Bleak Devotion by Gemma Drazin Page B

it's better than scavenging for food.”
    Jessica shivered. “Did you have to do that, too?”
    “ Most of us have,” Julie answered. “I'm the newest one here besides you. I got here about, what, Zach, three weeks ago?”
    “ Yeah, that's right.”
    “ I still have difficulties keeping track of time. It's so easy to lose track when you are running.”
    Jessica stiffened, remembering all the time she had stayed hiding. “Yeah. I never could keep track of it.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “How long has it been since they attacked?”
    “We figure about nine months.” Zach's voice was heavy with weariness. “Nine long months.”
    Jessica set a scrubbed potato next to her and picked up a dirty one. She scrubbed for a minute, focusing on cleansing it. Her mind reveled in working at a task that kept it occupied. One that kept feelings at bay. When the potato was clean, she held it in her hands, mindlessly staring at it. “I don't know what to think about that. It seems like it should be longer in some ways and shorter in others.”
    “The running does that to you,” Julie replied. “I never got used to it. I was so grateful when I ran into Blade. Well, not grateful at first. I mean, I ran into one of the aliens that was running around killing everyone. I thought I was a goner.”
    Jessica remembered Deborah's hesitance at telling her how everyone had found the cabin and realized why. She wished the woman would have told her they kept a monster last night instead of letting her sleep, unaware of the danger. She focused back on Julie, ready to glean any information that would help her get the monster out of the cabin. “What did you do?”
    “Scared me so bad I fainted. Imagine my surprise when I wake up and the creature is driving me somewhere. I was certain he was going to take me somewhere to run tests on me. I screamed and screamed. He just kept driving like I wasn't even there.”
    “ What?” Jessica dropped her potato. “He didn't… change?”
    “ Nope. He brought me to Deborah and she explained things to me. Since then I haven't had a problem with him. I'd trust him with my life.”
    “ After only three weeks?”
    “ Yup. Though I do try to keep more calm around him now. He told me later there were several times he almost lost it on the drive here. How would that have been?” Julie laughed mirthlessly. “To have the one alien that wants to help us end up killing me because of my own stupidity.”
    “ You weren't stupid,” Jessica disagreed. “I would have done the same thing. The running gets to you, but the thought of being tested creeps me out even more.” She shuddered.
    Zach reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. Jessica glanced up at him. He gave her a friendly grin, bringing comfort. She smiled back, enjoying the tightening of her lips and cheeks. With a wink, he turned his attention back to his task.
    She stared at him for a moment and then focused back on her work. Having human interactions again was strange. Even though she had been with Cindy almost constantly since the raid, they had been so scared and always on the run that they had lost some of their empathy. Or maybe it was just that they were so scared a monster would show up any second that they began concealing emotions even from each other. She barely remembered what empathy was.
    “ Can I ask another question?” Jessica kept her gaze focused on her potato.
    “ Shoot,” Zach replied.
    “ I was just wondering, since you guys talk to one of the monsters and all, do you know why they are killing us off?”
    “ Not monsters, aliens.” Julie's voice was crisp. “Blade especially is not a monster. I'd prefer it if you wouldn't call him that around me.”
    Jessica flexed her jaw, not wanting to give the animal a name, but still wanting to get an answer. She sucked in a deep breath and attempted to reply calmly. “Has Blade told you why they attacked us?”
    “Yes, he has.” Zach's tone was softer than Julie's had