Smolder by Abigail Livinghouse (best young adult book series TXT) 📕

Nothing plagued my sleep this time, except it was a very short blissfulness. Mary came walking loudly into my room, telling me that it was time for lunch, even though I had missed breakfast. Reluctantly I got out of bed and followed her into a waiting room turned gathering/kitchen area. Checking Trenton's watch once again I saw that I had barely managed two hours of sleep before I was back in reality. And reality stared right at me as he was getting his food. 

 It was awkward enough refusing a kiss, but threatening to leave and then standing near him in line to get breakfast was just horrible. I wasn't expecting him to say anything or even acknowledge me, so when he turned in my direction and nodded I scowled in surprise.

 "Morning Siren, sleep well?" He asked politely.

 I shrugged. "As well as I possibly could."

 He nodded again, in understanding this time, before moving along the line and scooping oatmeal into his bowl.

I followed him, then going to sit in one of the moldy waiting room chairs. Trenton took a seat right next to me. I lifted up my spoon and was about to take a bite when a loud monotone groan sounded from about a mile away. I stood up quickly and made my way to one of the cracked windows, looking out. A Half Dead staggered across the landscape, almost as if it were drunk. For a moment I wondered what might be wrong with the thing, but either way, it was still moving and moving towards us.

 I felt the reassuring burn of fire in my palms, and the press of my blade against my thigh. I went back to Trenton, who was standing alert and at the ready. I shook my head. 

 "Just one. If we're quiet it should pass us." I informed, and he slowly sat back down.

"I’m going to have to check on the guards then, see if they've taken any more out besides that one. The count has been steadily rising since we arrived." Trenton murmured, almost as if he was talking to himself. I listened nonetheless.

 "I think they know we're here, Siren. They know and they're rounding up others to come here. Something about them is changing." He said in an eerie whisper like he couldn't really believe what he was saying.

 "That's ridiculous. They're dead. They can't think or feel. You and I both know that." I insisted, but there was something bleak in Trenton's usually bright blue eyes that made me pause and consider.

 They had been traveling in herds more, and I've noticed excessively violent behavior of Half Deads over the past few days. Could they possibly be changing-evolving in order to survive longer in this world where they rule? No, it was impossible. Then again there was a time when I would've said that the dead rising up was impossible too, and now look where we are.

 "It can't be. The Plague has been going on for years, they would've changed by now if they were going to at all." I rambled on, more for my own benefit than anyone else's. Trenton just shrugged, his eyes fixed unseeingly at the rotting coffee table.

 "Sometimes I wonder, are there places that aren't affected? That are still living normally, despite what's going on here?" He mused. "Like China or England, maybe they're safe. Funny word. 'Safe'. When is the last time you truly felt safe Siren?" He asked me, looking up. His face looked gaunt as if he had been losing weight and I hadn't noticed. His expression altogether was just haunted and empty. I swallowed, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

 "I don't know." I said bluntly, standing up. "I really don't know."

 I left Trenton to ponder in his dark thoughts, but was stopped when I rounded the corner and ran right into him. I fell backward, staring shocked at his glassy eyes and unmoving lips.

"How did you-" I began, but was cut off when he clapped his hand to my mouth and held it there.

 "It's time to go Siren." He said in a completely monotone voice, and grabbed my arm. 

My fire roared in outrage and for once I didn't care who saw me. I clamped my hand around Trenton's arm and let my flames out. They gladly shot from my palms and fingertips, burning his skin a bright red that quickly began turning black. He howled in pain, releasing me almost instantaneously and clutching his arm to his chest. I took that as my opportunity to run.

 I wasn't sure if he had lost his mind, or just couldn't take all of the responsibilities of the group resting on his shoulders anymore. Either way, I wasn't going to stick around and be a part of it. I took the stairs two at a time, not bothering to look behind me to see if he was following or not.

