots did cause a delay in his transformation...” She sucks in a deep breath and her heart trembles. “He… he believes that it’s part of the cure.”
I take in everything she just told me. If what she says is correct, I need to talk to this Mathew, but do I dare go to this place? It’s unknown.
“Follow your instincts,” Monarch whispers. “They’ll never lead you astray.”
“Okay, I’ll go just as soon as daylight hits.” I feel lost, knowing I can only hope I’m making the right choice. “Now get some sleep. I need to make sure that you have enough energy to get us there.”
“Thank you, Kayla,” she says softly then lies down on the dirt floor and closes her eyes.
Seconds later, she falls asleep and I sort of envy her for being able to. I sit wide awake, listening to the vampire cries right outside as I wonder if I’ve made the right choice while, at the same time, knowing that time is running out.
Chapter 7
Because I no longer need to sleep, I just listen to the breathing of those around me, watching the entrance to the cave until morning comes. My only company is the darkness and the shrieks of the vampires outside.
I’m pretty sure Aiden has listened to my conversation with Nichelle during the night, but he has stayed quiet in his corner and hasn’t budged since we quit talking, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Eventually, the shrieks of the vampires start to fade, and I assume that the day is starting to break, so I stand up from my seat on the floor of the cave. Raising my arms up above me, I stretch my stiff limbs, preparing for my journey. The rest of the group starts to stir as I walk over to the cave entrance and roll back the rock that covers it, letting the sunlight spill in and fill up the cave.
I step outside, staring at the vacant land while breathing in the fresh air, wondering if there will ever be a time when people can look at the view when the sky is dark.
“So you’re simply going to leave with Nichelle and abandon the rest of us?” Aiden asks, walking up behind me. I know he’s angry at me because I’m leaving, because I trust Nichelle and because I won’t tell him that I love him when he wants me to. Desperately.
I turn around and look at him; I mean really look at him. He has his jacket wrapped around him, his hood over his head and his hands tucked in the sleeves. I can barely see his face in the shadows, but I can tell he’s upset and I feel sorry for him. He didn’t want to change into what he is now, but he did it because he thought it was the only way to save me. He cares for me that much. I’ll never feel the same way about him, though. At least, I don’t think I can.
I don’t know why I do it, other than it feels like an impulse, as well as the right thing to do. I reach up and gently touch his cheek, causing his body to shudder. “I have to go, Aiden. This Mathew may know the answers to finding a cure.”
His eyes soften. “I thought you and I had the answers up here,” he taps the side of his head, “locked away in our memories.”
I sigh and remove my hand from his cheek. “We’re supposed to. The papers that Sylas and I found might have had what we needed to help us, but they’re lost and this may be the only chance we have to save the world.”
“And what if you’re wrong.”
“Then at least I tried.”
Nichelle walks out of the cave, ready to go, her pack slung over her shoulder. Her hair is pulled up behind her head and she has a jacket tied around her shoulder. She glances back and forth between Aiden and I with a curious look on her face.