Night of the Alphas

Chapter 17

A week or so after the hair-chopping incident, I was lying awake in bed. I looked at the alarm clock. 2:16 A.M. I groaned. There has to be a way to get to sleep. Maybe if I just close my eyes-

My mom began snoring. I buried my head under the pillow. Fine. I guess I'm not sleeping tonight. She went quiet for a moment, and I actually thought I could get some decent rest. Then, just as I was about to drift off, She snored again, much louder than the first time. I didn't want to wake her up, so I just wrapped a blanket around myself and trudged downstairs. When I got down, I opened up the fridge and started heating up some leftover chicken strips. Wandering through the house at night had become a habit of mine. At night, nobody could judge you. I didn't have to talk to anyone. Everything was just quiet. It made me feel almost calm.

I sat at the table and started nibbling on my chicken. Everything was pretty normal. Well, at least until the sirens came on.

Remember how I said that my aunt and uncle had lots of alarm systems put in? Well, they went off just as I was trying to swallow my food. I choked and fell to the floor. Either someone had just tried to sneak out or somebody was trying to break in. I assumed it was the latter, mostly because I was the most prone to going out at night. And was I outside? No. I got a knife out of the silverware drawer and held it tight. "Better go away!" I shouted. "I'm armed!"

Two muffled voices responded, but I couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

My mom and Amanda came downstairs. "Get back! They could come through," Mom said, pulling me back. Uncle Todd came out of his room, armed with his rifle. He opened the door and pointed the barrel towards the intruders. Half a second later, his eyes softened, and he lowered his gun. "Bradley?"

I pushed past the three of them and looked outside. There, standing on the porch, was my dad and Joshua. My dad's dark brown hair had turned silver and he had a ratty beard. His forest green eyes were distant and glassy. His bulky physique was now frail and bony. Joshua didn't look much better.

Even though he was only eighteen, he had streaks of gray in his hair. His naturally tan skin had turned dull and yellowish. His shirt was torn down the middle and the missing piece was tied around his head, covering his right eye. The fabric piece was stained with dried blood. I heard footsteps behind me. When I looked back, Zaria and Charity were peeking out of the doorway as well.

I walked over to my dad slowly. When I got close enough, I caressed his hollow cheek with my hand. "Dad?" I said, my voice quivering.

"Adrian?" He responded. Even though he looked much different, his voice was still the same. "You've grown so much. You look just like your mom."

I didn't have any words to say. My dad was home, and he wasn't dead. Tears clouded my vision. I put both of my hands on his face to see if he was really there. "You're alive," I squeaked.

Mom came over and nearly knocked my dad over when she hugged him. They kissed, which made me feel warm and happy inside. I turned to Joshua. He grinned painfully, making the dark circles under his eyes shrink. "Miss me?"

I held Joshua tight and nodded, tears streaming down my face. When I let go, I took his hand and led him inside. "Do you want something to eat? You must be starving."

He nodded. I could see the hunger in his eyes. He looked like his stomach was gnawing away at him. He sat down at the table, and I pushed my unfinished chicken strips towards him. I warmed up some more for my dad, and they both ate their food like starving wolves. Meanwhile, Miranda, Alex, Abel, Zane, and Aunt Rebecca came into the kitchen to see what was going on. We all stayed quiet while they finished their meal. They didn't eat much, though. I guessed that their appetites had shrunk, just like mine had on the journey to Charlotte. When they were finished, my mom sat beside Dad. "What happened to you?" She said, her voice cracking.