The Shade Rising by Ivy Bernat (fantasy books to read .txt) 📕

Camryn looked at her apprehensively, and Addison knew Camryn wanted to argue the point, but she let it go. After all there wasn’t much she could do about it anymore. Camryn was leaning against the passenger door, hands on her hips and a pout on her sizeable lips.

“Sorry, Camryn, but I’ve told you before you’re not my mother.” Addison said with a stern but apologetically tone.

 “Well someone has to mother you.” Camryn retorted.  

As if sensing there was an atmosphere he could make worse Nicholas walked up to them. “I-” He started to say.

Addison put her hand up “Let me stop you right there. You have three minutes until we leave. I don’t care what you do until then. Just as long as you don’t do it here: where I am forced to see and/or hear you.” With that she put her hand down and closed her eyes.

In triumph he swaggered off. Jeremy shook his head a small smile playing with his pale pink lips.

“You do realize he is doing that to you on purpose, right? He wants you to send him away so he can do whatever he wants.” Camryn said looking over to Addison. Her eyes almost showed an air of disappointment.

“Yes, I’m aware of that. Much like me, he isn’t a child. If he gets in trouble it’s his fault, not mine. I may be responsible for us as a group, but beside that, it was his choice. I didn’t send him off to do God knows what.” Addison replied.

“But as the group’s leader it means you are suppose to be in charge of keeping us safe, even if that means making decision that we aren’t happy with.” Camryn pointed out with almost an air of aloofness.

“I didn’t want to stop and take a rest.” Addison said with a hardness that ended Camryn’s self-righteous rant. Addison’s head spun slightly as she laid it back on the hood.

She peered at the sun through her shut eye lids. She saw red. Her mind couldn’t think of anything but that bright red color burning through her shut eyes. Even after turning her head and looking away it still remanded, its remnants haunted her thoughts.

Addison gasped as she opened her eyes. Sitting upright she grabbed her bag. It seemed like her eyes had been closed for an eternity; like she had been asleep all her life and just now woken up. She rubbed her sleep deprived eyes. Looking around quickly she noticed that only a few moments had pasted.

Camryn was looking at her as if she was some sort of abomination. “Are you alright?” Jeremy asked as Camryn took a step in Addison’s direction.

“You look awfully pale.” Camryn add as she reached out her hand to touch Addison’s face but Addison jerked away from her.

“I’m fine. We’re leaving.” Addison said with a harshness that poured out in her tone.

“Aw, but we just got here.” Addison heard Casey complaining from somewhere behind her. Addison ignored Casey’s complaint as she pulled her bag off of the car.

“Shut the hell up Casey.” Jeremy said off handedly. Jessica turned her face and glared daggers at Jeremy. He shot back an arrogant smile daring Jessica to say something.

Jessica looked like she was about to open her mouth and give him the verbal thrashing she thought he deserved but Casey Mumbled a “Sorry” as she sheepishly looked at the ground. This only infuriated Jessica further and Camryn could hear Jessica bitching out Jeremy behind her.

Jessica was the oldest of the group. Her typical biker leather clothes hung loosely on her bulky frame. Jessica’s sub machine gun would have looked gigantic on anyone’s arms, but it seemed to match perfectly with her heavily muscled body.

Addison pulled out her handheld radio, “Nicholas, we’re leaving right now.” She said flatly. Before Nicholas had an opportunity to respond Addison through the radio into her bag and flung the bag over her shoulder.

Addison stepped down the slight embankment so that she wouldn’t have to walk crooked. The others grumbled and whined but they followed suit. They all set back on the same old task of walking for miles in waist high grass and shrubs down the side of a highway.

Addison hadn’t been paying attention to Camryn was walking next to her, but she defiantly noticed when Camryn suddenly stopped. “You see that?” Camryn asked, alarm shaking her voice. Addison looked at Camryn with inquisition and unease rushing to her face. Camryn’s face was covered in concern and her eyes looked around frantically.

“See what?” Addison asked worriedly.

“So you haven’t seen him.” Camryn said. Almost as if she knew Addison’s next question she used a discreet hand motions to guide Addison’s eyes.

At the first glance Addison saw a boy dressed in tattered jeans and a dark hoodie, which was pulled over his head. He was standing just out of the shadow of a tree so that you could barely see him. Instantly Addison’s mind was bombarded with questions that she could not possibly answer.

 Addison’s eyes opened wider as his gray skin gently reflected some of the suns soft glow. It was a Shade. Her eyes frantically swept the area. ‘There is never only one. They go everywhere in packs.’ She thought as fear struck her like a bolt of lightning. For a moment panic took over her mind. All she wanted to do was run as fast and as far as she could. Addison forced back her frantic thoughts and tried to make a plan.

“Camryn tell everyone to be ready for a Shade attack. We need to stay close together, and we should probably find a place out of this grass to make a stand. How much ammo do we have?” Addison asked in, what she tried to make sound like, a commanding voice.  

