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“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tanner murmured out of the corner of his mouth.
I physically forced my shoulders back and tilted my chin upwards. Tears burned my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. I fucking refused to. I’d shed enough tears because of Dylan Holebroke today.
“I will be,” I answered honestly.
Taking a deep breath, I hurried out of the gym and into the brisk night air.
I stopped the second my feet hit the asphalt, shock forcing my mouth open as I blinked rapidly.
“What the…?”
A single street light illuminated the parking lot outside of the gym, its golden glow unable to reach the farthest corner.
And besides that? Darkness. Nothing but darkness spread as far as the eye could see.
It was an unnatural type of darkness. When you went outside at night, there was usually a star or two in the sky, illuminating your surroundings in a pasty white glow. Or maybe there was a sliver of moon. And even when the sky was devoid of a moon or stars, there was always some sort of light. Light from a nearby building or a window. Light from a town. Light from a candle.
But here? There was nothing. Blankets of pitch spread in all directions, not a single light breaking apart the monotony of darkness.
“What the fuck?” Tanner cursed from behind me.
Heath pointed towards something in the distance. My eyes strained to see the object, but I could only distinguish a tiny speck of white.
“The next circle,” he explained, dropping his arm to his side and removing his backpack. Before any of us could comment, he dropped to the ground with an audible “oomf.”
“We have to cross through all of this darkness to get there?” Maria’s voice trembled, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach. An unhealthy green tint had taken over her face, making her cheeks look even more sallow and gaunt than before.
“Which is why we’ll settle here for a bit. Rest, eat, and recharge.” He used his backpack as a makeshift pillow and reclined against it, his legs spread out in front of him.
Aiden gave him a disbelieving look. “Shouldn’t we keep moving?” As if in answer to his question, something squawked in the darkness, followed immediately by a roar that had goosebumps pebbling on my skin. Terror cascaded over me in an ice-cold tsunami, though Heath appeared relatively unperturbed.
“Once we’re in the darkness, we won’t be able to stop and rest.” His frosty gaze shifted to include everyone, not just Aiden. “Bianaca just endured something so fucking traumatic, I’m surprised she hasn’t fallen over. She needs a damn minute before we continue on. Especially since the other circles will only get worse.”
I opened my mouth to protest, to tell him that I didn’t need to be coddled, before immediately snapping it shut. Because the truth was…I did. Maybe not coddled necessarily, but I needed a damn break.
Seeing that creature had terrified me, and right then, I was running on nothing but adrenaline. The second the adrenaline faded, I would be useless to them all.
“He’s right,” I whispered. “I need… I just need a second.”
Caleb looked as if he wanted to argue, but Travis, the short one with glasses, shook his head. With a growl, the tall man grabbed Kelly’s wrist and pulled her away from us. The other three followed.
Maria glanced in their direction helplessly, turned towards Beau, and then finally settled her gaze on me. With a heavy sigh, she moved to sit beneath the street light, pulling open her backpack to nibble on an apple.
“Don’t go into the darkness!” Heath called, his tone decidedly lackadaisical. “Unless you want to be eaten by twisted souls!” He ended his warning with a wink in my direction before folding his hands over his chest and closing his eyes. Less than a minute later, soft snores escaped his parted lips.
Beau grabbed my wrist and gently pulled me away from Heath, towards where Kace, Tanner, and Aiden were huddled together. I moved to join their group, my shoulders brushing against Kace’s and Aiden’s.
“I don’t trust him,” Aiden growled out, and I didn’t need eyes to know he was glaring intently at a sleeping Heath.
“I don’t either,” I confessed. My body felt sluggish, unbearably heavy, and before anyone could stop me, I collapsed on the ground. The men stared at me in concern before immediately sitting as well. Kace reached into his backpack and handed me a granola bar and a bottle of water. I took the offerings gratefully, my hand shaking as I attempted to open the wrapper. After my third attempt to peel back the plastic, Aiden hissed, leaned forward, and ripped it open. “Thank you,” I said softly. He nodded in response.
“So what do we want to do about Heath?” Kace whispered, nodding in his direction.
“What can we do?” I shrugged my shoulders helplessly. “Everything he’s said has been the truth so far, right? We need him if we’re going to make it out of this shithole alive.”
“Alive.” Tanner scoffed and reached into his jacket pocket, procuring his favorite lighter. He unclasped it, and a bright red flame lit up the parking lot. “Isn’t that subjective.” It wasn’t a question, though I still felt the need to answer as if it were one.
“We’re still alive.” I placed my hand over his, and he startled, his bright blue gaze lowering to where we connected, my pale skin a contrast to his tan coloring. “If what Heath said is true, which I believe it is, then we’re all still alive.”
