{"id":581,"date":"2011-09-02T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2011-09-02T04:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=581"},"modified":"2011-09-02T00:00:29","modified_gmt":"2011-09-02T04:00:29","slug":"day-10-chapter-9-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=581","title":{"rendered":"Day 10 – Chapter 9 – 14"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The sun went dark for no reason.\u00a0 Thom\u2019s heart thudded against his ribs, skipping beats as he dropped what he was doing.\u00a0 His instincts said this was bad.\u00a0 The hairs stirring on the back of his neck told him it was worse.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Someone was shouting near the southern edge of the walls, down near the ravine.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure who it was; he was still too far away from the voice.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He ducked outside, into the bright, white cold of winter.\u00a0 The sky was clear, but the sun was dark.\u00a0 That could only mean one thing.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pain blossomed in his arm in a line, blood welling from a slash that seemed to come out of nowhere.\u00a0 He bit back a curse.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He could hear someone\u2014Carolyn?\u2014shouting that they were inside.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They.\u00a0 The shadows without form, the things that he <\/em>used to be able to see in all of their ugly glory.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t anymore, now they were just formless shadows\u2014when he could perceive them at all.\u00a0 Sometimes he couldn\u2019t, and it\u2019d been getting steadily worse all winter.\u00a0 He and Marin didn\u2019t talk about it.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Marin.\u00a0 Where was she?<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He grabbed the first person rushing past him.\u00a0 Leah, her eyes haunted as she ran not toward the walls, but <\/em>from them.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Marin?\u201d<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAt the ward lines,\u201d Leah answered, then tugged free and disappeared between shelters.\u00a0 Thom suppressed a curse and turned to run.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Something hit him square between the shoulderblades, pitching him forward.\u00a0 All the air rushed out of his lungs and he hit the ground.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He could\u2019ve sworn he heard something <\/em>laughing above him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThom?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He snapped back to himself at the sound of J.T.\u2019s voice, looking blearily up at his friend.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026where were you?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe were walking,\u201d J.T. said.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t mean to miss food.\u00a0 That oatmeal?\u00a0 This late in the day?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFor Matt,\u201d Thom said, forcing a smile at Carolyn as she sat down next to him and put the hot water kettle on the fire.\u00a0 He looked up toward J.T. again.\u00a0 \u201cYou might want to have a look at him.\u00a0 The radio kind of exploded while he was using it.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carolyn winced.\u00a0 \u201cThat must\u2019ve been the sound we heard.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T. nodded, grimacing.\u00a0 \u201cYeah\u2026how bad was it, Thom?\u00a0 Could they\u2026did they handle it okay?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom swallowed a wry smile, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cJac and Leah did fine, but you may want to have a look.\u00a0 Matt\u2019s going to have I-75 on his hand for the rest of his life, I think.\u201d\u00a0 Thom saw J.T. wince and shook his head a little.\u00a0 \u201cReally, Jay.\u00a0 They did a good job.\u00a0 Jac\u2019s got him resting now and Marin\u2019s with him.\u00a0 I said I\u2019d watch the fire until someone relieved me.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carolyn glanced at Thom as she got ready to brew up a pot of tea.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019d it happen?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not really sure.\u00a0 A lot of static, then the radio went and Matt\u2019s stumbling away from it, screaming.\u201d\u00a0 He rubbed his chest lightly at the memory, wincing.\u00a0 The pills he\u2019d swallowed had taken the edge off his discomfort, but they still hurt from catching Matt full-on in the chest.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d heard the static and was on my way to check what the hell was going on.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced down at his hands.\u00a0 Dried blood was still caught in the deeper cracks in his palms, under his nails.\u00a0 He grimaced.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026y\u2019think you two could watch the fire for me?\u00a0 I need to finish cleaning up.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Carolyn stared at him, then looked at his hands.\u00a0 Her eyes widened.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 Oh<\/em> Thom.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He shook his head quickly.\u00a0 \u201cRight place, right time.\u00a0 I helped control the bleeding until Jac got there, then I helped control Marin after<\/em> Jac got there.\u201d\u00a0 He set aside the stick he used to tend the fire and started to get his feet under him.\u00a0 \u201cJust didn\u2019t get as cleaned up as I\u2019d have liked.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T. studied his friend, then nodded slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYou okay?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom shrugged with one shoulder as he started to hobble away from the fire.\u00a0 \u201cWill be.\u00a0 Ribs hurt, but that\u2019s because I caught Matt on the way to the ground.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure it\u2019ll get better later.\u00a0 Pills took the edges off.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSo you finally took them?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He winced.\u00a0 Everyone must\u2019ve known I wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 Damn.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Jac made me feel like an ass because I hadn\u2019t been.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T. grinned broadly.\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEt tu<\/em>, Jay?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His friend waved a dismissive hand as Carolyn handed him a mug of tea.\u00a0 \u201cIf she didn\u2019t make you take them soon, I was just going to start force-feeding them to you.\u00a0 Go on, get out of here.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got this.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom grunted and started limping away.\u00a0 Their voices came to him as he headed for the laundry buckets, where he could use some of the spent water to scrub his hands.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe didn\u2019t hear what happened out there?\u00a0 We were, like, thirty feet away.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T.\u2019s voice was grim.\u00a0 \u201cHe was a thousand miles away when we got over here, Care.\u00a0 Marin doesn\u2019t hear anything when she gets that look, why should he?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom winced, unable to smother it, and started moving faster.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to hear any more.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His skin prickled, then the feeling vanished.\u00a0 He shivered, looking around slowly.\u00a0 Nothing.\u00a0 No one near, except for J.T. and Carolyn behind him by the fire.\u00a0 Quiet, empty.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, bowing his head for a moment and leaning heavily against his crutch.\u00a0 How was he going to do this?
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How can I believe in what she\u2014and the rest of them\u2014can see or do without accepting it myself?<\/em>\u00a0 He swallowed the bile rising in his throat.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t have a choice.\u00a0 I\u2019m not losing her.\u00a0 I can\u2019t.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He kept walking.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u00a0First<\/a>\u00a0\u2022\u00a0Previous<\/a>\u00a0\u2022 Next<\/a> \u2022\u00a0Latest<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The sun went dark for no reason.\u00a0 Thom\u2019s heart thudded against his ribs, skipping beats as he dropped what he was doing.\u00a0 His instincts said this was bad.\u00a0 The hairs stirring on the back of his neck told him … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-9","category-day-10"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-9n","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}