Chapter 54
10:00 pm
"Goodnight Brianna." I say as I tuck the blanket around and under her forest green pajama top.
"Are you sure I can't stay up a little longer?" Behind her cute but purposely saddened eyes lies a huge smile.
"No Brianna, it's time to go to sleep." I pat her on the head as I stand up off of the bed.
"Fine," She wiggles around in the sheets to get comfortable. "Goodnight!"
"Sweet dreams Bri." I give her a cheeky grin.
Seeing her sweet smile makes my heart happy. She lays so perfectly in bed next to her mangy companion Wilbur, and honestly I'm a little jealous. I wish I could get in there and sleep the night away, but I have a job to do.
I'm exhausted from today's activities. Naomi made me do a bunch of random crap to keep me preoccupied. But even though I was busy, I couldn't stop thinking about our plan for tonight. I have to meet the group outside in about two hours, and I'm so nervous. My worst nightmare would be to see Brianna sneaking out after curfew. In the back of my mind I know Brianna couldn't be the one hurting people, and I'm fairly certain she isn't going to walk out that door in the middle of the night. But the 'what if's' are starting to make me go insane.
I know for damn sure I'm not going to be able to sleep before I have to meet everyone, even though I'm exhausted beyond belief. I can already feel the tension building in my chest, there's no way I would be able to lower my heart rate enough to fall sleep. So there's no point in trying, I'll just end up twiddling my thumbs.
I can't stay in the cabin. I might keep Brianna awake and it's very important for her to think I'm sleeping. Even though I know she won't wake up and try to kill anyone, I need to keep her as unaware as possible. If that doesn't happen, then this whole rendezvous is compromised.
I don't know if it's because of the anxiety coursing through my small and shriveled veins, or the fact that seeing a dead body the other day rattled my conscious, but I need a distraction from everything that's been going on lately. I know that in two hours, I'm going to be dressed in angst head to toe, and I'm looking to take a breather.
Sadly, the only thing that can do that right now is Cameron.
I take my pillow and a couple pieces of clothing and stuff them under the blanket to make a fake silhouette of my sleeping body. I know the obvious unshapely mound couldn't fool anyone with the lights on, but I'm hoping it will pass if Brianna wakes up, and if she doesn't light a candle.
The only things I grab to take to Cameron's cabin is a small bag I got from the house we were at before, and of course my trusty gun. I know that keeping this death machine on me is risky, but I'm willing to take the chance, especially if there's a killer on the loose.
Rubbing the tension out of my temples, I set off to take my short walk to the cabin next door. To my surprise, I find two security guards patrolling the dirt pathway in front on the cabins. I hold my breath and hope to God that they didn't hear the slight squeak of my cabin door. I slowly bring the door closer to its frame as they pass my cabin, their hushed voices the only thing I can hear. They pass, and I watch their armored bodies until they're out of sight. Once I feel the coast is clear, I leave the cabin and tip-toe down the creaky steps. I bolt across the dusty soil in-between our cabins, and practically jump up onto their deck. Winded, I knock on the door quietly and wait for someone to answer. I roll my eyes when Layke greets me at the door with a smirk.
"Fancy seeing you here." He says and leans up against the frame of the door.
"Sure." I push pass him and walk inside. I hear the door shut behind me loudly, and I cringe at the thought of the security guards hearing it.
The small room is lit up with candles that cascade shadows on the walls, ceiling, and floor. The faint glow doesn't stop me from seeing that Cameron's sitting on the lower bunk reading a book. Scooter's laying in the bed above him, I'm guessing trying to fall asleep, and Layke plops down onto his twin bed.
"Need anything?" Layke asks, taking a bite into a juicy red apple that he picked up off the nightstand next to his bed.
"Yeah. Cameron, meet me on the porch?"
11:00 pm
"Are you sure this isn't too much for you?" Cameron asks, resting his hand on my thigh. His brow is arched in worry, his face covered in dread. He knows that Brianna being a suspect has taken a tole on me. We've spent the last hour talking about it. It did make me feel better, but there's an unsettling feeling still buried deep in the pit of my stomach that I don't know how to contain.
"I'm fine Cam, I promise." I give him a dishonest smile. "I just need to know, it's driving me crazy." I run my nails along the splintery bench that seems all too familiar now. Especially with all these serious talks Cameron and I have been having. I always pictured old elderly couples sitting on porch benches together drinking their morning coffee, not talking about murderers and mutant infected. All of this seems too crazy to be true.
"I feel the same way. If it does end up being Brianna," He grabs my hand and gently gives it a squeeze. "We have to leave. There's no way we can stay here Summer."
