Absolute Darkness - A CME Survival Thriller - Kellee Greene (books to read for 12 year olds .txt) 📗

considered us all to be. I never thought that if there were some kind of disaster, I’d find new people to care about… to worry about.

I pulled a chair next to the window and sat down. I stared into the night, waiting for my food to settle and listening. There were no more screams, just the crickets.

After breakfast, the four of us walked back to the house to gather the water and anything else we wanted to keep at Erik’s house. Erik had seen the mess, but Dorian hadn’t, which meant I needed to avoid looking at him.

It was easy not to look at him because when I entered the house, I froze. The living room had been cleaned, and there was smoke coming from the fire pit in the backyard.

“Oh shit,” Sam said.

It was the last thing I heard before my surroundings spun, and I was sucked into blackness.

My eyes opened, and I was staring at the familiar ceiling. I knew exactly where I was without looking. I’d laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling many times when I was growing up, and it was no different.

“Are you okay?” Erik asked, taking a wet cloth off my forehead.

I popped up! “We have to get out of here! Someone’s been here!”

20

Erik grabbed my hand, stroking the back with his thumb. “We checked everything. There isn’t anyone here.”

“Someone sure as hell was here,” I squeaked, throwing my hand into the air. “It must have been those people. They must have followed us back.”

“Why would they come in here and clean up?” Sam asked, staring toward the still-smoking fire pit. “They didn’t really seem like the type to just tidy up, take nothing, and leave.”

“They didn’t take anything?” I asked.

Sam shook her head. “As far as I can tell, nothing is gone. They could have taken some old clothes or a shirt, but as for our food and water, it’s all still here. Even my bags are still here.”

“Where are my things?” I asked, my eyes darting from side to side.

“Um,” Sam said, dragging out the sound as her eyes scanned the floor.

“What are we looking for exactly?” Erik asked.

My eyes landed on the gun in his hand. I scooted away, pulling my hand from his.

“If you checked the place, why are you holding that?”

“My gun?” Erik asked.

“Yes,” I said firmly.

He gave me a half-shrug. “Just in case.”

“Right. Sorry. They just make me uncomfortable after… after…,” I said, letting my voice fade into nothing.

“After what?” Dorian asked.

I ignored his question. The last thing I felt like talking about was Elijah.

“I had a black backpack with lots of pockets and a navy suitcase,” I said, getting to my feet. I pointed to the floor. “They were right here when we left. Unless we moved them when we were looking for the medicine.”

“We didn’t move them,” Sam said, opening the closet.

I groaned. “We didn’t put them in there.”

“Well, I don’t know where to look?” Sam said, closing the door.

“Did they burn my stuff?” I walked over to the window and pressed my hand to the glass. “Why would they do that?”

Dorian stepped up next to me. “I don’t think they burned your suitcase. It would be a melted lump of goo, probably giving off black smoke.”

“So, then they took it,” I said. “My clothes. They took my clothes.”

“You can borrow anything you need,” Sam said.

“Thanks, but don’t you think it’s weird that they didn't take your stuff? Just my personal belongings?” I said, pressing my fingers to my temples.

Erik walked over with his arms crossed, the gun peeking out from under his bicep. “I think it’s super weird. We should get what we need and get back to my place.”

“Lead them there?” Sam asked.

“If they’ve been on the road at all, they know my house exists,” Erik said. “Let’s just take what we can for now, and Dorian and I will come back for the water.”

“It’ll go faster if we help,” Sam said.

Erik turned away. “Let’s not argue about it.”

“You’re not any safer with that stupid gun,” Sam said, her voice rising. “They were all armed.”

“We don’t know who was here,” Erik said. “Can’t we agree to get moving?”

Sam glanced at me. “Fine.”

My stomach was swirling as memories of being locked up returned. I hadn’t been in the cell long, but it had been long enough to do damage. For some reason, it was like being with him all over again.

It was like that itchy, tickling feeling of an insect crawling on your skin. Or the tingling chill at the back of your neck when you were being followed. It was back. All the feelings of being stalked were back. It was hitting me in the stomach so hard I ran to the bathroom.

I crouched over the toilet, breathing in and out. Nothing came out because there was nothing in my stomach.

“It’s not possible,” Sam said. “You know it’s not.”

“My things. My things were taken,” I said. “This has happened before.”

Sam came into the bathroom and rubbed my back. “Erik is right, though. We should get out of here.”

“My medicine is wearing off,” I said, holding up my hand. “I feel sick and shaky. Lightheaded… dizzy. Weak.”

“You’ll be okay.” Sam helped me to my feet. “I’ll take care of you. You just need something to eat and drink. Maybe more rest.”

“I slept just fine last night,” I said, letting her help me out of the bathroom.

“One night of sleep isn’t going to make up for everything we’ve gone through,” Sam said, offering me a sympathetic smile. “I’ve had twice as much rest as you have, and I’m still exhausted. This