Their Light

Chapter 37

Kent

I let out a sigh of relief as her breath finally evened out. She needed to rest just as much as Isaac. My gaze landed on him through the doorway. That was way too fucking close. We would have lost him to the darkness if not for Hadley. She saved him.

I glanced over at the door now lying on its side against the wall of the hall. A door I helped put up in the first place and we still couldn't get to them. We couldn't help them at all. Fucking useless. I despised the feeling.

Movement to my left caught my attention, pulling me back to the present. I turned just in time to see Ryder punch the wall forcefully. I moved immediately, holding his arm back from another swing. Rage emanated from him.

"Not here, not now," I told him, my voice short. He shook off my hold, but turned and leaned against the damaged wall. Zeke watched from across the way, just observing. Probably waiting to see if he'd be needed as well to keep Ryder from losing it entirely.

Ryder rubbed his uninjured hand over his face. This was especially hard for him. We failed today. We couldn't keep them safe. Thankfully, we got a second chance, but I never wanted to feel like that again. We needed to move sooner rather than later.

"We need to be ready to move when they wake up," I told them both, trying to form a concise plan in my head. "Zeke, you and Caspian finish packing the cars. Get Finn to help if you need to." Zeke nodded before heading down the hall toward the stairs. He paused in the doorway, looking over each of the unconscious figures before continuing on his way.

"They will be fine," I said to my brother. I saw the storm brewing in his eyes. "They just need to rest."

He didn't respond. Instead, he just stared into the room. Unfortunately, I knew exactly where his brain was at, but I couldn't go down that rabbit hole with him. We both needed to be at the top of our game, especially now.

"This is not your fault." He continued to ignore me. I sighed and left him to his sulking. He wouldn't leave them until they woke up. I was at the top of the stairs when he slid down the wall, still staring across into the room. He'd keep them safe while they rested. I needed to get us ready to go the moment they were able.

I headed to the kitchen, where I could hear Peter moving about. They'd need some fuel once they woke up and Peter immediately went to work once the danger had passed. Finn sat at the counter watching him work, looking lost. This wasn't good. We couldn't all fall apart.

"How are they?" Peter asked me as soon as he noticed me in the doorway. He paused, stirring what appears to be some sort of soup, and waited for my answer.

"Resting, Ryder is watching over them," I told them both. They both nodded in understanding, but I could tell no one would be feeling any better until they woke up. That would probably take hours. Hopefully. They'd need at least a couple of days of mostly rest in order to recover completely. Caspian and Zeke entered the kitchen at that moment, panting slightly out of breath.

"Everything's loaded up," Caspian informed me, messing with his shirt. He'd need something to do to keep him occupied.

"Can you make sure that all of Hadley's things have been packed up?" I asked him. He gave me a jerky nod before heading to the stairs.

Zeke leaned against the wall. I glanced at him before nodding upstairs. He headed that way without question. He knew what I was asking. Ryder could use the company, even if he would never admit it.

"What are you making?" I asked Peter. He glanced up at me again before turning his attention back to the soup.

"Homemade chicken and noodle soup. I wanted to make something easy but nutritious for when they wake up." His voice pitched on the word 'when.' I walked over to him, grasping his shoulder in comfort.

"They will wake up," I stated with determination. "They are going to be fine, and we will make sure that this never happens again."

He met my eyes, swallowing hard, pushing back the tears that I saw there. I glanced over at Finn, trying to reassure him in the same way. His eyes were still distant, but he seemed a bit more aware now. This was not a time for us to all lose our heads. My eyes glanced up at the ceiling.

Not when they still needed us.