Humanity's Hope: Book 1 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 15

The driver and passenger remained silent. Caleb's discomfort grew. Without them talking to distract him, he was forced to focus on his uncomfortable situation. It felt as if the seat was pressing into his back, smooshing him into the metal floor of the van. The desire to crawl out and stick his head out the window was overpowering. The air felt thick and smelled faintly of exhaust. Caleb was convinced he was being asphyxiated and would soon fall into a deep sleep that he would never wake from. His skin felt prickly and hot, sweat beaded on the small of his back. The ragged breaths he was taking were too loud—he just knew it—and they were going to hear him and capture him. He tried to keep them smooth and even, but the thought of breathing in poison made it difficult.

At least you'll be able to get out from under this seat.

Caleb closed his eyes and thought of the light. He drew in slow, silent breaths through his nose. If the air killed him, he wouldn't have to worry about any of this. Either way, he needed to calm down. Panicking was just making it worse. What was he going to do when they got into the city? No doubt they would pull into a secure facility at Zomtech. They couldn't risk the creatures getting into the city. There would more than likely be guards, with guns. There was no way Caleb would be able to get away from them. He'd have to explain why he was hiding in the van. Man! This was going from worse to deadly. Why hadn't he thought this out better and considered all the angles?

You should have ran.

No. He could do this. He would just wait it out. There was no way they would guard the van forever. They wouldn't check the backseat. Eventually, they would park the vehicle and let it sit. That was when he would make his break for it. Everything was going to be fine. He just had to stay under the seat until then. His breath hitched at the thought, but after a couple deep breaths, he got it back under control.

* * * *

"It hurts all the time." Caleb pointed to the center of his chest. "Right here."

The psychiatrist nodded slightly. "What were your expectations for how you would feel after all that you'd lost?" Her tone was soft, even, soothing.

"I just want it to stop!" Caleb's tone was just below a shout. Panic and desperation crept around the edges.

Caleb lowered his gaze to his lap. His hands were flat against the couch next to his legs. His wrists were still wrapped in white gauze, but it would be coming off in the next few days. The malnutrition, dehydration, and trauma had taken its toll on his body. He was hooked up to the IVs for five days. He had started eating after two, but his body was slow to recover. Even now, he felt weak. Keeping his tone under control had caused black dots to dance in front of his eyes, and exhaustion slumped his shoulders forward. He certainly wasn't as strong as he'd once been. They said it would return in time, but Caleb wasn't so sure. So much had changed.

"I wish I could tell you everything was going to be all right." The psychiatrist's voice was even softer.

Caleb's gaze flicked up to look at her briefly, then it settled back in his lap. In that short time, though, he saw the sympathy on her face. Her brown eyes glistened with tears, and her mouth turned down in a frown. The creases on her forehead and around her eyes deepened. Her dark skin seemed darker, shadowed with sadness.

"But the truth is, I don't know what's going to happen. Everything's been turned upside down. Nothing makes sense anymore." She shifted in her seat so she was leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees.

Caleb glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and held her in his sight.

"What I do know is that what you did wasn't abnormal or weird. You aren't odd for feeling the way you do. You are allowed to feel like that."