"What? And leave Layke? Scooter? And what about Robbie? Cam, we trust them and we need everyone one we can get."I understand that Cameron's right. But I don't know if I have the heart to leave the West brothers, they've all grown on me. Except Robbie though, hes a dick.
"We have to go, we won't have a choice. They won't come with us because Robbie still needs help, they're not going to leave him behind. Honestly, I wouldn't be mad leaving that piece of shit behind." His jaw clenches as he breaks eye contact with me. "I need to do whatever's right to keep you and Brianna alive, I made that promise to myself."
"Well, were not going to make that choice because she's not the killer." I say defensively.
Cameron rolls his eyes. "It's just a back up plan Summer."
I sigh, my breath long and drawn out. "I know, I'm sorry."
I feel bad. I hate drawing him away with my temper, but its all I know how to do. I understand that he's annoyed with me, and I would be too if he was acting this way. Am I a child for acting out? I feel like I have the right to, but I could just be making excuses. I can sense that my behavior has caused Cameron more stress. His body language is all messed up, he seems scared to move, like I'll burst at any second. The seldom remains of the discoloration under his eyes makes him look dreary, like a wilting flower. His eyes though, not looking at me but out across the lengthy distance towards the corn stalks, are full of doubt. I know he's trying to think of ways to comfort me, but I don't know if he's wiling to anymore.
Before Cameron can break the still silence of our conversation, the cabin door creaks open and Layke steps outside. A hard and deep click comes from the heel of his boot as it connects with the deck. "Is it okay if I stay out here for a bit? Scooter can't sleep and I want to give him some space."
"Yeah" I say at the same time Cameron nods his head. I can tell that he's not happy about it, but he knows that this is how it has to be in order for us to be inconspicuous.
"Scooter doesn't know about tonight right?" Cameron asks as Layke leans on the railing of the deck.
"Nope, I didn't tell him." Layke assures with a hint of pride in his voice.
"Good, there's already too many people involved." Cameron says, eyeing Layke.
Layke catches the glance and I can see the corner of his mouth turn up into a slight smile. I know he feels special that he was let in on our little secret, and his ego is growing in size every second. His blue eyes then turn to me, giving me a smirk. I cant seem to shake him off of me. The look makes me head fume and my stomach fill up with butterflies all at the same time. Cameron on the other hand, hates every second of this. I see his chest fill up with air as he sees Layke's sly smile. He lets out a long exaggerated sigh, letting the air out of him like a balloon.
"So, what are we going to do when we see Brianna walk out of the cabin?" Layke says arrogantly.
"That's not going to happen." I say.
"But what if it does? We should have a plan." The teasing amplifies in his voice.
"It's not going to happen." I can feel my nails dig into the palms of my hands as I argue back.
"Well don't you think-" Layke starts to say.
"Don't egg her on, Layke." Cameron taunts.
"I'm not. I'm just covering our asses when something goes wrong." Layke spits out of his mouth harshly.
I swear, if these boys end up in another fist fight I'm going to murder both of them. These two better behave themselves so they don't end up fucking things up tonight. "Stop it you two." I say as I pick up the bag I brought with me off the floor. "It's almost time to meet Naomi, so if you two don't mind, shut up."
"Fine. Let's get a move on, we don't want to be late." Cameron agrees.
12:00 am
"Where the fuck is Naomi?" Layke says while re-positioning his squatting legs.
The three of us went back and fourth trying to figure out where the best place would be to keep watch on Brianna and I's cabin. Layke wanted us to stay on his porch, but my cabin was built practically behind his. We would have to have someone sitting on the railing constantly looking back at it, and I was not going to be the one getting a knot in my neck, or caught by Jaw's patrols. Layke was pretty annoyed about it, he didn't want to be uncomfortable during this stakeout, but tough luck dude. Cameron had a different idea. He suggested to climb the cabin and watch from up there. I was all for this idea, but then we found out how ultimately impossible it would be to get up on the roof in the first place. Plus, if any patrols were walking along the path, we would be sitting ducks. After minutes of countless arguing, we finally agreed with my idea, even though it isn't the best and I was going to hate every second of it.
Corn. We decided to pop a squat in the very thing I've come to despise. I hated this idea so much, but it was really are only option. Since Moen is a 'village' built in the middle of a dug out corn field, there was limited options for hiding places. There's no trees anywhere, except the one I climbed earlier, which is on the other side of the village no where near the cabins. There's no bushes to climb in, no hills to hide behind, and no where we could stand without being in view of the path that the security guards walk along. So, corn it is. It's pretty far away from the cabins, maybe a football field in length. We can see the front door of Brianna an I's cabin from here, which is the only thing that matters.
