Butterflies

Ch4-Weather strikes

Butterflies

Chapter 4

Saturn butterfly, Southern dogface, Summer azure butterfly, Tiger swallow butterfly, Viceroy, even the Ulysses!

I squealed like a girl when we walked in, like a girl!

I turned to John, Luke, and Nathan with a large grin on my face.

Luke shrieked and hugged me. "You're so adorable when you smile! Butterflies make you smile?"

"Butterflies make my world." I said softly.

"Hayden, look."

I turned around to see Nathan holding a large monarch on his left wrist. Jealousy flowed threw me. Nathan grinned and ushered me over.

He slowly and gently put his arm to mine and I gasped when it settled on my arm.

"Nathan! Look!" I said proudly. I smiled at the butterfly but was shocked by a sudden flash and the butterfly flying away.

Nathan held a camera and I frowned. "It flew away!"

"I couldn't resist a picture of your smile."

I rolled my eyes." Go get me another one!"

"You know, they have butterfly's pinned down in glass boxes you can buy here."

"That's so cruel!" They killed and put them on display?!

Nathan smiled. "We wait until they die on they're own. We walk around and pick them up."

That didn't sound bad. At least it's already dead.

Nathan disappeared and left me alone surrounded by butterflies, not that I really minded.

The sound of glass shattering as wind flying filled the air. I backed away from the swarm of butterflies and looked up at the glass ceiling, the sky had noticeably gotten darker than this morning.

"Fuck! We should've listened to the news!" John shouted.

"What's going on?" I whimpered.

"It's a hurricane!" Luke shouted.

I watched butterflies get sucked outside into the wind and screamed when a large tree fell into the corner of the building, crushing it and letting trash, sand, rain, dirt and wind fill the building. I was terrified, never once had I ever been in a storm like this. "Nathan! Luke! John!"

A hand grabbed mine and I felt the familiar warmth of Nathan. He pulled us quickly down to a black door that lead to stairs. We ran down the stairs until we came into a dark area.

The door slammed shut and silence, except for the wind, filled my ears.

"Nathan?"

"I'm right here." He blindly reached out for me and my tears broke.

"Nathan, I'm scared."

"Shush, this is just a hurricane. It'll pass." He clutched me closely. "We have these once a year, but honestly, there aways just a bunch of wind and a little rain."

"What about Luke? John? Or your dad?"

"I don't know. We're in the emergency basement. "

I let out a forced laugh. "Emergency basement?"

He chuckled. "It's a basement below a basement. That's why the area is very small, it only fits about ten people. I'm betting the others are in the basement."

I gripped his shirt as thunder shook the building. "I've never been in a storm before. Just light rain storms with a little thunder."

"It's alright, we'll be ok." He stroked my hair and we slid to the ground.

He pulled me into his lap and squeezed my hand.

"The butterflies were being sucked out of the building, what will happen?"

"I assume they'll rebuild the butterfly station, but if it's too expensive, they may just take it off the map and not rebuild it."

I sat up in his lap and touched his face blindly, wishing I had light to see him. "But I don't want them to not rebuild it, butterflies are my soul purpose of living."

He kissed my chin, "then let me be your purpose for living."

"I don't understand."

I really didn't. He couldn't replace the part of my heart that the butterflies lived.

Something soft pressed to my lips, Nathan's lips.

I jerked away. "What are you doing?" Touching my lips they felt warm and made me crave his touch.

His answer was to kiss me again, this time, I accepted his kiss. The kiss was warm and gentle, he knew my past and pain, I was glad his fingers were intwined with mine and not on my body.

We separated for breath and instead of going back for a kiss I pressed my face into his neck.

A ear piercing explosion brought screams from Nathan and I, the stairs cracked and a long piece of wood imbedded its self into my shoulder.

"HAYDEN!"

I gasped for air as Nathan screamed my name.

~~~~Nathan's POV~~~~

Even in the dark, Hayden's bright blue eyes could stand out.

His eyes were wide and his body was shaking.

"Hayden! Hayden, baby, everything will be ok!"

I hugged him and felt something sharp poke me and a hot liquid soak my shirt. Feeling around Hayden's body I panicked. A jagged pole of wood had completely gone threw his small left shoulder and It was bleeding heavily.

I tried to remember what my mother has taught me, she's a paramedic who's probably very busy right now.

I remember her words. "Nathan, if your ever stabbed by a knife, never take it out, it slows the bleeding. Remove and clothing close to it and use it to put pressure to the wound, try to find a main vein or artery leading to it and press very hard to slow the bleeding. Use sterile bandages and clean it too."

There should be a first aid down here. I gently laid Hayden on his side and ignored his cries of pain. Ripping the first aid from the wall I opened it and quickly found a pack of glow sticks and a flash light. I set the glow sticks to the side and turned in the flash light, I pulled out a pocket knife, bandages, and alcohol pads.

Kneeling next to Hayden I quickly sawed at the pole of wood with the knife until both sides stuck out of his body by a few inches. I ripped his shirt off and gagged at the torn flesh and blood.

Looking at Hayden's face, his eyes were open but not seeing and his lips were parted and pale.

With a choked back sob, I set to work wiping his shoulder down with the alcohol pads. I pushed the shirt around the wound and gently called Hayden's name.

"Hayden, please answer me. PLEASE!"

His eyes shifted toward me, lips moving but no words. But I could read them. He mouthed the same word over and over again. Butterfly.

His obsession with those roaches confused me, how he cared for them an seemed to love and respect them.

"Butterflies are so pretty." He whispered.

I looked to him shocked he has spoken. "They are." I humored him.

"Butterflies taste with they're feet." He gasped for air and coughed.

"They do." Tears flowed down my face and I kissed his chin. "Don't speak, save your breath."

He smiled. "The powder that rubs off a butterfly, are small scales. They can't fly without those scales. Don't touch the wings."

"I won't." I sobbed.

"Nathan, I'm tired. I know I'm hurt, how bad is it?"

I sniff "It's bad Hayden. You've lost a lot of blood, and your really pale. But I found a first aid kit, you'll be ok. I promise."

"I'm holding you to your promise."