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Trembling, I stared at the beast as it shook in the throes of death, and my world suddenly tilted. I could not draw air into my lungs.
Someone caught me before I collided with the dirt and found myself laid out next to the bleeding swine.
“I’ve got you, Cedi,” Garrett said, holding me draped over one arm and his very large gun in the other.
“Oh, my God,” I heard from Huck as he suddenly appeared at Garrett’s side.
“Here, take her,” the middle brother ordered, practically dumping me into the youngest’s arms. He then moved over the suffering beast and pulled out a large blade. “At least we have fresh meat for the rest of the week,” Garrett said, crouching down and slitting its throat. “Fuck, he’s a big boy. Easily 600lbs.”
I vomited. Poor Huck was left again holding my hair and soothing my back.
But nothing prepared me for the assault of guilt that washed over me when I heard Bo, devoid of emotion. “Huck, take her home. Clean her up. I’ll help Garrett.”
Leaning on Huck, I cried the entire way back to the house.
When we got into the kitchen, Huck sat me on a chair and began assessing my injuries. “Jesus, what happened out there.”
“I…had…to…pee,” was all I was able to gasp out.
“Baby, if you had to go, you should have gotten one of us. I know Garrett was out on patrol, but what if an android was nearby? They haven’t left yet. Do you have a death wish?”
“Nnn-no.”
Huck handed me a hanky. “Catch your breath. I’m going to heat some water and collect the salves.”
As I sobbed yet again, wondering if I’d ever run out of tears. How could one person cry so much? Truly, before meeting these men, I hadn’t cried since I was a child. Now it was all I did. Was it because everything felt so much more intense? Is this why my people preferred to feel bored?
When I heard the cabin door open and heavy boots cross the floor, I knew I was in trouble. Like, real trouble.
“I hope you realize how stupid your actions were tonight.”
A fresh burst of tears sprang from my eyes when I looked up at Bo looming over me. I nodded pathetically.
“Leave her be,” Huck clattered around in the kitchen. “She’s traumatized enough.” Huck set a wooden bowl on the table beside me. “What happened to your cheek, Cedi? There’s blood here and scratches all over your arms.”
“Blood?” Bo bumped him out of the way. “What did you do to yourself, woman?”
“It—it was a bat,” I wailed. “It tried to eat me, and then a raccoon attacked me, and I threw the bat at it, so it ate the bat, and then a boar almost killed me.”
I noticed Huck and Bo shared funny looks.
“That’s what happened!” I insisted. “The bathroom door slammed shut and scared the bat from under the overhang, so it attacked me. I hit your bird feeder trying to get away from the bat, so the raccoon eating from it also attacked me.”
“Okay, honey. We believe you,” Huck reassured. “We’ll look after you.”
I jumped when the door swung open, and Garrett rushed in. “You okay, Acedia?”
“Yes,” I replied. Huck ran a warm cloth over my face and down my arms, wiping around the bandage. “I’m okay.”
“You got lucky, girl. Those boars are mean sons of bitches.”
“Thank you for saving me…for killing it...” Another dizzy spell and wave of nausea came, and I could barely hold myself upright. Bo unzipped my poor dress, which was stained yet again with blood, and removed it while I leaned against him to keep from falling out of the chair.
Once naked, he picked me up and put me in the bed.
I felt Huck insist I take a painkiller and some water, and I fell asleep not long after.
Chapter Thirteen
