Bleak Devotion (4 page)

Chapter Four

Darkness swallowed Jessica. The ground swayed beneath her, then she was floating through the air. The tears continued to fall as she waited for the pain of metal to slice through her. An odd warmth bumped against her skin. Painful pins and needles shot across her limbs. At first she thought one of the males had ripped her and the pain was just different than she expected, but then a bright light shone in her eyes. She squinted against the stabbing pain.

“
Please just kill me and get it over with.” The sobbing words spilled from her mouth even though she knew the monsters wouldn't be able to understand her.

A warm hand pressed up against her cheek. She jerked away from it. Hot breath hovered by her ear and she braced herself for torture.

“You're okay, dearie,” a female whispered in her ear. “We're human like you. We won't do you any harm.”

The soothing words didn't register. Jessica couldn't understand what they meant. Human? Human! The her tears came harder as the thought finally made sense. She felt someone grab her hands and rub them together. They slipped off her boots and socks and did the same to her feet. Her previously numb appendages stung and she let out a cry.

“Sorry, hon,” the female voice said. “I know this hurts, but you'll feel better soon. Nothing looks frostbitten. Let me help you with your backpack and coat.”

Jessica's tears slowed, and she opened her eyes. The same woman that had first startled her outside reached to help her, but now her face was soft. A small, encouraging smile graced her lips. She looked different. Alien. Yet, somehow, friendly and comforting instead of an enemy waiting to kill her.

Jessica nodded. The woman wiggled the backpack off her. She unzipped the coat and the blanket fell to the hardwood floor. When had she gotten inside? She took a closer look at the other two women helping her. The short woman had eyes that were clear but riddled with pain.

The second woman was younger. She couldn't have been much older than Jessica. The smooth, unblemished skin on her face reminded Jessica of an almost forgotten facial cleanser commercial. Though the girl wore no make-up and a baggy sweater, she looked like she belonged on a magazine cover. Earlier in life Jessica would have been jealous of the girl, but not now. Beauty couldn't save your life.

“Are you hungry?” the short woman asked, pulling Jessica's attention back to the dark floor away from searching eyes.

Jessica struggled to speak. The only person she had talked to in a long time was Cindy. “Yes.”

“I'll get you something warm to eat. You can take a hot bath and by then it should be ready.” The woman stood and turned toward the door. “You can go, Julie. I can take care of her from here. Keep
everyone
away for a while, I don't want to overwhelm her.”

Julie smiled, showing perfect white teeth. “I'll make sure she's not bothered.”

“Thank you.”

“
No problem.” Julie grinned at Jessica. The smile created a vaguely familiar sensation inside her. The hard shell around her heart that she had worked so hard to create cracked, but she couldn't make her lips return the gesture. Julie bounced out of the room.

The small woman led Jessica through a series of rooms and halls. It was difficult paying attention to it all. The short woman stopped when they came to a bathroom. Jessica jumped back when the woman flicked a switch on and electric lights powered on overhead.

“You have power?” Jessica asked, finding her voice again.

“
We have a generator and a few small windmills.” The small woman smiled at her. “My name is Deborah.”

“
Jessica.”

“
It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry it has to be under circumstances such as these. Here are the towels and some dry clothes. Let me know if you need anything. The kitchen is just down the hall and to your left when you are finished. It's the first left so you should find it without getting lost.”

The ferocity behind Deborah's words made Jessica uneasy. Sure the house was big, but did it matter if she got lost? It didn't sound like the kitchen was hard to find. Maybe the curt tone was normal and Jessica just couldn't remember. “I'm sure I'll manage.”

“
Good. Your soup will be ready when you are done.”

What was the proper response? “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

Deborah gave her arm a squeeze and then left, closing the door behind her. Jessica stared after her then glanced down at her arm. The touch had been brief, but her skin still burned where they had made contact. She puzzled over the strange movement in her chest until she decided it wasn't bad. The warmth of the touch brought memories of happier times. She wanted to find more humans, but hadn't thought that they'd really be out there. The time she spent with Cindy was nothing like this. Her brain needed a chance to overcome the shock of it.

Looking around, she delighted in the unfamiliar freedom. A mirror hung on a mahogany wall over a vanity. Next to it stood two of the most beautiful things. A porcelain toilet and large bathtub. She didn't know which appealed to her more. Unless they didn't work, then they'd be useless to her, but Deborah had told her to take a bath so there had to be some sort of clean, running water.

She ran her hands over the soft towels hanging from a towel rack. Once she had gotten her fill of them, she strode over to the bathtub. She turned the water on and held her hand underneath the pouring water. The water ran hot sooner than she expected and she reached down to plug the tub. Closing her eyes, she placed her hand under the spout, reveling in the feeling of water rushing across her skin. She undressed and climbed into the tub.

During the entire bath, she found herself checking out her surroundings, looking for danger. Even though she was safe now, the preservation instinct clung to its old habit. She tried to savor the warm water and soap, a luxury she had not enjoyed for a long time. Holding the bar to her nose, she inhaled its flowery scent. She and Cindy had cleaned whenever they could, but they didn't often have soap.

Eventually, the water grew cold and Jessica reluctantly drained the tub. She pulled a pair of sweats she had taken from the store out of her backpack and dressed. The oversized sweater hung loose on her frame, but would keep her warm.

Looking in the mirror, she felt better than she had in a long time. Her face was thinner, making her cheekbones stand out more than before. A new paleness in her skin set a stark contrast to her dark hair and eyes. Her eyes. She cut off her own stare, not wanting to see the horror in them.