“We should have enough ammo if we are lucky, very lucky; and what about that truck in the middle of the highway. They’d have to climb over the cars and it’s kind of higher ground.” She said tilting her head. Addison might have laughed at the way she had said that if she wasn’t thinking about how they all might be eaten alive in the next couple of minutes.

“Ok that sounds as good as it’s going to get, trade guns with me.” Addison said slipping the sniper rifle off her shoulder and into her hand. Camryn looked at the gun uneasily.

“Are you sure about trading? I don’t think it’s a good idea” Camryn said. Addison ignored her reaching out and taking Camryn’s shot gun off her shoulder and replacing it with the rifle.

“Yes, positive, I can do more damage with my knife, even more so because we don’t have a lot of ammo. Now be quiet and go tell the others.” Addison said pushing her away.

 Addison climbed back up the steep embankment and stepped onto the pavement. Addison tried her best to calmly clambering up over the vehicles, but her hands were shaking, and her knees were buckling.. She cautiously watched where she placed her feet. ‘Careful,’ She told herself, ‘the last thing you need right now is a gigantic cut.’

Addison mounted the truck bed and began to look around. The Shade she had seen earlier was gone. Another wave of concern flowed over her. Taking a deep breath of air she calmed her heart rate, soothed her emotions together, and forced her body to stop reacting based on panic.

 Out of the corner of Addison’s eye she saw Casey frantically waving her arm. Addison reached to grab it but before she could Jessica angrily shoved her out of the way. Jessica grabbed Casey’s arm at the elbow and yanked her over the side of the truck.

Jessica turned and glared at Addison angrily. Addison took a step back and Jessica turned her snarling face to the floor of the pickup truck.

Casey moved to the side of the truck and ducked down. She was the only one of them that didn’t seem like she was fit for this kind of life. She was a soft sensitive girl, and at one time probably very fashion oriented. She was about 20 years younger than Jessica. Addison could have sworn she saw the girl’s pistol trembling in her hands.

            Addison felt a firm hand on her shoulder she spun around startled. “Just ignore her,” Jeremy said trying to quiet Addison’s raw nerves: “You already know she only cares about Casey.” He said with a sigh. Addison looked at him and saw the hope that always seemed to glimmer somewhere in his dark brown eyes.

Jeremy wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close to him. “I know.” She whispered into his chest as he slowly rocked her in his arms.

Addison pulled away from Jeremy’s torso as Nicholas and Camryn brushed past and headed to the back of the bed, closet to the cab. Camryn set up the rifle on the back of the cabs hood facing away from the tailgate. Nicholas dropped his bag on the bed’s floor and quickly pulled out boxes of Ammo.

Then it happened; exactly what the Shades were waiting for. Clouds moved in front of the sun, decreasing the group’s visibility. The Shade seemed to leap from every corner and crevice; anywhere dark enough for them to hide. Instantly guns started firing. Shade flew backwards from the impact of the bullets.

It continued this way for the next thirty seconds or so until they heard something no one wanted to hear. Jeremy yelled, and then a surge of cuss words followed.

“Nicholas! Cover me.” Addison shouted. Casey was already at Jeremy’s side. He was sitting with his back against the side of the truck clutching his left arm. He was covered in blood and it pooled on the floor of the pickup around his body.

“What happened?” Addison asked, extending her hand to examine Jeremy’s wound. Meanwhile, Casey had become frantic. She was crying hysterically and wiping fluid from her face with her long sleeves. Casey started ripping part of her shirt placing them on the bed of the pickup within Addison’s arms’ reach.

Casey was talking quickly and quietly but not a lot of it made any sense to Addison. “Casey!” Addison shouted at her without looking. Tears started to come to Addison’s eyes. Casey cleared her throat, wiped tears from her chin, and tried to start over.

“Well, he was standing here at the side of the truck-” Casey was loudly sobbing now, they both knew it wasn’t good. “One of them… Got to the side of the truck… And bit him!” She finally managed to get out through uncontrollable weeping.

Jeremy willingly handed Addison his arm. It was broken in two places were both side of the Shades jaw had been, and a large chunk of flesh was ripped from his arm. He had lost an immense amount of blood. Perspiration was dripping from his face and soaking his shirt.

Addison tightly wrapped the wound with the cloth trying to decrease the amount of blood flow. He groaned and cursed at her, but he didn’t push her away. Tears rolled down his cheeks but she ignored them, delicately applying pressure to his wound. ‘I know he doesn’t want my pity, he wants to live.’ Addison told herself.

“You’re going to be fine.” Addison said to him when she was sure her voice wasn’t going to shake and betray her.

Casey made a contorted sound, a mixture between a gasp and a sob, Addison had never heard anything like it before. Addison looked back at her to see her wide terror stricken eyes looking directly at Jeremy. Casey hysterically scrambled across the pickup floor to the opposite side of the truck. Addison couldn’t look back at him; she knew what she would see, those blood red eyes all shade had.

“Oh, God.” He said