Promise Me Light by Paige Weaver

on that there was safety in numbers. We
became a well-oiled machine, each of us knowing our part in surviving.
We were crowded but we were safe. That’s all that mattered.
    Our food supply was low but it had not been taken from us to be
rationed off to the masses of homeless and hungry in America like it had
been elsewhere. We had no curfew, no one to answer to but ourselves. The
ranch was the perfect place to bunker down. We were secluded from the
terror in the rest of the country, hidden far from the fighting. Well,
almost.
    For me, the days were long, the nights longer. During the day I
worked, carrying my weight around the ranch when I could. At night, I
tossed and turned. Ryder haunted me in the middle of the day and in my
dreams at night.
     
    “I love you, Maddie.”
    I looked into Ryder’s eyes and saw everything I would ever need or
want. Placing my hand on the back of his neck, I pulled him to me, dying
to feel his mouth on mine.
    “I love you too,” I whispered, touching my lips to his.
“Don’t ever leave me again.”
    His mouth captured mine, urgent and full of need. Grasping my hips,
he pulled me closer. I moaned when one of his hands reached beneath my
shirt, seeking my breast.
    “I never left you, Maddie. I’ve always been here with you,” he
said, his lips leaving my mouth to travel to my ear.
    He kissed the sensitive skin below my earlobe, leaving heat behind. I
sucked in a breath as his fingers brushed the underside of my
breast.
    “Please, Ryder, I need you,” I whispered, throwing my head back.
His mouth moved down my neck, making parts of me scream to be
satisfied.
    “Tell me how much,” he demanded as his thumb and forefinger found
my nipple. “Do you need this?”
    I opened my mouth to tell him yes, that’s exactly what I needed,
but I never got the chance to say anything.
    A shot ripped through the night.
    Ryder jerked against me. Another shot rang out and he jerked again,
the jolt moving through my body.
    I saw his eyes widen fearfully. Stumbling back, his hands dropped
away from me, leaving me cold and alone.
    I watched in horror as a large circle of blood started spreading on
his chest. The redness was like nothing I had ever seen before. It
seemed to be a living object, taking over his body, consuming him with
its evilness.
    I cried out as his hand reached up to touch the blood. Holding his
bloody fingers out for me to see, he looked at me with sadness.
    “I’m sorry, Maddie,” he said, dropping to his knees in front of
me.
    “NOOO!” I screamed, catching him before he fell face first into
the dirt.
    Out of nowhere, I heard thrashing in the woods around us. The noise
was loud and foreboding, surrounding us like an attacker circling its
prey. Holding Ryder against me, I glanced around, seeking the enemy that
did this to him. To us.
    Suddenly a few feet away, a baby started crying. Loud wails filled
the night, tearing at my insides. I needed to go to my child but I
couldn’t let go of Ryder.
    “Go take care of our baby, Maddie. Let me go,” he whispered,
using the last of his energy to say the words.
    “No, I’m not leaving you!” I cried, sobs choking me. Killing
me.
    “You have to,” he forced out. His hand reached up to touch my
face. I could feel the smear of blood he left behind on my cheek,
forever branding me.
    “I love you, Maddie. Remember that. I’ll love you forever. Now
let me go.”
    I watched with horror as he drew his last breath.
    “NOOO,” I screamed at the top of my lungs, my cries mixing with
the baby’s.
    Someone grabbed my shoulder and shook me awake.
    “Maddie!”
    I sprang upright, my chest rising and falling quickly, my breathing
ragged and forced. With a shaky hand, I pushed my hair away from my
face, feeling the sweat that glistened my forehead. When the bed dipped
next to me, I glanced over, scared of who I would find beside me. Or who
I wouldn’t find.
    Eva sat up, staring at me with concern.