Midnight Disaster ~FINALIST Watty Awards 2012~

Chapter 34 (Revised 4/18/2020)

I woke from the nightmare with a gasp so sharp my chest hurt. Instantly, I sought out Cameron, but he wasn't beside me. I sat up, ignoring the pain in my stiff arms and legs. That's when I realized I wasn't alone.

Kelly was beside me. There was a hint of a smile on her face though her bright eyes watched me curiously. "Good morning."

I frowned. How long had I been out? I hadn't even meant to fall asleep. "It's morning?" I rasped.

Kelly nodded and handed me a bottle of water that was mostly empty. The little bit of liquid on the bottom was too good to pass up and I took it, greedily downing every drop. "You've been out a while. Those cuts on your back are pretty deep."

"I still don't remember getting them."

"Adrenaline can do that."

"I guess," I murmured and frowned down at my hands. "Where's Cameron?"

Kelly pointed to the two different spots across the room where my friends had gone off to. Clarissa was stretched out on the floor, next to her friend Brianna. Cameron wasn't far away from me, leaning against the wall with his head bowed in a way that made me wonder if he would face plant at any moment.

"They were worried about you," Kelly said when she turned back to me. "They're good people."

"Yeah, they are," I said. That made me feel horrible all over again at the thought of the wrath I had brought down on the survivors of this town.

This could be over, that little voice whispered in my head again.

I blinked back my tears and anger, trying to shield myself the most I could from Kelly. Too late, I argued back.

Cameron and Clarissa had been right. There was no way to know for sure if Miles was telling the truth or not. I reached up to touch my sensitive shoulder. He said he didn't want to hurt me, but he had still done this. As my fingers skimmed the wound part of me couldn't help but think the bite could've easily been to my throat. He could have killed me then if he wanted.

But he hadn't.

Stop! I screamed inside my head.

Thinking of that just reminded me of my nightmare. The bodies and the blood everywhere.

"What is it?" she asked, observing the expression on my face.

I hadn't realized my features had been morphed into a grimace then. I breathed out, relaxing, but I wasn't sure what to say. I did the only thing I could think of and asked her the same question I had already asked Cameron and Clarissa. "Did I do the right thing?"

She was silent.

"You said I could stop them, and that would've been the chance. I turned them down."

"I think you did the right thing," she said.

I was more surprised at that response than I would've been if she had chastised me.

"Really?" I asked, frowning. Even for who she was, I didn't believe her. I didn't know if that said more about her or me. Probably me.

"Really. After all they've done, the worst thing you could've done was to compromise with them, to let them think that what they've done to us is okay. Our best bet is to fight."

I blinked, unsure what to say. "I'm surprised to hear you of all people say that."

Kelly sighed. "I believe in love and peace, of course, but war? Sometimes, war is necessary."

She was right, but the thought didn't make me feel better.

Cameron snorted, head bobbing up and eyes popping open as if he just realized he'd been asleep. "You're awake," he slurred to me.

I smiled at him. "So are you."

He reached up to wipe his face, grimacing when his hand came into contact with the drool on his chin. "I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep." He paused long enough to crawl over to me. "Feeling better?"

"I feel fine," I assured him.

He frowned. "Yeah, I don't trust that. You said it earlier, but you weren't."

"She's telling the truth this time," Kelly assured him. "She's healing well."

"Good," Cameron said, though he still lifted my shirt to glance at my wounds just to be sure.

I smiled at him, but it fell from my face when the sound of scratching came from the boarded up window. The noise reminded me of nails on a chalkboard, and chills raced down my spine.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the sound and the thoughts that came with it. They were searching for the smallest little opening they could to break in and kill us all. Flashes of my nightmare pounded through my head again, and I squeezed my eyes tighter, trying to hold in the tears.

There was no way to know how many of them were clawing at that window, and in all honesty, I didn't want to know. What I did know was enough.