Before the Darkness (Refuge Inc.) (6 page)

stuck in orbit. Then they fall back to Earth over a

few days…all over Earth."

Elliot smacked his lips. "Some scared

news reporter on TV told you this?"

"Yeah." Adam nodded, staring unblinking.

A serious look in his eye. "That darkness, those

clouds, they're proof that the worst is yet to

come."

Elliot stared, absorbing Adam's words.

"You believe that?"

Adam slowly nodded. "Sorry."

"You said we were gonna get through

this so that's what we're gonna do." Elliot

grabbed Adam's hand and interlocked their

ingers. "Fuck whatever the TV said. That

information isn't always right."

Adam's head hung low and he pulled his

hand away from Elliot's grip. "Aren't you the

courageous one." Sarcasm lingered on his

words.

Elliot

glared,

insulted

by

Adam's

unexpected mockery. "I've just decided I'm tired

of running around like a scared and hurt girl,

reacting to trauma. I'm ready to do what we

have to do to keep going."

Elliot, angered by Adam's sudden

coldness, pulled Adam toward him and kissed

him hard and rough. His tongue licked eagerly,

his grip tightening with every other beat of his

heart as if he were reaching or searching. He

wasn't reaching for comfort or searching for

pleasure. No, he was proving his strength in his

kiss; his physical and emotional strength,

something Adam needed to know existed. He

broke the kiss and they both sat silently,

shoulder to shoulder in the corner of the

darkening room. He still felt lucky to run into

Adam. Knowing Adam had fooled around with

another man before meeting his iancée made

the connection he felt even stronger. Elliot was

curious about his relationship, since earlier

Adam seemed to shun it.

"Aren't you worried about your iancée?"

Adam stared ahead, a dazed look frozen

on his face. "She's gone. She left me to ind her

family in Colorado. Doubt she made it."

Elliot wondered if Adam's nonchalant

demeanor was his way of coping. Elliot stared at

the eerie shadows on the walls surrounding

them. They seemed to creep across the wall

waiting to engulf them in their blackness. "I tried

calling Jeff, my ex-boyfriend, when the news

about the asteroid broke. The phones wouldn't

work for some reason. Not cell phones or the

landlines. Watching everyone panic in the

streets outside of my house made me want to

crawl into a corner and just die already."

"Like we're doing now?" Adam's eye

caught Elliot's as he glanced over at him. Elliot

was sure he saw him roll his eyes.

"I igured the people who had newer,

stronger homes would live through this before I

did. And here I am damn near lawless while Jeff

is back in New York probably suffering."

"Sorry to tell you this, but Jeff is probably

dead."

Elliot's head sprang up. He was surprised

at Adam's lack of tact. "What's with the asshole

routine, huh? What's going on?"

"Be realistic."

They stared at each other. Elliot

wondered how Adam could transform from a

caring hero to a complete douche. The way

Adam stared at him was as if he were waiting

for his next words. There had to be a reason

why he would act like a prick in a situation like

this. Especially since a few seconds ago he

shared himself so intimately and willingly.

Elliot wouldn't question it. He dare not do

anything to loosen their bond now. Instead of

lingering on the subject, Elliot changed it. He

looked away first. "So, what's the plan?"

Adam stood and drug his feet across the

room to stand before the broken widow. He

peered out, arms crossed over his broad bare

chest. "The plan? Get our water and stuff, then

get the hell out of here."

"You want to leave?"

"Can't trust this place. It's not proper

shelter anymore. No point in staying."

3: The Journey

Adam observed Elliot as they dressed

outside on the small porch in the back of the

dental of ice. Elliot's eyelids would occasionally

lutter, causing his eyelashes to beat rapidly

against the tops of his cheeks like tiny black

butter lies. He'd never seen a person blink that

way before. Elliot seemed unaware of his odd

blinking. Or maybe he was used to it and chose

to ignore it. Maybe it was some sort of

involuntary tic he was forced to live with.

Strangely, Adam found it attractive.

The poor guy was going through a lot

and Adam felt guilty for taking out his

frustrations on him. But talking about his life,

more speci ically, his iancée was taking a toll on

him. How could he damn near have sex with

someone—a stranger, another man—so soon

after meeting, while she's out there in need?

Elliot had said people do all sorts of things they

normally wouldn't do in these kinds of

situations.

Adam watched Elliot as he slid his water

bottle in the back pocket of his shorts and stood

with his back toward the east. Adam snorted,

disguising his grin. As strong and con ident as

Elliot tried to be, his body language screamed

fear. He could see it in his reluctance to look

behind him at the blackened sky. Adam wouldn't

mention it. Hell, he was scared too.

He offered a hand, testing. "Ready?"

"Let's do it." Elliot nodded, refusing his

assistance.

Adam threw his backpack over his

shoulder and started walking west, guided by

the distinct peak of dark purple mountains over

the orange backdrop of sky far ahead of them.

The huge sinkhole resembled a pitch black

opening to hell as they carefully made their way

around it.

