Absolute Darkness - A CME Survival Thriller by Kellee Greene (ereader for comics txt) 📕

It was getting worse. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed my medication.

“I’ll get you some water,” Dorian said.

He came back with a tall glass and set it down in front of me. My hand shook vigorously as I brought it to my lips.

“I’m really sorry about that,” Dorian said, staring at my hand. “You were just so quiet.”

“It’s fine,” I said before taking another long drink. The vibrating in my body began to slow. “What are you still doing up this late?”

Dorian’s eyes shifted toward the window. “I thought I heard something, then decided I was still hungry. You must be starving. Can I get you something? We saved you some—”

“Yes, please,” I said, pushing my chair back. “I can get it myself, though.”

“I don’t mind,” Dorian said. “It’s just fish and potatoes again. Nothing fancy.”

“That’s perfect. I’m so hungry I could eat the crickets outside,” I said, grimacing. Dorian grinned as he rubbed the short hair at the back of his head. “Okay, maybe not that hungry yet.”

“Good. I have no idea how to prepare insects. I’ll be right back,” Dorian called over his shoulder. “It’s downstairs in the mini-fridge.”

I clicked my tongue. “He’s going to use up all his gas running that generator.”

“That’s what I told him,” Dorian said before heading downstairs.

I rubbed the back of my neck and stretched my arms over my head. It didn’t take long for Dorian to return.

“Sorry, it’s cold,” he said, setting down a foil packet and a fork on the table. “Not going out there alone to heat it up.”

“It’s fine. I wouldn’t want you to,” I said, scooping up a mound of potatoes. I covered my mouth and swallowed. “What did you hear?”

He shook his head.

“You said you were up because you heard something.”

“Oh,” Dorian said, bobbing his head. “Well, I don’t want to freak you out.”

I stared at him for a long moment before allowing a smile to curl my lips. “We’re past that. Also, you could just assume that I’m in a constant state of freaked out with everything that’s going on.”

“I know,” Dorian said. “None of this feels real. But it is nice to have finally separated from my insane father.”

I took another big bite. The fish and potatoes were scrumptious. Either it was because I was starving or because they were slathered in oil and sprinkled with salt and dill.

“So, what did you hear?” I asked, feeling like he was dodging the question.

“Um,” he said, rubbing his brow. Dorian cleared his throat. “It sounded like a woman screaming, I guess.”

I exhaled and set down the fork.

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Dorian said, waving his hand as he leaned back in the chair.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not that. I think I heard it too.”

“It was probably just a wolf or something,” Dorian said. “Maybe a hyena.”

I laughed. “Lots of hyenas in the area?”

“You never know what kind of animals people get for pets these days,” Dorian said with a half-smile. “I haven’t heard it again, so I thought maybe I had just imagined it.”

“But we probably both didn’t imagine it.”

“Right,” Dorian said. “Which is why I think it was probably an animal.”

I took several bites. “Or maybe it was a woman screaming somewhere.”

“I guess that is a possibility,” Dorian said, looking down at his hands. “At least it sounded far away.”

“Not far enough,” I said. “And after what Sam and I saw in that town, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t petrified. Those people lying on the ground.”

I shook away the thought. I needed to finish my food. My pants were feeling loose, and I felt weaker with each passing day. I couldn’t let my fear stop me from eating.

After I finished, I crinkled up the foil into a small ball. Dorian reached over, snatching it away before I could stand up. He tossed it into the trash and took the fork out of my hand.

“I can clean up after myself,” I said, frowning.

Dorian splashed water onto the fork and wiped it clean. He looked at me as he placed it in the drawer.

“Of course, you can, but I don’t mind. Doing stuff helps keep my mind off the other things,” Dorian said.

“Isn’t that true for everyone?” I asked.

“I suppose you could be right.” Dorian grinned. “Are you going to go back to bed?”

The thought of more sleep brought a yawn to my lips. “Yeah, I’ve probably only been getting a couple hours of sleep a night.”

“Same,” Dorian said, jerking his thumb toward the stairs. “Want me to walk you up?”

“No, that’s okay,” I said.

“Yeah, don’t want to upset Sam since she thinks I’m some weirdo stalker guy,” Dorian said, rolling his eyes.

I patted his shoulder. “Don’t take it personally. She thinks every guy who looks in my direction is a creepy stalker weirdo. In her defense, I do attract weirdos.”

“I don’t know what to say to that,” Dorian said.

I laughed. “See you in the morning.”

“Hey, Mel?”

“Yeah?”

Dorian squinted at me as he scratched the back of my neck. “Why were those people lying on the ground?”

“I wish I knew,” I said with a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to end up on the lawn.”

“Me either,” Dorian said. “I mean, we won’t. That won’t happen.”

“Good night,” I said.

He nodded. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked back up the stairs. It wasn’t that he was being creepy, he was just making sure I made it up to bed okay. I would have done the same in his shoes.

It was strange how quickly we became friends. At least, that’s what I