Hold Me Down (Peterick) ➳ Book 3

Thirteen

Patrick wasn't supposed to leave his room. After the attack he'd been on strict lock down with a recovering Josh and Tyler as his bodyguards. An odd choice in Patrick's book, but he let Pete win. He seemed to be letting Pete do that a lot these days. However, it wasn't too bad. Tyler was entertaining, and Josh knew the secret passageways to get to the kitchen. But that fun only lasted for so long before all of them usually ended up falling asleep, Josh and Tyler curling up next to each other. Sometimes Patrick would read if he couldn't sleep, but today he was absolutely starving.

Deciding it was as good of a time as any, Patrick made his way through the secret passage located in the closet—he was still wondering what else was in there—towards the kitchen. The exit itself came out somewhere near one of the back doors, so Patrick had to be extremely cautious when he made a dash to the kitchen.

The jiggling of the door knob startled him.

In a matter of moments someone would be entering, and Patrick ducked back into the doorway. He'd just shut the door when a pair of footsteps hurried down the hall. The door creaked open and Patrick froze several people could be heard entering, making great care to be as quiet as possible, and failing. But Patrick knew the voices hushing each other. He also knew the voice echoing down the hall.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Pete asked.

"We came to help," Dallon replied.

"It's a little late for that. We've already had one attack."

"I'm sure they'll be more," Andy reasoned.

Patrick could mentally see Pete nodding and the wheels in his head turning. "The infirmary is down that hall and to your left. Get patched up and wait for me there. There are some things we need to discuss before you're considered trustworthy."

Brendon made a noise of protest, but was shushed by Dallon.

"That's fine. Let's go," Dallon continued.

As they trampled down the hall, Patrick turned to leave, but Pete's words kept him in place.

"Don't let Patrick know you're here."

"Why?" Brendon snapped. It seemed that in their time of separation Brendon had returned to being fiercely protective of Patrick and defending him with everything he had. Patrick's heart swelled at that. 

"Brendon—"

"Don't patronize me, Dallon. Why the hell can't I see my friend? What the hell did I do?"

He was stomping back up the hallway with his sights set on Pete, no doubt.

There was the sounds of a small scuffle and a smack that rang through the air.

"I know I said some things about him that I shouldn't have said, but fuck, I was pissed. I didn't understand. But Patrick's had it right all along. I trust him and he trusts me. So why can't I see my best friend?"

Pete sighed, and Patrick wanted to reach out and hold him. And because he couldn't he pressed a hand to the wall as if to reach out and touch him.

"Because he won't remember you."

*

Taylor had never worried about Gabe going on a run before. Most of the time it was just him anyway since Mikey had dedicated his life to protecting Astoria, and even now as he was out with a larger party she shouldn't be. Mikey's news made her think otherwise.

He had the ability to intercept messages in seconds, and most of the time he kept what he got to himself because nothing worthy passed by, but a message from his brother Party Poison, or Gee as Mikey now called him, made him spill.

It had been about the attack on the palace, letting the group know that the fighting was starting. Going outside the bunker meant more risks, more chances of getting caught. Or dying. None of them ever addressed it, but the ones who stayed behind were always eased when everyone made it back safely.

"Should we help them?" Alan suggested one evening while he, Taylor, Kellin, and a few others we waiting for the scavengers to come back.

"Help who?" Kellin asked as he bounced Milo.

"I don't know. The ones who were attacked."

"You mean help the alien scum that overtook our planet?"

"Hey," Taylor snapped before she could stop herself. "I'm not scum."

"You're one of them?" Kellin asked, his eyes narrowing in anger.

Taylor immediately wondered how it wasn't obvious, but she quickly remembered she'd done her best to blend in. Obviously, she'd done better than she assumed.

Since she had already dug her grave, metaphorically speaking, she went on. "Yes. I am one of them, and I haven't done a damn thing to any of you. All I want is peace, something that won't happen in this life time. But I'll be damned if you put the safety of Astoria and Milo in jeopardy because of some prejudice idea about me."

The main door to the bunker opened.

"What's going on?" Vic asked as he took in the scene.

Taylor and Kellin were almost toe to toe glaring at each other, while Alan held a squirming Milo in his arms.

"She's one of them."

And to Kellin's surprise Vic shrugged as if it was old news. "So?"

"So? So? She could be sending messages to them to come kill us! Why is no one worried?"

"Because, Kellin, there's this thing called trust. We trust her. She trusts us."

"She didn't even tell us!"

"I told you," Taylor muttered. "I told all of you."

Everyone at this point had congregated in the living room and were nodding in agreement.

"When did she tell you?" Kellin asked, whirling around to look at everyone.

"Probably when we first met her," Tino supplied with a nod. "She was really nice about it, too. None of us ever assumed she'd do anything to put us in danger. Especially when were're more of a threat to her."