World Ashen

Chapter 11 - Cayler

Soon enough, Jenna was a year old, and Jensen's girls, Adina and Shoshannah, were born, five months after my niece.

Kenneth was trying to learn some first aid because of what happened to the guys' sister, Jasper, around a month ago. It would help others if they needed medical attention because August was in a wheelchair. About six weeks ago, Jensen had turned the Hayner's town of Blue Ridge into a safe place for outsiders by having fences built around it and having people guard the entrances. There was even a sign outside the fence reading: New Haven. The population is twenty-four.

"Hey, Paige? May I have a hand with the greenhouse?" Angel asked the fourteen-year-old, who was trying to get a fire going in the fireplace.

Paige nodded, "one second, I—"

"Let me take care of that. Please go help your mom," Thomas entered the room. Paige nodded and left with Angel. Thomas sighed, then started on the fire. "I feel as if this all happening has brought us together." I nodded in agreement. "Thanks for helping Angel and I get revenge on Metal Fire."

Nodded, I smiled, "Jensen and I had to." Thomas stood up since the fire now roared.

Shane opened his mouth to reply, but a scream interrupted him. We raced to the greenhouse. Angel's father-in-law lay on the snow-covered grass outside the greenhouse. The snow was stained red with blood. "August," Angel gasped, rushing to get the doctor.

Thomas knelt beside his dad. "Dad, can you hear me?" He blinked twice, meaning yes. "Rosie went to get August. You'll be okay, I swear."

Blood leaked out of the man's mouth as I asked if he could move. He blinked once, meaning no. "Get Haley and Katrina," he croaked. Quickly, I got his wife and daughter, who rushed over to the others. "I love you all, even though I didn't show it." He coughed up blood as he closed his eyes.

Jace and Jensen came running. "Uncle Shane! You can't just give up and die right now," the twins yelled out in unison.

August bit her lip, "I'm sorry, guys, but he's lost too much blood."

"Then do a blood transfusion!"

"Too risky," she said. Shane's tears had already frozen on his face. His body went limp. August said he was unconscious and had his son and nephews carefully carry him inside.

"What happened? You were outside when he had that accident," Katrina said.

Angel took a deep breath. "Paige and I were checking on the greenhouse when Shane fell off the roof of the house while shoveling off the snow. A few seconds later, after I had yelled, Tom and Cayler ran to me."

"Stop questioning Rosie. It's unnecessary," Thomas said. "She would hurt no one!" Katrina shut up just as her oldest grandson, Parker, ran over to me.

"Can I ask you something, Cayler?"

"Sure."

"Well, I heard Mom and Dad talking last night. Mom said she feared something was going to happen again. I didn't catch what, though."

Sighing, I said gently, "listening in on people's conversations, or eavesdropping isn't right." Parker nodded and apologized. "Why don't you go spend time with your cousins?" Inside of my head, I labeled myself as a fool for asking a fourteen-year-old to go spend time with babies, but I needed to talk to his mother. Katrina left to talk to August and Parker left to spend time with Jenna, Adina, and Shoshannah. Soon, it was only Angel, Thomas, and me in the room. "Hey, Angel? Is everything okay? Yesterday, you seemed a little freaked." Angel and Thomas glanced at each other as Angel spun her ring on her finger.

"Six years ago, our son, Thomas I, died at three because of cancer. Two years later, our daughter, Rosie, was stillborn. Now, we're afraid it'll happen again."