Page 92 of Darkness I Become
“Ah,” Clyde said. “A wise choice. But you have nothing to fear, assuming you’ve come to the right decision.”
“I have,” Cade replied, keeping his face impassive as small red lights appeared on each of the men’s heads. He lifted his hand in the ‘go’ signal and retreated back through the door of the clubhouse before the men had time to react.
Bang.Three simultaneous sniper shots to the head, and all three men lay bleeding on the ground.
Cade dropped next to Clyde, drew his knife, and cut the PID from his belt. To his surprise, Clyde groaned in protest, even as blood pooled rapidly under his head.
“You,” was all he could croak out.
“Me,” Cade replied calmly as he aimed his pistol at Clyde’s head and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 30
Winter 2097
It was another day on the road to Summerhurst, and Asha was exhausted. She knew the others were, too, but it didn’t stop her from snapping at them. Even Kimmy grew weary of her, and despite knowing she had to at least appease the one person ostensibly on her side, Asha found herself unable to hide her bitterness.
When they stopped to camp for the night, she was in an even worse mood. Hunger gnawed at her, as did the ever-present ache for a man she told herself she hated. The knowledge that he was looking for her had ripped her heart open anew, but it was too late now. He’d made his bed, and she wasn’t going to be his tool to use ever again.
Around the campfire, Claire chatted amiably with Madigan, snuggled up beside him on a blanket. He had his arm around her, and Claire hung on his every word like it was gospel. Given the darkness of her thoughts, their cutesy flirting grated even more heavily on Asha. She tried to distract herself with cooking, helping Kimmy to roast pigeon on a spit over the fire.
“I donot,” Claire exclaimed, “snore like a bear. I know that for a fact.”
“No, more like a squirrel or something,” Madigan replied, grinning. “The daintiest little snores I ever heard. It’s cute, really.”
Claire shook with giggles. “How does one snoredaintily?”
“I don’t know, but you do,” he said with a chuckle. “Only when the air’s especially dry, but it’s funny.”
Somehow, that obnoxious exchange led to a kiss, and Asha looked away in disgust. Kimmy, to her credit, was able to entirely ignore them as she turned the pigeon, like it was second nature. Asha wondered how she could stand it.
She’s probably not hung up on her stupid gangster ex,a voice in her head needled her.The one we’re supposed to be forgetting about, remember?
Asha dug her fingernails into her arm, grounding herself with the pain they brought. She and Kimmy had kissed for the first time earlier that day, during a break from traveling. Asha had hoped that it would make her forget the past, or at least make her feelsomething.
She felt nothing but numb in the aftermath. Kimmy, on the contrary, had been flushed and breathless, with stars in her eyes. For the first time, Asha knew what it felt like to see someone falling in love with you and not only not reciprocate their feelings, but feel repulsed by them. She’d seen this movie before, and she knew how it ended.
It wasn’t fair, she knew, to string Kimmy along like this. However, Kimmy quite literally held Asha’s life in her hands. They were far into the wilderness now, and abandoning Asha here after a nasty break-up would mean certain death.
Couple that situation with the fact that Claire and Madigan wouldnotstop being obnoxiously happy together at every possible opportunity, despite Asha’s dire warnings about him to her friend, and Asha almost wished she’d died back at the Cave like she was supposed to.
Mercifully, night fell. They had to sleep in shifts because they had only one tent, so she and Claire were due to sleep first before switching halfway through the night. Before turning in, Asha walked into the brush to relieve herself, leaving Madigan and Kimmy at the campfire. She wandered far enough to still see the light from the fire, but far enough that she finally felt truly alone for the first time in days. It was somehow a huge relief to be away from them, to not have to mask her pain with anger and irritation.
The darkness of the night was nearly absolute this far into the wilderness, so it was easy enough to follow the light of the campfire back towards camp. Relieved that she hadn’t gotten lost, she stopped dead as Madigan appeared from the darkness, his outline illuminated by the dim light.
He leaned between two tree trunks, watching her. The ambient light was enough to just barely light up his features. His mouth was drawn into a hard line.
Asha’s heart started to pound. Her instincts screamed at her that something was wrong, that she should turn around. But where would she go? It was dark, and they were in the middle of nowhere. She closed her fist around the knife in her pocket.
“Asha,” Madigan said, folding his arms over his chest. “We need to chat.”
“I don’t think we do,” she replied, keeping her tone haughty despite her fear. “Shouldn’t you be jerking off somewhere right now?”
He clucked his tongue impatiently. “Let’s cut through the bullshit, hmm?”
Madigan walked toward her casually, but she knew he was watching her every move. His stance was tense, and his eyes bore into her. She didn’t like looking at him.
“Maybe you can pull the wool over Claire’s eyes,” he continued. “Maybe Kimmy’s, too. They’re both too soft for their own good. But I know better.”
