The Shallow Places (ON HOLD)

Chapter Four

It took me a moment to register in my brain what was happening. Where was I? There was something wrong. There was something I was afraid of. Something was happening. Juno had turned and she was lying below me, snarling with bared teeth. Her nose was scrunched up as she revealed her row of pearly white teeth. Teeth that could rip open flesh with ease. My flesh. My flesh that she could tear open at any given moment, if it weren't for her injuries which hindered her ability to move.

I stared into her dark and hollow eyes. Juno's eyes were black as night, and they were dialated to the point where you could no longer see the ring of irises. Those eyes were angry and hateful, and they were no longer the eyes of the dog I once knew. She was gone, disappeared, diminished... Juno was dead already.

I screamed and jumped away from this beast. This beast was no longer the friend I had spent a third of my life with. She was something different all together--she was a monster. She was a ruthless killing machine now, and she would roam the world, deaden, unless awakened by the faintest of traces of human blood. Her thirst would remain unquenched.

I was frozen stiff; incapable of moving even the slightest inch. I didn't recognize her anymore, and that was scary. She was threatening now.

She inched forward slowly, snarling and hissing. She was thrashing in agony as she made her way closer; snapping her jaws. I couldn't react in time. She leapt onto me and her mouth nearly grazed my nose. It was over-- I was going to be murdered by my best friend.

I thought of everything I would miss, and I came up empty-handed. I had long ago lost everything there was to miss about life--my parents, school, friends; I had lost everything except my best friend and now she too was gone.

Suddenly, she yelped and spit blood, and her body went limp and gave way. I struggled to move under her weight. She was dead. Juno was finally dead. Owen stood over me with a double barrel shotgun. His eyes were sullen, but wide with fear. This was something he had never seen before.

He offered a peaceful hand and I took it, sliding a thumb along his palm. He pulled me into his extended arms and held tight against my better judgment. I didn't hug him back; I should have, but I didn't. I was trembling beneath his grip which only caused his arms to tighten around me, as if it helped. I was shaking with tears as I realized that everything I had was gone forever. I had lost everyone I loved and now I was alone.

I didn't know how long I stood there, wrapped in Owen's embrace, but I remember being lifted into the truck and covered with his jacket. My eyes fluttered shut and I drifted into slumber. It had been a long day and it felt good to sleep. For a few minutes, I could finally relax and not worry about anything--I knew the boys had everything under control. It was the first time in a long time that I had felt so secure. They made me feel safe.

I woke to the sound of my name. "Gabrielle had a long day," one of the three said. I could tell it was Eli's voice, and he was closest to me. I was resting on his lap, which usually would have been too close for comfort, but I was too exhausted to move my head.

I kept my eyes closed, as I felt a long hand caress my skull, running fingers through my hair. His touch was smoothing and soft. Eli was the gentle one. He was caring and sweet, and I was glad to be with him. I liked being on his lap; he made me feel safe and comforted, and I hadn't known that feeling in a long time.

"Are we really taking her to Zane? What if we can't trust her?" Nolan said. He was unsure about me. He had been uncertain from the beginning, but for good reason. We were strangers, forced together by a trick of fate.

"We're not leaving her," Eli snapped. I felt a breath of hot air on my face as he leaned to kiss my forehead. My skin prickled where his lips touched me, hot against my flesh. "I trust her," he whispered.

"Eli's right," Owen agreed. His voice was monotonous and quiet. He sounded sad or angry, "She's coming with us. Zane will know what to do. He always does."

Zane--they kept speaking of that name. I didn't know this Zane, but he sounded like he was the leader. He seemed to even have superiority over Owen. Owen respected this man; I could see it in his eyes when he spoke of him, but there was something else there. Jealousy, maybe, because Owen wanted so badly to be the one to make decisions and he didn't have that power.

Owen was a leader in his own way. He had the determination and intellect of a dictator, but the reason and wit of an old man. He knew what was right and what was wrong, but at times he could be hesitant. In those moments when his eyebrows furrowed together, you could almost see the gears turning in his brain, but he thought too hard and too long and for what? It didn't matter if you were stocked with ammo, had a lasting shelter, or a strong leader; if you let your guard down for a moment longer than you could afford, you would be dead. I realized in that moment why Owen wasn't a leader. He thought too much and that was dangerous.

I opened my eyes slowly to see Eli above me. The setting sun was casting an orange glow on his thin face. He caught my eye and peered down into them. "Hi Gabrielle," he whispered, stroking my hair with a smooth hand. It felt amazing after such a long day. It comforted me when I so badly needed it.

I smiled up at him, but my face fell when I remembered the circumstances of this moment. Juno was dead, my flat was empty, and I only had a few of my belongings with me. I frowned, sitting up with a start, "We have to go back."

The suddenness of the movement caused my head to throb with pain. I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing my temples with my fingers and soothing the pain within.

Owen narrowed his eyes at me, "Back where?"

"New York," I said, "That's my home."

"You aren't going back there," said Eli, gripping my waist in his arms. He was surprisingly strong for being so gentle usually.

"I have to," I protested, but the boys wouldn't give. I looked to Nolan for support. He disliked me after all, and if I went home, I wouldn't be such a nuisance for all of them.

Nolan just sighed and averted his gaze. Even if he agreed with me, we both knew his argument wouldn't satisfy. He was in the minority of the group and had little say in anything the boys chose to do.

"It looks like you're staying with us," Eli smiled, kissing my hair from behind.

I guess it does, I thought, and I began to wonder how I had become so weak. What happened to the stubborn, angry girl who had once been better off alone? Now I was becoming dependent on these people I didn't know? I felt guilty at once.

No, I wasn't dependent. They were forcing me into this, or so I tried to convince myself.