“Olivia is a reason. And I love Dott too,” I said, looking into her eyes. “Let’s also not forget you’re my best friend. You helped save me from Elijah, and I want to help you too. That’s what friends do.”
Sam pressed her lips together as her shoulders dropped. “Friends want to keep each other safe. That’s why you’ll need to stay here. You saw what it was like in that little town. Can you even imagine the chaos that must be happening back home?”
“I try not to,” I said.
“It’s just really starting to sink in, and I’m not sure I can handle it,” Sam said.
“We have no idea how big this whole thing is,” I said. “For now, we just need to take it one day at a time.”
Sam snorted. “Right. Anyway, I should try to get some sleep. Even with those pills, getting restful sleep was challenging.”
“Yeah, I didn’t do great either,” I said. “Go on in. I’ll clean up.”
Sam took her bowl and dragged her feet as she headed back to the house. I couldn’t see her, but I could see the flickering of the candle she lit. It disappeared from the kitchen and reappeared at the far end of the house in my old bedroom.
I tossed dirt on the fire and finished my soup while I waited to make sure it was out. It was cold and nearly pitch black by the time I made my way back into the house.
I managed to light a candle with the limited amount of light coming in through the patio door.
After sitting on the sofa for a few minutes, I worried if it had been a mistake to leave our water containers outside. It wasn’t like where my mom’s house was located got a lot of foot traffic, but things had changed.
I got up off the couch and walked toward the back door. It wouldn’t take long to carry everything into the dining room, and there was enough light from the moon that I could see the way without too much trouble.
I wasn’t more than five feet from the back door when I saw something move past the kitchen window. Instinctually, I ducked down behind the counter and looked out the patio door, wishing I would have closed the curtain the entire way.
My heart was pounding even though I wasn’t sure what I’d seen. I sucked in a silent breath as the shadow of a man darted past the patio door.
12
I was frozen in place. My eyes darted from window to window, waiting for another shadow to pass.
Had it been an animal? It wasn’t impossible for bears or wolves to make their way to the area.
The shadow had seemed taller than a wolf and far more human than a bear. It hadn’t been crawling around on the ground, searching for food. It was more like a person jogging past the window, hoping to go unnoticed.
I listened carefully… waiting for the sounds of glass breaking, but there wasn’t anything but absolute silence. Every so often, I could hear Sam’s gentle snores, even the slight whistling sound through her nostrils as she pulled in another slow breath.
Still, I wanted a weapon.
My brother had kept an aluminum baseball bat he’d only used a few times in the front coat closet. There was a really good chance it was still there.
I crawled on all fours around the kitchen table. I didn’t stand until I was hidden by the curtains.
My lungs filled with air as I pulled them closed. Silently I reached over and checked to make sure the back door was locked, even though I knew I’d already checked it three times after I’d initially locked it.
Soundlessly, I tip-toed to the front closet. The door opened with a squeak.
There was just enough light from the candle I could see shapes. I dug around, searching for the bat.
A stack of boxes slid out of place as toppled down to the floor. I froze as I waited… waited… waited for a sound outside that would let me know that whoever was out there had heard the noise.
Sam kept snoring, and I didn’t hear movement. I was beginning to think that I’d imagined the shadow. My imagination was going crazy because I was exhausted and frightened.
I didn’t tell Sam because it would have only made things worse, but I was terrified about what had happened. And what the solar storm would eventually mean for us.
Of course, it also wouldn’t be the first time I’d imagined someone creeping around outside. For weeks after I broke up with Elijah, I’d see his shadow everywhere.
The dark was not my friend. I’d never liked it as a child, and now I hated it.
That was all part of the reason I was on medication. Although, I couldn’t entirely blame Elijah for my problems.
I found the bat at the same time I realized I’d missed a dose. Hell, it was hard to keep track of time. I’d maybe even missed two doses.
My fingers tightened around the grip as I sat down on the couch. I pinched the bottle between my knees and twisted off the cap, wincing as I swallowed down a pill without water.
I sat there moving the bat from hand to hand for a long time before a yawn stretched my mouth until my eyes watered. There hadn’t been any more shadows or sounds. It was just me sitting alone in the darkness while the rest of the world slept.
I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth without using any water. I laid down on my back and
