exhausted, his hair a mussed mess. He gave me a muttered “Good night” before heading into his room to collapse.
Jeremy came up a few minutes later smelling of grass and leaves. “Nothing,” he said. “If they’re out there, they’re keeping well out of sight.” He yawned. “I’ll check again when I get up. Right now, I’m beat.”
I nodded, unsettled that he found nothing.
“You sure you don’t want to get some rest?” he asked.
“I’m okay. I’ll sit out here tonight. Not sure I could settle in anyway.”
He studied me a moment before heading into his room.
And then I was alone.
I slid slowly down the wall, arms still crossed, until I was sitting on the hall floor, legs stretched so that my feet were pressed up against the wall. They were dirty from where I’d gone outside in my bare feet, but not so bad I thought it would ruin the paint. I leaned back with a sigh, ready to wait out the long day with no one but myself for company.
11
The attack came at midday.
I was sitting on the floor, back pressed against the wall in an effort to ease the ache that had settled in my bones. Ethan and Jeremy were sound asleep down the hall, comfortable in their beds. If Sienna was going to stay, we’d have to come up with better living arrangements because I wasn’t about to spend my nights on the floor.
The only sounds in the house were my grunts of discomfort and Ethan’s snores coming through his bedroom door. I’d heard a few birds earlier, but they’d fallen silent as if the watcher I’d felt at night was moving around, disturbing them.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I felt weak from the sun, though it couldn’t reach me while I was in the hall. It crept halfway up the stairs from where it shone in from the dining room door. A vague part of me wanted to move down the hall and reach out to touch it, though I knew that was just my tired mind looking for something to do.
I was about to get up and start stretching to work out the kinks that had formed from my hours in the hall when a scream tore through the house.
I was on my feet in an instant, though I had to use the wall to keep steady. Both knees popped in protest. My head was spinning from the sudden movement, but I didn’t have time to shake off the cobwebs. Something was wrong.
“Sienna?” I called, reaching for the door. It had been her voice. “Are you okay?”
The door flew open just as my fingers brushed against it. I staggered forward, nearly falling face-first into the room. I was so off balance, there was little I could do when Sienna came barreling out of the room. She slammed into my chest and actually managed to knock me flat on my ass before I could so much as think to grab her. She was past me and headed for the stairs in a blink.
“Jeremy!” I screamed, scrambling to my feet. If she got out the door, she would be gone for good.
Despite my body’s aches, I was up and down the hall just as Jeremy opened his bedroom door. His eyes were wide, his hair mussed, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. My mind oddly focused on the brief glimpse I had of the knot of scar tissue where his arm had once connected to his shoulder as I ran past, calling out behind me as I took the stairs.
“Sienna’s running!”
He burst into movement behind me. A crash told me Ethan was up and moving as well.
Sienna hit the lower level and turned toward the front door just as I started down the stairs. She screamed again, clutching at her head as she staggered sideways. She was hurting and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it but hold her and try to comfort her until it stopped.
That was, if I could catch her first.
I reached the bottom of the stairs a heartbeat before Jeremy. He was practically running on my heels. Ethan was screaming Sienna’s name from the top of the stairs, clearly still sleepy and confused. I took a step toward her as she righted herself and made for the door once more.
And that’s when the sun hit
Jeremy came up a few minutes later smelling of grass and leaves. “Nothing,” he said. “If they’re out there, they’re keeping well out of sight.” He yawned. “I’ll check again when I get up. Right now, I’m beat.”
I nodded, unsettled that he found nothing.
“You sure you don’t want to get some rest?” he asked.
“I’m okay. I’ll sit out here tonight. Not sure I could settle in anyway.”
He studied me a moment before heading into his room.
And then I was alone.
I slid slowly down the wall, arms still crossed, until I was sitting on the hall floor, legs stretched so that my feet were pressed up against the wall. They were dirty from where I’d gone outside in my bare feet, but not so bad I thought it would ruin the paint. I leaned back with a sigh, ready to wait out the long day with no one but myself for company.
11
The attack came at midday.
I was sitting on the floor, back pressed against the wall in an effort to ease the ache that had settled in my bones. Ethan and Jeremy were sound asleep down the hall, comfortable in their beds. If Sienna was going to stay, we’d have to come up with better living arrangements because I wasn’t about to spend my nights on the floor.
The only sounds in the house were my grunts of discomfort and Ethan’s snores coming through his bedroom door. I’d heard a few birds earlier, but they’d fallen silent as if the watcher I’d felt at night was moving around, disturbing them.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I felt weak from the sun, though it couldn’t reach me while I was in the hall. It crept halfway up the stairs from where it shone in from the dining room door. A vague part of me wanted to move down the hall and reach out to touch it, though I knew that was just my tired mind looking for something to do.
I was about to get up and start stretching to work out the kinks that had formed from my hours in the hall when a scream tore through the house.
I was on my feet in an instant, though I had to use the wall to keep steady. Both knees popped in protest. My head was spinning from the sudden movement, but I didn’t have time to shake off the cobwebs. Something was wrong.
“Sienna?” I called, reaching for the door. It had been her voice. “Are you okay?”
The door flew open just as my fingers brushed against it. I staggered forward, nearly falling face-first into the room. I was so off balance, there was little I could do when Sienna came barreling out of the room. She slammed into my chest and actually managed to knock me flat on my ass before I could so much as think to grab her. She was past me and headed for the stairs in a blink.
“Jeremy!” I screamed, scrambling to my feet. If she got out the door, she would be gone for good.
Despite my body’s aches, I was up and down the hall just as Jeremy opened his bedroom door. His eyes were wide, his hair mussed, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. My mind oddly focused on the brief glimpse I had of the knot of scar tissue where his arm had once connected to his shoulder as I ran past, calling out behind me as I took the stairs.
“Sienna’s running!”
He burst into movement behind me. A crash told me Ethan was up and moving as well.
Sienna hit the lower level and turned toward the front door just as I started down the stairs. She screamed again, clutching at her head as she staggered sideways. She was hurting and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it but hold her and try to comfort her until it stopped.
That was, if I could catch her first.
I reached the bottom of the stairs a heartbeat before Jeremy. He was practically running on my heels. Ethan was screaming Sienna’s name from the top of the stairs, clearly still sleepy and confused. I took a step toward her as she righted herself and made for the door once more.
And that’s when the sun hit
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