The Night Children

Chapter 17

Edited. 

"I think the guy charged me double. Torches do not cost twenty dollars each," Aleena frowned at the torch in her hand. She looked flustered, her blonde hair sticking up in a glorious mane. "Maybe it didn't help that I slept with him last fall." She considered the prospect for a few moments before tossing me one of the overstuffed back packs slung on her petite shoulders.

I barely caught it, the material snagging on my fingers. "What's in here? Weights?"

Aleena shrugged and sat on the edge of my bed. "Necessities."

I unzipped my bag and began to pull out items that included torches, disposable cameras and first aid materials. It wasn't until I yanked out a silver object that I questioned Aleena's purchasing choices. "Why the hell do we need this?" I waved the kitchen knife in front of her.

She blinked, holding up her own. "I thought we might need it to defend ourselves."

I moved my legs around so they dangled off the bed. "From a bear?"

Aleena shot me a look. "I think a bear is the least of our worries."

I sighed and stuffed the knife back in the bag, careful to point the blade downwards. I glanced towards the ticking clock, allowing its constant noise to flow through me. I was scared, and I was sure Aleena could sense that. I didn't know what we would find tonight, and a part of me wanted to remain naïve. Then, at least, I could pretend the children hadn't disappeared, their screams nothing but distant echoes against the darkening night.

"When are we leaving?" I asked.

Aleena glanced at the wall clock, her lips pulling into a grimace. "Now."

A spark of nerves shot through me, and I ignored them to slid off the bed. It was the first time doing so all day, and as my feet hit the ground, I felt myself sway unsteadily. I quickly gathered myself, leaning against the side table. Aleena offered no support, although her eyes did narrow into thin slits.

"If I even mention something about you remaining behind, will you listen to me?"

"No," I said, a little too hastily.

She sucked in a short breath. "Then don't fall over."

And that was it. A sarcastic reply, the ghost of uncertainty. A flicker of unease. That was as much as I would receive from her. She was not one to waste time, and I could tell her mind was too clouded to worry about me.

I swung the bag onto my shoulder, its contents slamming into my back. Stifling a grunt of protest, I ambled around my bed, picking at the duvet and stuffing it with pillows until it resembled a small mound. Aleena regarded my failed attempt at a sleeping figure in the covers with an air of mockery, however she didn't waste a breath to tease me on my efforts. Instead, she trailed over to the window. With her back to me, I allowed myself to glance down at my wrist, surveying the tiny indent of blood from where I'd pulled out the drip earlier. It was painless, but a constant reminder that I was still a slave to weakness.

Aleena, as careless but surefooted as a leopard, slid onto the windowsill. She glanced back at me, her brown eyed glinting in the gathering darkness. But then her eyes trailed over me, her lips thinning.

"You're really going to sneak out wearing that?"

I looked down at myself, my hospital gown blowing lightly in the breeze. I bit my lip. "I don't have anything else."

Shaggy material fell into my hands and I caught it gingerly, followed by a hard, laced object.

"I brought a spare," Aleena said while rezipping her bag. "I didn't want to be seen with a runaway patient. And you can't go walking barefoot, you'll lose your toes."
I thanked her and slipped the jumper on then the runners.