us. He didn’t look much older than me, but he sure looked like he knew how to handle a gun.
“Can you get him outside?” the young man asked.
The large man nodded. “Sure can. Damn it, I hate this part.”
“What you gonna kill me, Fatty?” the survivor said through clenched teeth. Gone was the laughter. “They’ll slice you up and let you rot. Wouldn’t eat you. Too much damn fat. Don’t want to die an early death.”
Bentham brought the butt of the gun down forcefully over the survivor’s head, but the crazed man continued to ramble. “I’ll eat the dark ones. I’ll eat them right up! And the light, the light, I’ll scoop out the insides—”
Bentham brought the gun down again and the survivor’s eyes rolled back into his head. With a grunt, his head fell forward as he lost consciousness.
“Check on your friend while Randall and I take out the trash,” Bentham snapped at me. The lanky, bossy kid and the fat man picked up the survivor by the arms and pulled him towards the entrance.
Once they were gone, I rushed over to Josephine. Crouching in front of her, I pulled her so she was sitting up against the wall. I shook her slightly, but still she didn’t wake up. My heart began to pound. What if she was really hurt? How long had she been unconscious? I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close to me. I closed my eyes and tried to listen to her breathing. Did it sound normal?
“Josephine? You gotta wake up. I don’t know what I’m doing here.” And it was true. Was it smart to sit and wait for the men to return? I was pretty sure they weren’t survivors, but did that automatically equate trust? All that talk about dark shifters and light shifters. While Josephine was dark, I knew she had limits. Could the same be said for the dark shifter in their pairing? Sure, they would protect each other; I was beginning to understand the bond between dark and light, but what was in it for them if they protected other shifters? I didn’t completely understand the rules of this new world.
The gunshot sliced through the silence of the desecrated hallways of Shepherd High. I ground my teeth together, fighting the urge to run and hide. Fear was the only emotion I felt that I really understood as of late. I jolted to my feet, lifting Josephine up with me. I held her body against mine and braced for whatever came next.
Bentham stalked towards us. The fat man followed behind him, wiping the sweat off of his flushed face with a handkerchief. “Did you really have to kill him?” the big one wheezed.
“Sorry, Randall. It’s kill or be killed. You know the rules. We let one of them live and we’ll just have to kill three more next time.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So you tell me, Ben.”
I cleared my throat.
“Right. You.” Bentham, er, Ben rolled his eyes.
“You’re shifters? Aren’t you?” Randall asked, slowly grinning.
“Of course they are. See his look of complete and utter helplessness? Totally a shifter. How’s she?” Bentham reached a hand forward to touch Josephine’s face.
I took a step back, dragging Josephine with me. “She doesn’t like to be touched,” I growled.
Bentham held up his hands. “Okie. Dokie. I’ll let you take care of her. How come you aren’t that protective over me?” he asked, throwing a look to Randall.
Randall laughed. “What? There was that time I thought you were dead. Remember? I even shed a tear.”
“Funny, old man. You ready to make a run for it?” Bentham asked, eyeing his partner who was still struggling to catch his breath.
“Does it really matter if I’m ready?”
“Guess not. You might want to carry her. We’re gonna have to make a run for it,” Bentham said, turning back towards me.
With a sudden jerk of her body, Josephine pushed me away from her and lunged at Bentham. Caught off guard, Bentham couldn’t defend himself as Josephine swiftly pulled her knee up, hitting him in the balls. As if that wasn’t enough, Josephine
“Can you get him outside?” the young man asked.
The large man nodded. “Sure can. Damn it, I hate this part.”
“What you gonna kill me, Fatty?” the survivor said through clenched teeth. Gone was the laughter. “They’ll slice you up and let you rot. Wouldn’t eat you. Too much damn fat. Don’t want to die an early death.”
Bentham brought the butt of the gun down forcefully over the survivor’s head, but the crazed man continued to ramble. “I’ll eat the dark ones. I’ll eat them right up! And the light, the light, I’ll scoop out the insides—”
Bentham brought the gun down again and the survivor’s eyes rolled back into his head. With a grunt, his head fell forward as he lost consciousness.
“Check on your friend while Randall and I take out the trash,” Bentham snapped at me. The lanky, bossy kid and the fat man picked up the survivor by the arms and pulled him towards the entrance.
Once they were gone, I rushed over to Josephine. Crouching in front of her, I pulled her so she was sitting up against the wall. I shook her slightly, but still she didn’t wake up. My heart began to pound. What if she was really hurt? How long had she been unconscious? I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close to me. I closed my eyes and tried to listen to her breathing. Did it sound normal?
“Josephine? You gotta wake up. I don’t know what I’m doing here.” And it was true. Was it smart to sit and wait for the men to return? I was pretty sure they weren’t survivors, but did that automatically equate trust? All that talk about dark shifters and light shifters. While Josephine was dark, I knew she had limits. Could the same be said for the dark shifter in their pairing? Sure, they would protect each other; I was beginning to understand the bond between dark and light, but what was in it for them if they protected other shifters? I didn’t completely understand the rules of this new world.
The gunshot sliced through the silence of the desecrated hallways of Shepherd High. I ground my teeth together, fighting the urge to run and hide. Fear was the only emotion I felt that I really understood as of late. I jolted to my feet, lifting Josephine up with me. I held her body against mine and braced for whatever came next.
Bentham stalked towards us. The fat man followed behind him, wiping the sweat off of his flushed face with a handkerchief. “Did you really have to kill him?” the big one wheezed.
“Sorry, Randall. It’s kill or be killed. You know the rules. We let one of them live and we’ll just have to kill three more next time.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So you tell me, Ben.”
I cleared my throat.
“Right. You.” Bentham, er, Ben rolled his eyes.
“You’re shifters? Aren’t you?” Randall asked, slowly grinning.
“Of course they are. See his look of complete and utter helplessness? Totally a shifter. How’s she?” Bentham reached a hand forward to touch Josephine’s face.
I took a step back, dragging Josephine with me. “She doesn’t like to be touched,” I growled.
Bentham held up his hands. “Okie. Dokie. I’ll let you take care of her. How come you aren’t that protective over me?” he asked, throwing a look to Randall.
Randall laughed. “What? There was that time I thought you were dead. Remember? I even shed a tear.”
“Funny, old man. You ready to make a run for it?” Bentham asked, eyeing his partner who was still struggling to catch his breath.
“Does it really matter if I’m ready?”
“Guess not. You might want to carry her. We’re gonna have to make a run for it,” Bentham said, turning back towards me.
With a sudden jerk of her body, Josephine pushed me away from her and lunged at Bentham. Caught off guard, Bentham couldn’t defend himself as Josephine swiftly pulled her knee up, hitting him in the balls. As if that wasn’t enough, Josephine
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