Read Before the Darkness (Refuge Inc.) Online
Authors: Leslie Lee Sanders
Tags: #erotic MM, #Romance MM
and walk all the way back up the freeway lanes
to where the minivan was parked. The ramps at
both ends of the bridge had what looked like a
ifteen foot wall running along the sides of the
ramp, preventing him from making a swift trip
out of it.
He shined the light over the center
median and across to the other three lanes of
the bridge to a car that was nestled in a broken
part of the exterior wall toward the end of the
bridge near the ramp. The car must have hit the
wall at an unbelievably high speed because a
ive foot gash in the concrete trailed behind the
wrecked car. The crash had broken a huge
chunk of concrete from the wall completely, and
the car nestled slightly over the edge.
Adam quickly made his way over the
center median to the other side of the bridge.
Once at the gash in the wall, he noticed thick
metal support rods sticking out from the broken
concrete like one inch thick claws on the hand of
a giant robotic beast. He peered over the side
and realized he was closer to the gravel covered
slope underneath the bridge. Climbing down
would be much quicker and easier than going all
the way around. He shined the light down onto
the slope of dirt and pebbles the city used to
landscape the sides of the freeways and ramps.
He determined it was about a twelve to fourteen
foot jump. He could either jump down and get to
the minivan in less than ive minutes, or waste
another hour climbing over walls, maneuvering
around cars and walking through junk just to
get to the same place.
He warily made his way around the
mangled car that rested between the car and
what was left of the broken wall. The smell of
burnt oil hit his nostrils. At closer examination it
occurred to him the whole car had been on ire.
The interior of the car excluded a body which
he'd expected to see, but was blackened and
charred, smelling of burnt leather. The side and
front of the car must have hit the exterior wall
because it had smashed and dented in the metal
like an old and used soda can. One of the rear
tires hung over the broken wall and some of the
strengthening rods were somehow coiled
around the rear bumper, holding the car irmly
in place as it leaned slightly over the edge of the
bridge.
Adam secured his pack on his back and
slid the glowing lashlight into the mesh pocket
on the side. Light illuminated from the lashlight
right below his armpit. It was enough to light a
few feet of space around him and help him see
as he climbed down. He scaled the wall with one
hefty jump, sat on top and swung his legs over.
The thought of jumping from that height was
unnerving. Maybe if he lowered himself down
near the broken edge of the wall and hung over
the side his feet would be closer to the slope
and would close the gap between him and the
slope by about six to eight feet.
Slowly, he climbed down between the
burnt car and the broken wall. He felt some of
the steel rods prod his hip as he squeezed
through the hole. Even in the poor light, he
igured all he had to do was back out of the
space and grab onto the ledge to climb to the
lower part of the broken wall. But before he did
anything else, he nudged the car with his foot
just to be sure. If it weren't secure it would have
budged. It didn't.
Content, he stuck his bottom out over the
edge of the bridge and simultaneously grabbed
on to the lower ledge. Instantly, his feet gave
way and he found himself dangling over the side
of the freeway overpass. It had been his intent
to do just that but as he hung there, legs lailing
like a ragdoll in the wind, he began to have
second thoughts.
He looked down at the street below him.
It was dif icult to make out how far the jump
was since the lashlight in his pack lit up his
body better than it did anything else, blinding
his view of the world beneath him.
His ingers ached and he realized he had
to jump soon or gravity would pull him down in
a nasty fall when he least expected. Knowing this
he still didn't feel comfortable letting go. That
spot directly beneath him seemed too far for
him to jump and land safely. He reached out to
his right, feeling for a secure place along the
ledge to grab onto. The more he slid to the right,
the farther from the car he'd be and the closer
he'd be to the slope beneath him, further
lessening the gap between him and the ground.
He reached, grabbing a piece of the
concrete wall. Con ident, he prepared to let go
with his other hand in order to slide over again,
but the concrete gave way in his hand. Dangling
off the side of the bridge with one hand, he
almost yelled out for help but remembered he
was alone. He reached up and grabbed the ledge
again and with both hands he tried desperately
to climb back up onto the bridge where he knew
he would be safe. He made a note to scold
himself for making a senseless decision once he
climbed to safety, but at the moment he needed
to focus on the climb.
