Innova

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I reach out my arm towards Cade to help him with the gouge marks, but he kicks me in the stomach instead, hard. I let out a cry of pain as I fly backwards a bit. "If you think I'm ever going to willingly let you so much as touch me, you better think again," he says through gritted teeth.

I don't respond. I just curl into a fetal position and let the tears silently fall. What is happening? Why won't anything make sense?

I just want to be home.

My eyes open up and I stare at Cade. He lets out a groan, still cradling his arm. I gulp and take a deep breath, crying again as I sit up. Snot runs out of my nose and tears blur my vision as I sob at the pain in my stomach. The black pool of blood around Cade grows bigger. I have to help him.

I pull myself up and take a few shaky steps towards him. He lets out an animalistic growl and kicks his foot out. "Stay away from me."

"Just let me help you!"

"Don't even think about coming near me or I'll kick you again."

"Why won't you let me help!" I shout, wiping away my tears and rubbing my nose. I glare at him frustrated.

"Because," he says leaning forward, forehead shining with sweat and face grimaced in pain, "You're a monster."

No.

I fall to the floor. I'm not a monster. I don't even understand what's happening! Why is this happening to me?

Snap out of it, Raven. You're not going to understand anything better if you just sit on the floor, sobbing like a crybaby. Get up and do something!

I am not a monster.

I stand up again glaring at Cade. He glares right back.

"Take off your shirt," I tell him, "If you won't let me help you, at least help yourself."

"Sorry, but you aren't going to see my abs today. Nice try though." He says chuckling.

"This isn't time to laugh, your bleeding out. You need to use your shirt to either apply direct pressure or make a tourniquet." I say dead serious. Cade stares at me for what seems like forever, searching for something in my eyes. I grow worried as the seconds tick by, each one adding to the size of the puddle of blood. Finally he reaches with one arm and tries pulling the shirt over his head. It gets stuck on his head so I quickly reach over and tug it off.

He doesn't even try to push me away. I furrow my eyebrows in worry. Working quickly I press the gouges together as much as I can, then wrap the shirt around it tightly. Leaning back I stare at his face. His eyes are shut tight and his dark skin is now an ugly deep ash gray.

I brush my hand over his forehead. He's so cold. Out of nowhere his good hand grabs my wrist painfully.

"Don't. Touch. Me."

I nod quickly and back up. I sit down a few feet away from him and watch him. his eyes are squeezed shut and his breathing is getting more and more labored. he groans and starts lightly knocking his head back into the wall. i can tell that he's starting to drift off. panicking, I get up and start shaking his shoulders.

"Hey, Wake up! Don't you dare fall asleep on me."

Cade angrily swats at my arms. "What part of don't touch me did you not understand? The don't, the touch, or the me?"

"You can't fall asleep," I tell him stubbornly.

"I can do whatever the hell I want."

'Yeah, well, I'm not about to watch you die," I tell him sitting down as close to him as I dare, leaning back on the wall.

"What kind of sick game are you playing?" he shouts frustrated.

"I'm not playing a fucking game! I don't know what is going on! I wake up and I'm in a strange room, I just ate a hand, all I want is some fricking answers or explanations! Byron Blake just turned into a freaking monster, I'm hungry and tired, and I'm stuck with an asshole who hates my guts for no apparent reason!" I rant.

"You want to know why I hate you?" he says grabbing my shirt and pulling me up towards his face. "I hate you because you are a sick and twisted monster. You've taken over some poor girl's body and you have the audacity to act like you are actually her. You eat people."

He lets go off my shirt and pushes me back. "You're just a filthy Innovan," he spits out.

Wait, Innovan? As in Innova? Like what Devian told me?

"Wait, Innovan? Is that what this is about? What's an Innovan?" I ask him.

Cade just ignores me.

"Please," I plead, "I need answers. I don't care if you hate me just tell me what you know."

He stays quiet. I glare at him. "Great. Now the butthole doesn't want to talk." I mumble.

It stays that way for a couple of minutes. I feel myself falling asleep. Why am I so tired?...

~

SMACK.

I wake up to a stinging pain on my left cheek. I open my eyes and find myself straddling Cade. I look down confused and see him staring up at me... scared?

I remember what I was doing the last time I woke up. The hand. I jump up off of him and scurry to the other side of the room. he lays there staring at me apprehensivly. I find the courage to speak up.

"What.." I stop for a bit. Do I want to know the answer? "What happened?"

he doesnt answer. Ten minutes later, finally he speaks up. But he doesnt say what i want him to.

"What the hell are you?"

-~-~-

Aaron's POV:

She's gone.

I've looked everywhere and she's nowhere to be found. Which can mean only one thing. They found her. I sit on her bed, thinking back over the past few days. Watching the footage of her getting attacked, then carried away by the Outsider. Deleting the footage. Coming to her house. Meeting up with her, then carrying her here. Argueing with the Outsider. Leaving.

I had my suspicions that she was turned, but she acted so normal. She acted like Raven. Now she's gone, or soon will be.

I hear a movement behind me. Turning around I see the Outsider standing in the doorway.

"What do you want?" I ask him pissed off.

"I need your help."