Silence swamped them for a steady

ifteen minutes. Only the sound of gravel echoed

around them with every hastened step. The

tainted smell of smoke, rotten eggs and a

mixture of ammonia wisped passed Adam's

nostrils. The smell arrived a couple hours ago

just before the sky overhead darkened from

both the dreary dark cloud and the sun setting

over the horizon. It was faint then but more

noticeable now. He had no idea what caused the

foul smell.

A light thump on Adam's backpack drew

his attention over his shoulder to his frazzled

friend. "Do you have a lashlight in there?" Elliot

cleared his throat, probably to shake off the

urgency in his voice. "We should use it soon. I

don't even know what I'm walking on."

Adam took off his pack and blindly

searched inside for his lashlight. When his

ingers glided over the smooth, long, metal

handle he pulled it out and handed it to Elliot.

"This is heavy." Elliot switched it on. The

beam shined on his shirt, lighting up the

elaborate rainbow letters. He grunted, linched

and turned the light around toward the ground.

"This is a handful."

"It was one of my stage props." Adam

pulled a granola bar out of his pack and offered

one to Elliot. He took it.

"Finally you speak. You've been quiet

since we left."

"Don't have much to say, I guess." Adam

took a bite of the bar and savored the taste of

salty peanuts and sweet honey baked oats on

his taste buds.

"How about telling me where we're

going."

Adam shrugged. "Gonna keep walking

until we ind somewhere safe to rest." When

Elliot didn't add another question he glanced

down at his dressed wound. "How's the leg?"

"It's alright. The more I walk on it, the

less pain I feel."

He nodded, taking note of the way Elliot

stood with most of his weight on his good leg

and his back to the east. He inished his bar in

one big bite and swung his pack over his

shoulder again. "Ready?"

Elliot nibbled his bar and continued

walking. Adam followed in close proximity. "Why

don't you tell me something?" Elliot said.

Adam shrugged. "Something like what?"

"I don't know. Something about you."

Elliot glanced up at him then looked back down

at the patch of light he swept over the littered

ground before them. "What kind of car do you

have?"

Adam wasn't sure why the car he owned

would be an interesting topic, but he rolled with

it. "A Mazda I bought on the side of the road for

five hundred and me and a friend fixed up."

"Nice!" Elliot sounded too enthusiastic for

a piece of junk that was pretty useless to them

now. "Did you and your friend pimp your ride?

Bling it up?"

"No, we rebuilt the engine. It was shot.

Didn't run when I bought it."

"Oh, I thought you meant you
fixed
it up,

you know?"

Adam could barely make out the nervous

chuckle that snorted from Elliot. "I danced for a

living. How would I afford to pimp my ride if I

could barely afford to pay my rent?"

Elliot shook his head. "I don't know. I

watch too much MTV."

Then it hit him. Elliot was trying to cheer

him up. His attitude did go sour after they

messed around and mentioned Jena, maybe

Elliot noticed. There was the guilt again. He was

being a complete asshole, but he couldn't help

but feel uneasy. He felt exposed and it gnawed

at him. He wasn't an emotional type of guy. He

hated talking about his feelings and his failures,

and he'd resorted to doing just that right after

his much needed orgasm. How pathetic. He

hated that part of himself and tried desperately

to keep all of his hang-ups deep inside where

they belonged. But he didn't want to alienate

Elliot; his only friend.

He inhaled and attempted to rekindle the

conversation. "Tell me something about
you
."

"Me?" Elliot didn't take his eyes from the

lashlight beam. "Hmm, well, my mom, dad and

brother live in Atlanta. I haven't talked to them

in months."

"That's a long time."

"True. But what would you do if you lived

twenty minutes away from your parents, made a

surprise visit to see them at their house, and

walked in on a huge party? My brother and

family I haven't seen in forever were there, at

my parents' house, living it up without me."

Adam frowned, thinking. "They didn't

invite you?"

"No. But everyone else sure was invited."

Steam seemed to blow from Elliot's ears as he

spoke. "And I know what you're thinking. It's not

because I'm gay. No, they didn't invite me

because I was content without them. I'm not

their baby. I didn't need them like Sammy

needed them, to help pay his rent and stock his

fridge with food for a house they paid rent for.

He's such a moocher, younger than me by only

two years yet they still baby
him
."

He had no idea how to respond to that.

"That's fucked."

"Damn right it's fucked." Elliot glared at

the lashlight as he hobbled faster, rage seemed

to fuel him and take his mind off of any pain he

might have had. "I would speak up and tell my

mom how her babying him would make him

dependent for the rest of his life, but she didn't

want to hear it. She didn't like hearing the truth.

My dad, he just went along with whatever,

dishing out money here and there for him."

Adam could hear the strain in Elliot's

voice as he spoke. He sounded like he would

burst into tears at any moment.

"They stop inviting me over. I thought it

was just that one time, but Sammy was kind

enough to let me know there were plenty of

parties I wasn't a part of. That was just the only

one I happen to walk in on. God, I felt so

betrayed." Elliot's voice softened. "I didn't need

them like Sammy did. I had my own life so they

just forgot about me. And you wanna know the

worst part about it?"

Adam nodded. "Hmm?"