 When I got to the entrance of the hospital a shriek from a Half Dead brought me to a halt. It was crouched over the body of who I could recognize was Manny, who's stomach was torn to shreds and blood spattered everywhere. The creature had Manny's blood literally dripping off of it, from its hands, chest, and mouth. It currently had a mouthful of flesh, an intestine locked between its teeth and dangling to the boy's ruined stomach. It's eyes were glued to my face, milky white and hungry for more.

 My small breakfast rolled up into my throat and I tasted bile. I had never seen a Half Dead feeding off of a person like this before, and it was something horrific. It had already noticed me, which meant that I would either have to run or kill it. I had already hesitated too long, and even though I hadn't heard footsteps behind me, I had no idea where Trenton was hiding and waiting to strike out at me again.

 The Half Dead, who's body had rotted away to such an extent that you could barely tell if it was a man or a woman in its life, stood with a hunch and began shuffling towards me, dropping everything it had been eating for the promise of fresh meat. 

"Siren!" I spun around. Trenton had rounded the second flight of stairs and was now at the top of the first. I was stuck between a maniac and the undead. Fuck.

 Either one could mean death, but I chose the more obvious and the one that had an escape route. I barreled forward with my knife out, plunging it into the skull of the corpse. It gnashed its bloody jaws inches away from my face before it went limp. I dropped the body to the ground after pulling my knife out, which came back stained with blackish red blood. I grimaced at the ripe odor that pulsed from the body and its blood, but ignored it as I made a break for the door.

 "Siren no!" Trenton shouted after me.

I wasn't sure why he was yelling at me, but I realized it must've been a warning when I ran right into someone's arms. I was jerked violently away from the hospital. I kicked, being lifted off the ground and hitting nothing but air. I twisted and squirmed, trying to get a look at my captor. I worried it was someone from the group, and they were all in on Trenton's madness. I didn't want to have to hurt anyone, I was already reeling and feeling horrible about having to hurt Trenton.

 But a cold, bony hand reached over and covered my eyes, the other going to my mouth so that I could not scream. The feeling of icy skin against my burning hot was all too familiar, and my heart plummeted when a delighted voice murmured in my ear, sounding like a snake hissing at its prey.

 "Ah dear Sirenia, it's so wonderful to see you again."

When I opened my eyes I saw nothing but darkness. It was as if I hadn't opened my eyes at all. My neck was aching. I grimaced, feeling my head throb and sharp pains at my wrists and ankles. When I looked down the darkness was so thick  that I couldn't even see my own body. From what I could hear, there was no one else in the room with me, just a leaky pipe creating a faint tap tap tap.

 My vision was awful. Whenever I blinked my head would pound. I went to reach up and rub my eyes, and felt cold, sharp metal bite into my wrist. I sucked in a surprised breath, as a rush of recognition flooded over me. A boxy concrete room, a single bulb swinging from the ceiling, one single wooden door to the left. It was all so familiar, because I had been here before. In a dream.

 The door that I had known was there swung open, then was caught before it could bang against the wall. It was closed, and even though I could not hear it I knew that I was no longer alone in the room.

 It was deadly quiet. The dripping pipe had stopped, and the only sound was my own frantic breathing. Was this man going to kill me? Was he going to torture me? Or worse? I had no clue what this creature was capable of, kidnapping, obviously. But if he possessed any of the same qualities he had had in my dream then I knew I was fucked. My flames were hiding somewhere unbeknownst to me and I could barely get a spark to come out of my fingertips. 

I attempted to focus my energy, to get something, anything. But I barely felt any heat. A chuckle came from deep in the black of the room. I stiffened, feeling my fire dissipate even more in fear.

 "No point in that, my dear. This room we are in is charmed, has been for centuries. So, I suggest you don't waste your energy." The creature bellowed cheerfully from the darkness.

 "Who are you and what do want from me?" I asked, pulling against the binds on my wrist.

 A bony white hand reached out from the dark and closed around my forehead, pushing me back in the chair with a hard shove. I gasped, my eyes widening and terror overshadowing the need to escape.

"I mean you no harm. Please, do not struggle. I hate to waste my power on calming you down