"Come on, Abby." She stared at me with a trembling lower lip, her dark brown eyes turning at me. "Go away."
Abby's eyes were fixed on the window, but she started walking sideways down the hall and towards the stairs. She turned around and walked into the stairs, stepped back down the steps, without a sound. Her eyes were full of tears, but she did not complain or cry. She went to the bottom of the stairs and turned a corner. The sunlight outside the window was still hot, and we shuffled through the corridor downstairs, illuminating our journey.
"What are they doing?" Abby whispered. I shook my head and did not answer her question. "They will kill us."
I agreed. I just don't plan to tell her. When we were approaching the kitchen, the back door suddenly opened. When she stopped suddenly, I accidentally bumped the board into Abby and almost knocked her down. My heart was pounding, and my throat instantly dried. I'm sure this is the end, we are all going to die. I wanted to catch Abby and push her behind me, trying to keep her safe, but the splint between us couldn't stop her.
Someone walked into the kitchen. I blinked quickly, trying to focus my eyes on the person illuminated by the dazzling light. Abby was shaking very hard, and the board made a rattling noise. Is it an alien? Did they really come down to save us? "Abby?"
"Ayden?" She died. My whole body breathed a sigh of relief. "Ayden?"
He walked into the room and saw better as he walked. "Mom?" he whispered.
"You shouldn't come to Aiden," I whispered. When I realized that he was trapped with us now, the feeling of heartbreak filled me.
"You shouldn't come to Aiden," I struggled over and over again to say something, but tears blocked my throat.
"I must do this."
"We are dying."
I used to worry that this might be true, but speaking these words aloud made this fact completely ruinous. This is real. It is impossible for the three of us to get out of this house alive. "Beth..."
My gaze crossed Aiden, and my heart beat faster when Brett walked into the room behind him. "Oh Brett," I whispered, despair filling me. Brett won't work either, I don't think I can handle it. He is part of our family; he is part of me. He is Aiden's best friend, Abby's second brother, and he is here because he loves everything about me, he has. He will die because of me, and I just kissed another man an hour ago. I have never hated myself like I do now. "You shouldn't have come."
When his head turned to the side, he frowned. Like Aiden and I, he is very white, but his hair is darker than ours. "I have to do this," he said simply, as simple as that for him. The acid in my stomach was churning like I had just eaten bad chicken. Guilt stirred me, like self-hatred overwhelmed me. I suddenly felt very happy because I didn't have much time to despise myself.
"Hurry up," Aiden urged.
I did not say that it does not matter whether we act in a hurry. I have expressed my opinion on the whole situation. I don't want to be pessimistic anymore. "What's going on?" Brett's gaze swept across the completely red front of the house.
"We made them messy," I replied. "Now they are playing with us."
Aiden stepped forward and pushed Abby aside as Abby grabbed the splint. His eyes locked on our mother, and tears flickered in his eyes as his head tilted to one side. "Mom," he murmured. The heartache in his voice almost made me intolerable.
"Ayden, please, we have to go. Abby has a few bags of food at the door, and you have to grab them." I thought we would not be far away, but if we were far away, we needed food, we had to Do something else instead of standing here. In addition to our impending death, I have to think about some other things.
"Why are you covered in blood?" Aiden asked.
I shook my head, I was not ready to talk about all these bloody details. There is no reason to do so. If Aiden hadn't seen those terrible sucking tentacles, he would have seen them soon. "Let's go, Abby, please," I pleaded.
She nodded and passed the splint to Aiden. His gaze returned to our mother, and the way he kicked the puppy looked much better than him. Abby grabbed the bag by the door and looked back at us expectantly. Brett came to me, but thankfully I didn't let go of the splint to hug him. I could hardly bear his light kiss on my cheek. This makes me feel less loyal and scarier.
I knew how he felt about me years ago, but it was not until this year that I avoided his teasing. I love him deeply, but I am never sure if this is just a friend. Four months ago, I finally gave in to his pursuit. I deduced that the only way to let me know how I really feel about him is to stop pushing him away and treat him like a brother. Maybe then I will fall in love with him.
The relationship between us is very good, sweet, considerate and simple. We never quarrel, or even quarrel. But our relationship does not have any sex, or yes, I think we are with Cade. We rarely kissed, and I still felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. Bret was very patient with me, sure I would eventually have more feelings for him, and it was impossible not to believe anything Bret said. Where, Cade is a mystery, the past is and the future will be, Brett is an open book about honesty, hope, and love.
Brett nestled his hand on my cheek and brushed away the dry blood that had stuck to me. "How are you?"
"No," I answered honestly. "I'm not good. We must leave here immediately."
"Yes." When he took the plywood from my hand, he touched my hand lightly. He is taller than Cade, with broad shoulders and a taller figure. He is very handsome, in a lively, undefended manner, which is quite the opposite of Cade's dark splendor. Brett was a quarterback of the football team and a star athlete. He could have received a full scholarship to go to any university of his choice, but this hope has been smashed by aliens. People no longer travel anywhere, let alone go to college to improve themselves. Aliens claim that everyone is equal under their rule, and higher education is not necessary. There will be no more hunger, no more diseases and premature deaths, and crime will be greatly reduced. So many people are overwhelmed by their lies, which has never surprised me; if one is desperate enough, it is easy to believe in something.
Brett has always been a popular gentleman, a golden boy chased by girls, however, for some reason, he chose to pursue me. I should feel honored for this, because all my friends told me so. When he started asking me out, they were very jealous. When I continued to reject him, they also became extremely suspicious and angry. When I finally gave in and agreed to his request, they were not happier. They just don't understand how I feel about Bret; they still don't understand, and to be honest, I don't understand either.
"Beth." I turned my head to him, and when I saw his gaze, I tried to keep my face expressionless. "I will guarantee your safety."
I cringed involuntarily, kicking myself more intensely in my heart. If, by some miracle, we really survived, I will officially consider myself the worst person ever.
"We have to hurry up, walk through the woods, and follow the paths. Once we enter the dense areas, we may lose them." Aiden's tone was hopeful, but we all knew it was extremely unlikely. After all, they are flying in the air. "Abby, go open the door"
Abby looked at all of us nervously, clutching the handbag in both hands. She took a deep breath, nodded reluctantly, and hurriedly opened the door. My heart was pounding in my chest, but Abby had already rushed out. I almost told her to wait for my return, but we are not safer here than outside.
"Hold on," Brett ordered us to rush out from behind Abby.
I really want to argue with him and tell him that I can take care of myself, but what's the point of doing this? I cannot take care of myself in this situation. No one can.
The light outside is much more vivid, it illuminates the sky with the power of a million bulbs. It hit my eyes, stumbled and almost fell because I was hiding behind the plywood clumsily. A rumbling sound filled the air and shook the earth. I realized with astonishment that this horrible feeling was the same as the previous horrible thing when it came.
I didn't look back to see what was coming to us, I knew what was there, and I didn't want to see it again. Brett's breathing was heavy by my side, and I tried to recognize Abby, but through the dazzling sunlight, I couldn't see her. When all this is over, I will be blind.
I feel more than just hearing or seeing the upcoming attack, just because these two feelings are almost completely useless now. I knew it was coming, something was chasing us, and it was nearby. I'm not ready yet, I'm too young, and of course I never thought I would go this way.
The image of my father flashed before my eyes.
I am grateful that he never needed to know this, never needed to see his family being hunted like rodents. I am very happy. Until now, my mother does not seem to know that she is being hunted and that her children are so close to death. Unfortunately, she would wake up like that man, but it was too late by then, and she would die soon. She will never know that she has lost her child. (To be continued) (End of this chapter)