The Outbreak Chronicles Book Two Crisis Ties

Chapter 16

Drew disappeared into the security room; he wanted to keep an eye on the fire and everything going on around the garage. Leo and Sam couldn't seem to sit still and were wandering around as they talked about what we should do. Daisy was cuddled up to Hunter, as Aaron hung out with the rest of us.

Blossom had fallen back to sleep after Leo had given her some more Aspirin. I couldn't sit still anymore and got up to walk around. Aaron looked at me and started to stand up. I shook my head and he nodded and stayed in his chair. I needed to be alone and process everything that had happened. I walked until I couldn't hear anyone's voices anymore and I sat in the quiet.

Sydney was dead. Tone was dead. Diamond was dead. I had been kidnapped by crazed people, and taken to a place where trying to save four other girls had killed two of them. Was that my fault? Could I have gotten us to the safe zone without calling for help? I heard a scrapping noise off in the distance. I got up to check it out and someone grabbed my shoulder. I swung as I turned around, catching Aaron in the jaw.

"Well, hello to you too." He said as he rubbed the spot I hit.

"Why are you sneaking up on me?" I asked.

"I wasn't sneaking I was coming to check on you." He said. There was scrapping again. Aaron looked in the direction it had come from.

"Do you know what that is?" I asked.

"Not a clue." He said, "Let's go check it out."

He wanted me to stay behind him, but after everything I had survived on my own I refused and walked beside him. After a few feet we stopped and waited to see if the sound would happen again. When it did we walked in that direction keeping our steps light and soundless.

We were getting closer but still couldn't see anything that would be making the noise. We were standing next to a Dodge Durango when we heard it again from under the vehicle. We crouched down and found a cat batting a rock around. It hissed at us and took off.

"Let's head back before they come looking for us." Aaron said after we had stood there for a few minutes staring after the cat.

"Wonder where he came from." I said.

"How do you know it was a he?" Aaron asked.

"How do you know it wasn't?" I said as we headed back to where the group was.

"You doing ok?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah, just still processing everything that's happened." I said, "Did you come looking for us?"

"Yeah I looked." He said, "I should have checked the damn room before I checked back in Drew's room."

"I remember you knocking on the door but they used chloroform on us." I said, "We woke up in a stark white room. They had four other girls there."

"Four?" Aaron asked, "There's only the two with you."

"One of them they beat so bad she died on Drew's couch while we slept after we got her out, the other flipped out when she saw the twins with her friend's body and she went after them and got bit. They took her with them." I said, "Spenser used her to start the fire after we killed his brother."

"How do you know?"

"I saw her as she burned." I said. I pulled away when he went to hug me, "I should have stopped her from getting out of the car."

"How?"

"I don't know but none of us went after her, we justified it and let her go to die." I said, "What does that make us?"