SKIPPING TIME

Chapter 28.5

Cacee hurried along, her eyes glued to the light in Ray's hand. She tried not to see how the darkness solidified and shifted in the shadows by the walls. At one point she heard Digits squeaking plaintively and Ray's quiet voice, "I told you, buddy. Those guys aren't like you, they're mean rats. You can't play with them."

Ray repeatedly turned to check on her, but seemed to get that she didn't want to talk. Probably because every time he looked her way she glared at him. Her fear and shock didn't diminish her anger in the least. Although she should have been terrified of the situation at hand, she was only half here. Her mind couldn't process how fast everything had just changed. Most of her remained stuck in the warehouse, reliving the fight between Ray and Jess.

The memory hit her like a punch to the gut, again and again. She kept breaking out in waves of icy sweat, like she was having an allergic reaction to the truth. Jess had been in jail for attempted rape. Although she wanted to believe at least that much wasn't true, a tiny kernel of doubt was lodged in her chest, making every breath painful.

Because he'd fooled her so well, so completely, that she no longer trusted her own instincts. It felt like he'd stolen some part of her she'd never get back.

Then there was Ray. The fact that he hid the truth from her because of some misguided parental concern was bad enough. But the way he got angry enough to just brutally dump it on her was even worse. He'd been so solicitous and sweet, she would've never suspected he'd put some alpha-male need for revenge on Jess above her feelings.

But he had. Which meant she'd misjudged him too. She obviously sucked at reading people. But no more. She finally knew the truth. And, with it came the understanding that depending on Ray or Jess was ridiculous. They were both nothing but... strangers.

Something landed in her hair with a dull thump, bringing her back to reality with a vengeance. She squealed and slapped at her head as Ray and Jess rushed to her side. A gargantuan spider, like something out of a mutant sci-fi film, hit the ground and scrabbled off into the inky darkness. She moaned and shook her hair out, running her hands through it compulsively.

Ray patted her arm, as Jess ran his hand through her hair and said, "It's okay. It's gone. I'll walk by you. I won't let anything else get on you."

Like all of them, Jess was hoarse from smoke inhalation. Still, even with that, something about his voice didn't sound right, but she was too scared and angry to think of what it was. She snapped, "Given the choice between you and the spider, I pick him."

She shoved Ray away and glared. "That goes for you too." Shaking her hair out one last time in an effort to hide a full-body shudder, she said, "Let's keep moving."

Shane finally left Jess's side to come to her. She bent to check him for damage, ignoring both Ray and Jess. When she was satisfied her pup wasn't hurt, she began marching in the direction they'd been going. Shane trotted back to Jess. She remembered what Ray once said about Shane going to whoever needed him the most and faltered. Why did Jess need Shane?

Ray said, "Cacee, wait." She looked back. He shone his flashlight along the wall. "I would have missed it if you didn't stop. I've been looking, but it's so dark down here, and everything looks the same..." His head began nodding as he continued, "Yes! There it is. Right there. Thank God!"

She crept back towards him, constantly checking for spiders. Ray shone the light on a large decaying hole, outlined in crumbling cement and blackened graffiti. As she reached his side, he crouched and stuck his hand inside. She pictured a huge rat chomping it off and somehow stifled a warning. Whether she was mad at him or not, she needed to have faith that Ray knew what he was doing when it came to survival. His hand emerged unscathed, holding a large backpack.