Page 1 of Nugget

Chapter One

Gavin

Jerking out of a deep sleep, Gavin gasped as a hand closed around his mouth.

“Shh,” his older brother hissed. “Don’t make a sound.”

Gavin nodded with Leo’s hand still covering his mouth.

“I need you to hide,” Leo whispered.

Immediately Gavin shook his head. He didn’t want to be alone. Not if they were coming.

“Dad already left. I need to catch up with him.”

“Mama,” Gavin murmured behind Leo’s hand.

“She went to check on Grandma and Grandpa. I told her you’d be good and hide for us. Please, Gavin.”

“Okay.” They had been practicing this for months. It could be another drill, only the terror on Leo’s face told Gavin otherwise.

“You have to hurry.” Leo pushed Gavin from his small, padded mat. “Don’t look back. Just go.”

Gavin was shaking with fear. This wasn’t like the other times.

Leo pulled Gavin into a rough hug. “Remember that no matter what you hear, you need to stay hidden.”

Clinging to his brother, Gavin nodded. “Okay.”

“Go now.” Leo pushed Gavin away.

Gavin quietly crept across the floor of their one-bedroom cabin. He and Leo shared the padded mat to sleep with his parents in the small bed against the wall. They used to have a house. A big house with lots of land to run across and swings and all kinds of stuff to play with. Gavin missed his toys. They’d had to leave them behind though. Leave everything behind. One bag to hold clothing and food had been all Gavin had been allowed to carry.

He glanced over his shoulder, but Leo had already disappeared into the darkness.

They didn’t use lights in the small cabin. Sometimes his mom would light candles, but she wasn’t there to do that for him. Gavin had gotten good at using his other senses. He was still too young to shift but Gavin could see really good.

Gavin easily found the floorboard that was loose and pulled it up. Making his body as small as possible, Gavin barely fit through the small hole his father had made for him. He quickly replaced the board above his head, sighing as it snapped into place.

The tunnel was dark but Gavin had crawled through it numerous times for practice. It had been fun betting his brother that Gavin could get through the tunnel that opened up into the dense forest on the other side of town. He was not having fun this time.

Huddled into a tight ball, Gavin could do nothing but wait.

Hopefully his brother or one of his parents would soon call out to him that it was safe to come up. Gavin threaded his fingers together and hoped with all his heart.

He jerked at the first loud boom. Covering his mouth with his hand, Gavin couldn’t make a sound. Leo had told him that sound was guns. Humans liked to use guns on their kind. It’ll be okay, he chanted in his head. Father is fast, Leo is feisty, Mom promised she would never leave me. Even as the big booms drew closer, Gavin told himself it would be okay.

There were screams.

Tears started to fall from his eyes, but Gavin still didn’t make a sound.

More big booms. More screams.

Gavin didn’t dare move.

Wood splintered above his head.

Jerking upright in bed, Gavin grasped at his heart. Nightmare. It was just a nightmare. He wasn’t that small child hidden away as his entire world was torn apart and burned.

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