Steeling herself for more human contact, she took a deep breath and left the bathroom. She drifted down the hallway. Passing a flight of stairs, she hesitated. Something at the top of the stairs moved. She peered up, her heart thrashing against her ribs.

Nothing. But something had been there. One of
them
? Jessica's nerves screamed at her to run to the kitchen, but she drew on her months of training to remain calm. Humans were here. Just other humans.

She chided herself. It was most likely one of the others that lived here, and that person was giving her some space. It'd been much too long since life didn't give her a need to constantly look over her shoulder. With a deep breath, she continued on to the kitchen.

“Looking better already,” Deborah said as she poured soup into a bowl.

Remembering Julie's earlier action, Jessica gave a tentative smile, trying to make her mouth copy Julie's. It felt stilted, like it might crack her face, but Deborah beamed back. Jessica's chest glowed in response, not brightly but a soft warming sort of glow.

Her stomach growled as the smell of chicken drifted to her. She sat down and devoured three bowls of homemade chicken noodle soup. On the third bowl, she slowed.

“
Glad you like it,” Deborah said.

Between bites Jessica coerced another smile from her mouth. Slightly less stilted.

“Where're you from?”

“
Oregon.”

“
Nice country up there. Took my family on vacation there some years back. My daughter adored it. I didn't think we'd ever be able to drag her back home again. Had to promise her we'd go back someday to get her in the car.”

“
Did you go back?”

Deborah's lips shrank into a thin line. “Never got the chance.”

The comment sent a clamp around Jessica's heart. She played with a sliced carrot in her bowl until the tightening eased. “So, how'd everyone end up here?”

The older woman's face tightened. “Oh, different ways.”

“How did you get here?”

“
I… stumbled across it, sort of like you did.”

“
Oh.” Jessica's eyebrows bunched together. Why was the woman being so evasive about something so trivial? Shaking her head, she got rid of the thought. Her interactions with people had been so long ago except for Cindy, and those interactions didn't really count as they were both frightened enough to no longer act natural. Deborah's reaction must have been normal, she just wasn't used to it. Despite telling herself that, Jessica unease stirred. She dropped her spoon into her empty bowl with a clang.

Deborah grabbed the bowl and put it in the sink. “Well, now, let's get you settled for the night. You must be exhausted.”

Nodding her response, Jessica stood and followed Deborah back down the hall. They went past the stairs leading up and the bathroom Jessica had used. There the hall branched off in several different directions.

“
These are the sleeping quarters. There aren't enough for everyone, so you'll be rooming up with someone.” Deborah pointed toward the hallway that branched off the end of the hall they stood in. “The men all sleep down there. And us women are over here.”

Jessica followed Deborah down the hall past several closed doors until they came to the last door at the end of the hall. Deborah stopped and knocked. “This is Julie's room. You'll be staying with her.”

Julie opened the door. “Hi! Come get settled. There's a bed ready for you.”

Jessica stepped into the plain room. The white walls stood unadorned except for dark green curtains hanging over a small window between two beds. Julie pointed at the wooden dresser between the beds. “I'm afraid you'll have to share a dresser with me. Doesn't look like you have much besides your pack, so I hope it's all right.”

“It’s fine.”

“
This will be your bed.” Julie pointed to the one farthest from the door. It had a thick jean quilt covering its narrow surface. The other bed, which must have been Julie's, had a heavy blue blanket crumpled on it with a book lying open.

Jessica dropped her backpack on her bed. Hers. She smiled inwardly at the thought of having her own bed again.

“If you need anything else,” Deborah said from the doorway, “ask Julie. If you need something from me, she can help you find me. I'll be back in the morning to give you a tour and introduce you to everyone.”

“
Thank you.”

“
You're welcome, hon. I'm just so glad you found us.” Deborah smiled and then left, closing the door behind her.

Jessica turned her attention to her backpack. Unzipping it, she pulled out several seed packets and placed them on the top of the dresser. She reached again into her bag to grab more when a gasp from behind her stiffened her movements. She took slow, even breaths, plastering a neutral expression on her face. Her heart stopped then darted to life.

“Where did you get those?” The sound of Julie's lilting voice eased Jessica's fear. She closed her eyes and exhaled. “Oh, sorry. Did I startle you?”

Jessica nodded, unable to make herself speak.

“Sorry, I just got so excited I forgot how frightening everything is at first. Seeds are valuable around here.” The tiny seeds rustled in their packets as Julie shifted through them. “Oh, lettuce! I haven't had lettuce in ages. You'll easily make friends with everyone here with these.”

Friends. Jessica's mouth curled upward.

“Anyway, let's get you set up. We're supposed to use the lights as little as possible to conserve energy. The top two drawers are yours. If you need more room, I'll rearrange a bit and we can share the third.”

“
Two will be fine.”

“
Alright, but if you ever change your mind just let me know.” Julie flopped down on her bed and watched as Jessica put her clothes away. “We could find some trunks or boxes or something if we need them, too. I haven't got much stuff either, but maybe someday.”

Jessica stopped loading clothes into the top dresser drawer. “I don't know what to do with the rest of this.”

“What is it?”

“
Food.”

Julie let out another squeal. “You have all sorts of treasure, don't you? We can unload it in the kitchen tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Jessica's smile grew. She dropped her backpack at the foot of her bed and pulled back the covers. “Did you want me to turn the light off now?”

“
Sure.” Julie picked up her book and placed it on the dresser. “Thanks.”