Even in this stairwell away from the street, I can still feel the vibration caused by this thing inside the building. I still clearly remember the man fighting the terrible creature that greedily pumped blood.
A dim light came on below. When Cade appeared at the bottom of the stairs again, his figure appeared in the shadow of Yin. He didn't move, and answered me without saying a word. He put his hand gently on my elbow, turned off the light, and led me down the steps. I was strangely and painfully aware of the fact that he was moving quietly, but I did not.
He led me through the basement, led me through the mess of boxes. I have been looking forward to walking through the cobwebs, but it is surprising that there are no spiders and dust in the basement. Among these boxes, there are some unpacked antiques, ready to be moved upstairs. Some are stored up, waiting for the new owner to take away, which is something they would never do now. Cade led me to the back wall. I stood there staring at it, and he pushed something I couldn't see. I frowned at him, then looked at the wall, and the wall started to moan like a stream. In my state of over-sensitivity and over-stimulation, I can hardly control myself not to scream.
He led me into the small moldy room by the hidden door on the back wall, and my nose wrinkled. I have difficulty breathing, I can't see the surrounding walls, but I can feel them close to my skin. I almost turned around and rushed out of the room, but I managed to control myself. Mainly because Cade's hand is very strong on my elbow, so I can rest assured that I can't lose face in front of him.
He closed the door most of the time and then pulled another rope. Light flooded into this room about twelve feet wide and twelve feet wide. There are only a few boxes inside, one of which is taller than me and almost twice as wide as mine. I can't help but guess what treasures are hidden in these boxes, hidden in this secret room.
"Stay here."
When Cade let go of me, I was spinning. "Wait!" I panted and lunged at him. I might be able to stay in this room if he is there but I am alone...
I will go crazy alone.
He clasped my shoulders tightly, surprisingly gentle, and he pulled me back and shook his head at me. "I must catch him. I can't leave him on it."
I was speechless to argue with him. He was right, this poor man couldn't be sucked dry by that terrible, bloodthirsty thing. But I cannot be left here either. I hate being imprisoned in a closed space. This phobia controlled me years ago and never let me go. I never thought it would be like this.
When I spoke again, he was already shaking his head. "I will help you."
""No, Bethany. Stay here. "
"It would be better and faster if I went alone. It would be quieter."
I want to protest and tell him that my fear of this room is the same as my fear of the damn thing outside. But I did nothing. He is right, this person needs help, and I can't make myself look like a crying coward in front of him. Never before Cade.
I don't know what it is, but I always find myself having to look a little boyish and more confident around him. But then again, my childhood was brutally taken away many years ago.
We have lived in this town for almost our entire lives, but we hardly knew each other, and he gave me an unprecedented sense of strength. Even when we walked through the corridor, without talking or touching, I always felt a strange comfort just because I knew he was there. There has always been a connection between me and him, which I neither understood nor tried to develop. I think my feelings for him are a stupid obsession, an improper nurturing back to life now. The hell above our heads is being destroyed, but I find myself strangely lost in the magnificent power of his yīn gaze.
Of course he didn't feel anything to me, a dull, clumsy girl, as far away from his sight as Jupiter. Although he was a little aggressive and nonchalant, the girls still flocked to him. They were attracted by his alluring beauty and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding him. However, I have never seen him with any of those girls, and as far as I know, he has not dated anyone. I don't even know if he has dated anyone, no matter what the rumors are.
However, despite his indifferent attitude and seemingly not interested in anything or anyone, I still found him looking at me in the hall or on the street. Sometimes when I raise my head, he will stare at me with a strong gaze, which always makes my heart tremble. The way he stares at me makes me feel that he knows me better than anyone, and may even know me better than myself.
I know his attention is meaningless, I just long for it, but whenever I find him looking at me, it always makes me panic and desire more things. There are some things I can’t understand, but I know I am desperate. A few times, I really felt like a silly kid again, because Cade Marshall couldn't see anything interesting or special about me.
Now I feel the strange connection with him again, which gives me a strange sense of security and warmth. I can't become a chattering idiot in front of him. I just can't do it. No matter how much I don't want to be alone in this small room.
I tilted my hand back, my lips closed tightly, and I tried to nod at him briskly. He continued to study me, but there was no expression on my face, trying not to let him see my fear. But I am not sure if it works.
Finally, he turned and left me and slipped out the door. It wasn't until I heard the sound of the lock opening that I realized that if he didn't come back, I didn't know how to escape this room.
I was shaking all over, almost pulling my hair off, and when Cade came back, I almost screamed hysterically. He didn't leave for a long time, only a few minutes, but I sweated a lot and my clothes were soaked, and I realized with horror that I might start to smell worse than the wet room around me. Although I tried to conceal my pain from him, tried to pretend to be brave and prove that I was not a weak idiot, I knew that I had failed miserably.
He closed the door easily. "That man?" I barely swallowed.
Cade raised a black eyebrow, looked at me, his head tilted to one side. Now that he is back, my tremor has eased, but my throat is still clogged. I feel humiliated by the fact that I am on the verge of tears. When I needed to stay at my best, I almost broke down, and all of this was because of four stupid walls and a door.
"In the basement. With this in mind, he is good, or as good as possible." I nodded reluctantly. My hand was shaking nervously, pulling my wet hair back. "How are you?"
"Very good," I whispered. "fine."
"Do you have claustrophobia?"
I began to shook my head in denial. I have never admitted to anyone, even if sometimes I cannot hide it. I didn't even really admit it to myself. I am too ashamed, narrow spaces tend to bother and intimidate me, too ashamed of weakness. But my family knows about this because I try to avoid tight fences, including long car fences. "Maybe a little bit," I evasive.
"If it's useful, I can open the door again, but we can't talk anymore."
My eyes turned to the closed door impatiently. I'm sure the air outside is much fresher than the air here. But I still want to talk to him, the last thing I want to see is that terrible thing sneaking into this room. "No, I'm fine." This is not a complete lie, I do feel better with him, and I am sure that my fear will reduce my exposure to more things, and I am forced to admit it. Although he didn't seem to believe me, he didn't reopen the door. "Is he okay outside?"
"I think so. They seem to only target people on the street now."
"why?"
His jaw was tight, and a muscle on his cheek jumped up. "I think they are working hard to clear this problem."
I want to deny what he said, but as soon as I heard what he said, I knew he was right. Those things gathered on the streets because they had to clear them, and those who were frozen are now obstacles. Since I was a child, I have not had a nausea, but I am pretty sure that by the end of today, I will lose my breakfast, if not my life.
A chill came from my back. The hairs on my neck and arms stand up. I, we, may not survive today. The attack was methodical, planned, deliberate, and cruel. Aliens will not care about the survivors, they will not tolerate them, this is me and Cade.
When I tried to relieve the numbness of my whole body, I hugged myself tightly with my arms. "I can't stay here," I whispered. "My family. I must find them."
Cade nodded. "We must wait a little longer."
"my little sister... ... "
"We will find them, Bethany. I promise we will find them."
I found that I believed him. I don't know why I did this, or why I think he will do everything possible to help me, but I know he will. I lowered my head, tears of frustration and anger burned my eyes. But I won't cry; I haven't cried for many years, and I won't cry anymore.
"Why are we still moving, and everyone else is moving..."
My problem is getting smaller, and I don't know how to describe the current state of these people. frozen? Mannequin? Corpse? The living dead? No matter what they are, no matter what they are called, they are the strangest things I have ever seen. "I don't know. I imagine that we all get something, whether through food or water, medicine or surgery, or even just the air we breathe. It doesn't seem to work for us." (to be continued) (this chapter over)