Aiden! Bret! I screamed, terror for their lives clawed at me, ripped through me, and left me nearly breathless and shaken. Not my brother, I pleaded silently. Please not my brother, please not Bret. Please. Please. Please.
I stumbled blindly forward, crashing through some bushes that ripped and tore at my skin and clothes before plowing into another bush that halted me abruptly. I thought I was somewhere near the Cape Cod spelled out with yews in the center of the rotary. I couldnt be certain though, but I thought I may have hit the C of Cod. That meant I had at least approached the bridge side of the rotary in my heedless rush forward, and that I was not running aimlessly in the wrong direction. I just didnt know where to go from here, which direction was the right one.
Arms wrapped around me, I was pulled back. A terrified scream escaped me; I clawed wildly at the arms, certain that death had just locked me within its tight embrace. Its me Bethany, a voice hissed in my ear. I slumped slightly as I recognized Cades voice, but I could not see his arms around my waist against the harshness of the light surrounding us. We have to go back Bethy, we have to go back .
Cade was pulling me away, dragging me toward something. I didnt know which way we were going, what was happening anymore. More screams echoed out of the light. I had never heard such awful, agonizing sounds in my entire life. I wanted to sob, wanted to curl up in a ball, clasp my hands over my ears and attempt to drown out the suffering and horror that echoed within those shrieks. I would never get them out of my head though, never forget the hideous pain, horror, and terror contained in those high pitched wails. Aiden. Bret. My heart was shattering. This was it; I couldnt take anymore. This was my snapping point. It would soon be over, for all of us, and I didnt even care anymore.
Cade pulled me to the ground, keeping his arm locked around my waist as he leveled his body over top of mine. Move Bethany! he hissed in my ear.
I didnt care to move, I didnt truly care to do anything ever again. When I remained limp beneath him, he began to half push and half drag me forward. He pushed and pulled me into the center of a bunch of bushes. They were scratchy, painful and caused my skin to burn. Whatever the bushes were, they were not friendly. Cade cursed as he followed behind me, struggling against the low hung branches of the plant. I didnt care about the bushes, or the pain, the only thing I cared about right now was the fact that I could finally cover my ears. Curling into the fetal position, I clamped my hands tightly
over my ears, but it did little to drown out the awful sounds. Cade wrapped himself around me, using his body to cover mine.
Shh, Bethy, shh love. I didnt realize that a low keening sound had been escaping from sound. I was shaking, but no tears spilled free. I was too horrified, to shocked to cry.
Cade, I moaned.
His body was warm against mine, strong as he enfolded me within his embrace. His cheek was against mine, his hand wrapped around my head and forehead as he tried to shelter me from the misery. There was nothing sexual about his embrace, no intense desire radiated from him right now. There was only a desperate need to protect me, to shield me from the horror, agony, and death that surrounded us. His mouth was against my cheek; his breath was warm and ragged on my skin.
My eyes remained closed but the light burned against my eyelids, I thought it would be seared permanently into my irises. My sweet Bethany.
He kissed my cheek gently. That was when I became certain that we were going to die, and that he knew it as well as I did. I found that to be an even worse realization. Cade had been stoic throughout this whole thing, even slightly playful. He had never shown fear, and though he didnt show it now, I could hear the goodbye in his tone. I sensed the regret and longing that radiated from those three words.
The light blazed momentarily brighter, I became painfully aware of the fact that the screams had stopped. The silence, either from the lack of noise or from the suffocating quality of the light, was profound. And horrifying. I shivered, Cade held me tighter. The light faded.
I remained frozen, too stunned to move. I didnt open my eyes; I didnt want to see anything. I strained to hear something, but there was nothing to hear. Not anymore. It was nearing dawn, but the birds did not chirp. I could not even hear Cades breath anymore, could not hear the fierce beat of his heart. The silence was unending, unnerving, and terrifying in the wake of all the noise and light.
I couldnt take it anymore, my eyes flew open. It took a moment, but slowly they began to adjust to the dark morning. At first all I could make out was the plant wrapped around us. I could not identify it immediately, but its size, look, and smell made me think of juniper.
Cade slowly unraveled from me. I froze, unwilling to move as he crept forward. The bush was large, but not large enough to keep him hidden for much longer. Sound suddenly flooded back in, the world came to screeching, abnormally loud life again as he lifted some of the lower branches and peered out. I winced against the abrasive sound of the plant as the branches grated against each other.