Shadows Rising by Dean Rasmussen

Author:Dean Rasmussen [Rasmussen, Dean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781951120009
Publisher: Dark Venture Press
Published: 2019-10-01T16:00:00+00:00

18

Michael flinched as he opened his eyes. His nightmare scattered away like cockroaches at the first sign of light, and he shook himself awake. He couldn’t believe he’d slept at all. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and caught his breath. The desk lamp next to the bed was on, but the sunlight pierced the blinds and lit the room.

Rebecca’s long brown hair sprawled across her pillow. She faced away from him and snored like a kitten. The warmth of her thigh pressing against his leg comforted him. His pants had twisted around his legs during the night, so he carefully crept out of bed not to disturb her and straightened them out. Rebecca rolled and faced him without opening her eyes, throwing out one arm across where he’d been sleeping. They’d all slept in their clothes at Finn’s insistence, so they could be ready for anything. He’d also insisted Rebecca sleep alone in the only bedroom for her privacy with Finn on the living room floor and Michael on the couch. But it was a king size bed, and Rebecca had asked Michael to sleep next to her, which had made his heart race. Finn had objected at first.

“You two aren’t sleeping together in my bed,” Finn had said with a smirk.

“I don’t want to be alone,” Rebecca pleaded.

He stared at both of them through narrowed eyelids. “Keep your clothes on and go right to sleep. Understand?”

Rebecca had nodded. Michael had rolled his eyes. What did he think they would do? Every muscle ached, and he couldn’t keep his eyes open. Still, his chest fluttered when she’d crawled under the bed sheet with him. The buzz of energy only faded after her breathing drew out deep. They hadn’t even touched, although she’d shared a smile with him before turning away. Her bloodshot eyes and distant stare connected with the heaviness surrounding him.

The events of the previous night flashed through his mind. Had all of that happened? His grandfather was gone. His heart sank, and he dropped his head. Had that been his fault too? Another loved one had been lost to his incompetence.

Now he dug in his backpack, pulled out a bottle of water, and finished it. He stuffed the empty bottle back inside his pack as Rebecca’s chest convulsed, and she choked in a breath. She muttered a few words and clenched her jaw. She grimaced.

“Rebecca,” Michael said.

Her fingers twitched, and she gasped in another breath.

“Rebecca,” he repeated.

He knocked her from whatever nightmare had seized her mind. Her body calmed, and her breathing heaved in once more before flowing back into a tranquil rhythm.

All his muscles ached even more than before he’d gone to bed.

He plodded out of the room, down the hallway, and toward the kitchen. Every light was on, and as he entered the kitchen, he heard Finn snoring in the living room. The sun radiated through the windows and small particles of dust drifted through the air within the shafts of light. He

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