There's only one bad thing about this hiding spot. The patrols walk nearly feet from us on the path that runs along the corns edge, all the way around Moen. It could cause some trouble if a patrol decided to walk by this spot, which I plan on happening. So we better shut the hell up and not move a muscle when that happens.
"No clue." Cameron sighs as he hands me a flashlight.
He was nice enough to pack a couple things for our little investigation earlier today. Stuff to keep us busy, and also supplies we could need. Flashlights, a couple protein bars to share, bottles of water, the book he was reading, but of course that's for himself, and thankfully, guns. I'm appreciative of Cameron's quick thinking because I know this will be a very, long, aggravating night.
"Well she needs to hurry up. I'm getting bored and Summer's becoming a bummer to look at." Layke says.
"Wow, never thought I would hear that come out of your mouth." I tease back.
Layke laughs, causing his cheeks to become a light shade of rosy pink. "What? Are you jealous?"
I scoff. "No, thankful."
I hear a quiet chuckle behind me. I turn around and see a slight smile on Cameron's face as he digs through his bag.
After a couple minutes of debating if Naomi would show up or not, we see her walk towards Brianna and I's cabin. I click the flashlight on and off in her direction. She notices the light right away and starts to jog toward where were sitting.
"You couldn't pick a better spot to hunker down?" She asks through heavy breaths as she parts the corn with her arms and steps into our hiding spot.
"This is the best we've got." I scoot over to make room for her to sit next to me.
"Finally, this night just got interesting." Layke rubs his hands together with a devious smile on his face.
1:00 am
The night sky was riddled with storm clouds. They looked dark and devious, contemplating if they were going to play a trick on us. Which I was dreading, since it would leave us soaked to the bone and miffed beyond belief. The distant rumble of thunder gave the impression that this night wasn't going to be what we hoped.
This has been torture. I've had to listen to Layke try to flirt with Naomi for the last hour, and listen to her shut him down every single time. It was kind of amusing, but it tug at my heart a little with every word that came out of his mouth.
This is starting to feel like a total waste of effort. I'm exhausted, and really could use some sleep before I have to get up tomorrow. Why did we think this was a good idea?
Cameron taps me on the shoulder, which stops me from listing to Naomi arguing with Layke. "My butt's numb." He whispers.
"Mine too." I laugh. "Sorry I dragged them into this."
"Its okay, they're entertainment." He holds out a protein bar that he's been snacking on while reading his book. "Want some?"
I take it from him and bite off a small piece, the chocolate and oat flavor filling my mouth. "Thanks."
"Are we staying here until sunrise?" He asks.
"I would really like too. Although, a stakeout doesn't really seem like the best idea right now. I don't want to stop and miss the chance of seeing Brianna walk out of the cabin though."
"Yeah I know. Maybe we'll just stay another hour? And if you really want someone to keep watch all night, I'll gladly do if for you so you can get some sleep." He smiles, showing off the crumbs around his lips.
"Okay that sounds fair enough."
No matter how many times I've hurt Cameron, he still seems to put me first.
I turn to suggest to Naomi and Layke that going back to our cabins for the night would probably be a good idea, but I'm shushed by Naomi's finger instead.
"Patrol." She says and points to the path in front of my cabin.
I peer around her body, and look off into the distance. There they are; two male security guards are walking along the dirt path. Probably the same guys I saw earlier tonight when I was leaving my cabin. They both have on bullet proof vests and shin guards that look like they stole them from soccer players. They also have big guns hanging off their shoulders that are very intimidating.
"Are they going to circle around all the cabins and walk passed us?" I whisper.
"Yeah. I've watched them walk this path a million times while meeting Darren after dark. I needed to know where they were going to go so we wouldn't get caught." Naomi explains.
We spend the next couple minutes watching them silently until they disappear around the furthest cabin.
"When will they get over to us? I want to know so I can make sure Layke's loud mouth is zipped up tight." I tease.
"I say we have about ten minutes." Naomi answers.
"Okay then we better stay quiet." I say eyeing Layke. But he's too busy looking off towards the cabins.
"I think that's going to be a problem." Layke says, his tone more serious then expected. I hope he didn't take my joke to heart, I was just messing with him.
"Why? Did I upset you? I hope not, because I'm not looking forward to getting yelled at." I laugh, nudging Cameron with my elbow.
Layke's head turns around slowly. The look on his face makes my stomach drop.
"Look," He points towards the cabins. "It's Brianna."