“You ready to go, Kayla?”
I nod, watching Aiden as he backs away from me, his eyes glinting with rage as he stares at Nichelle. There it is again. The anger. Something I never really saw in him before he changed. When he notices me staring at him, he pauses, his lips parting like he’s going to say something, but Maci and Greyson step out of the cave and he snaps his mouth shit.
Greyson is carrying what little gear the group has and Maci skips over to the side of me, her red hair blowing in the breeze.
“Are we ready?” she asks me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
I’m confused. “Umm… Maci, you aren’t coming with us.”
She looks at me with a smug expression on her face; it throws me back a little. “Yes, I am.”
I glance over to Nichelle, who shrugs her shoulders. “I didn’t tell her she could go.”
I crouch down in front of Maci so we’re eye-level. “I know you want to come, but it’ll be faster if I go alone with Nichelle.”
She shakes her head in protest. “No, I’m going.”
I glance over to Aiden for help, but he aims the same smug look at me and I can tell that I’m going to have to fight this battle on my own.
Sighing, I stand back up and pat her on the head. “Somebody has to take care of Aiden. If he goes into the sunlight, it’ll hurt him. I need you to take care of him. And Greyson, too. Do you think you can do this for me?”
She looks as though she is buying into my little story. “Okay, I think I can do that.”
Then Aiden walks out of the shadows of the cave and doesn’t stop until he’s right in my face. “This is bull shit,” he says, the anger there again, burning like a fire. “If you’re going, we’re all going with you.”
“You can’t,” I start to argue, knowing if they all go, then I’m going to be stuck worrying about them. Plus, they’ll slow us down.
“Watch me,” he says and then he turns to Nichelle. “Which way is it?”
Nichelle eyes him over, as if she doesn’t trust him, but then she turns and starts walking up the hill. “Follow me,” she says, motioning him to follow.
Maci smiles at me and then takes my hand, pulling me along. “See, Kayla, I told you I was going.”
I shake my head, trying not to smile as I follow her because it’s not funny. She shouldn’t be going. It’s too dangerous, yet the fact that she said she was going and now she is, is sort of amusing.
It makes me wonder what else she can see. I think about asking her if we’re going to be okay, but when I really think about it, I’m not sure that I want to know the answer.
Chapter 8
The journey across the sandy desert land is slow, hot and it irks me to know that, if I was traveling it solo, I could have made it to the city and back by now. I drift to the back of the group, checking to make sure no one is getting left behind as we all trudge farther towards the unknown. Nichelle leads the way across the desert land; her bag on her shoulder, her back hunched over like she’s tired. Maci is quiet, looking exhausted and hungry, but I can tell she’s trying not to complain. Aiden’s quiet, too, as he walks just in front me with his head tucked down, trying to keep the light from hitting his face.
Aiden has been acting a bit more strange the more and more time goes by. I know that he has changed into a Day Taker, but still, something else doesn’t seem quite right about him. The mood swings… I don’t remember being that moody.
I watch him from the corner of my eye as I wind around sagebrush and cacti while sand gets in my eyes because of the dry breeze. He still has his hood up and hands covered, but strangely, he doesn’t seem drained of energy the way Sylas and Tristan were when they traveled in the daylight. I stare at him a moment longer, wondering what feels off, but I’m unable to put my finger on it. When he glances at me, I quickly avert my attention from him and focus on clouds of dust the breeze is kicking up.
The sky grows darker with every step we take, and when we reach the edge of a hill, readying to wind down, Nichelle pauses for a moment, waiting for the rest of us to catch up with her.
She looks up at the darkening sky with her hand shielded over her eyes, and her face masks with concern. “I don’t think we’re going to make it back to town before darkness falls.”
“How much further is it?” Greyson asks as he wipes some sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. His skin is sweaty and stained with dirt and he looks exhausted.
Nichelle points at the desert land before us. “It’s over there.”
I step next to her and track where she’s pointing. There’s a deep basin that stretches out a few miles and I can see a small speck on the other side. It looks different than the land I’m used to; more green.
“How long will it take to get there?” I ask Nichelle, measuring up the distance while knowing if it were just me I could be there in a flash.
“Normally,” she looks around at our group, “well, I’d be there already. But we are moving at a much slower pace than I’m used to, so I’m not sure.”
I nod, understanding what she means. “Is there somewhere nearby that we can stop for the night?” I ask when, really, what I want to do is take off and let everyone else stay behind for the night.
Nichelle scans the area below us for someplace to hide as I hear the screeching of the very first vampires awakening for the night. Everyone grows uneasy, restless, as they glance around at the shadows on the hills, the desert land, and the caves in the sides of the hills. So many places for vampires to be hiding and they could walk out at any moment.
Maci starts to shake with nerves and leans in close to me. “Kayla, I’m scared.”
I pat her head. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”
Nichelle twists one of the coils of her hair with her fingers as she deliberates then her eyes light. “I think I may know of a place. If we hurry, we can make it before it gets completely dark.”
I nod and then we take off in a line down a small trail that weaves down into the basin, Nichelle taking the front and me taking the back. The trail is narrow and drops off sharply on one side towards jagged rocks and cliffs. I try to keep an eye on everyone as we hike down towards the bottom, having to catch Maci more than a few times.
It’s getting darker, the sky a deep grey, making it difficult for them to see. The trail begins to slope further towards the ground and Maci has to brace into the rocky wall beside us to keep her balance.
“Be careful,” Nichelle whispers from up ahead, motioning us to keep going. “We’re are almost there. Everyone keep moving.”
I see the edge of the ledge where Nichelle seems to be heading and relief washes over me because everyone is making me nervous. It’s too stressful traveling with the group and I wish I were alone.
Suddenly, Maci stumbles, and when I reach out to grab her, she slips from my grasp, tumbling over the edge of the cliff. She shouts my name as she falls, and I cry back at her. My eyes widen as I rush to the edge and look down.
“Maci!” I shout towards the bottom, lying flat on my stomach as I peer down over the edge. I spot her a ways down, lying at the bottom on the rocks. She’s not moving. I feel a flicker of panic, one I’m not used to as the others rush over to the side of me. It hurts, knowing she’s down there, helpless and in pain.
I need to get to her. Now.
“What happened?” Nichelle asks, rushing up to me.
“Maci slipped and fell over the edge.” I look down at the ground below, panicking more than I ever have before. What if she’s not okay? What if she’s gone? “I’m going to climb down.” I push up and swing my legs around to climb down to the rocks below.
Greyson grabs my arm, stopping me. He’s afraid. Scared of what may happen if we don’t find somewhere to hide from the vampires soon. “Kayla, that was a long fall—” A vampire lets out a cry and he jumps, more afraid as he glances around with worry. “We need to get to a safe place, quick.”