As he reached up with one hand, blindly
pulling at a support rod to hoist himself up, he
thought how stupid he had been to ever think
jumping off of a bridge was a good idea. In his
panic and haste, he grabbed the rod with his
other hand as well.
The rod must have been weakened,
damaged, or just a sorry excuse for support,
because it bent with his weight.
It could have been merely seconds but
time seemed to move slowly. Adam felt the rod
curve in his grip and heat up his palm as it
gradually gave way. Glimpses of Elliot and Jena
popped into mind. His body felt weightless, but
time moved so slowly he was able to sort out his
thoughts and realize the sensation was nothing
other than free fall.
He hit the ground with a loud thud. He
landed on his back yet he was still moving, no,
sliding. His backpack had absorbed most of the
impact but the impact still knocked the wind out
of him. And as he slowly slid down the gravel
covered slope he tried to catch his breath,
realizing he probably underestimated the height
of the drop.
Finally, the sliding stopped and he came
to rest atop sharp chunks of gravel. Breathing
returned along with a painful burning in his
chest. His ears popped, but instead of ringing he
heard a loud whining or … a creaking. He
quickly removed his pack and grabbed the
lashlight. Pointing the light up toward the
sound, he realized where the noise was coming
from but it was already too late. The car directly
above him—the car with the blackened and
charred interior, the car with the rear tire that
hung over the bridge, the car in which the
robotic beast-like claws held onto its bumper
securely—was in a free fall of its own, moving
closer and closer.
10: Now or Never
Elliot couldn't pinpoint what had gotten
into him to cause him to go ballistic and hurt
Adam. All he could think about was getting
Adam back to where it was safe, the hospital.
Refuge Inc. was not a guarantee.
He thought himself lucky to have found
an extra lashlight in one of the drawers in the
hospital room. He was looking for more pain
killers—Adam had forgot to throw him some of
those when he unloaded the granola bars on
him—instead of pain pills he found a lashlight.
It was smaller than the one Adam carried but it
got the job done. Finding the lashlight had been
the push he needed to go back out into the
darkness and find his friend.
The last few hours of walking felt like
days to him and probably Titan too. He made
sure to walk south, back in the direction where
they came. Adam had mentioned seeing a spray
painted sign on their way to the hospital. Instead
of looking for that particular sign, he'd just go
back to the last sign they'd seen on the freeway
bridge. It made sense so that was the plan.
But already he had been walking for
hours and hadn't seen one sign or the freeway.
He had questioned himself earlier but now he
really needed to think about it; was he going the
wrong way?
It was possible that he started out in the
right direction and accidentally made a detour
somewhere along the way. The dif iculty was
determining what way he was walking without
the assistance of a compass or landmarks. He
had been following the smaller streets but some
of the streets twisted and turned and others led
to dead ends, leaving him cutting across house
lawns and building lots.
He looked down to Titan. "Where are we
going?"
Titan let out a soft bark in response,
wagging his tapered tail.
Elliot looked around him, trying to get his
bearings. Large pieces of dust that sometimes
resembled ash or a mixture of the two fell down
over him. The wound on his leg ached.
He continued his slow but determined
trek. Titan followed alongside him.
"You make a good sidekick, Titan." He
chuckled. "I wonder why I never got a dog
instead of a boyfriend. Talk about being loyal. At
least you won't ever leave me, huh?"
Titan shook his body, shaking off a layer
of dirt and picked up the pace.
"Maybe I spoke too soon." Elliot hastened
his steps to keep up. "Or maybe my problem is
putting my heart out there for other people to
crush it so easily. Maybe I love too easily, too
hard and that's why I get hurt so bad."
He swept the light toward the side of the
deserted road where a square metal sign
announced: I-10 Ahead.
Not only was I-10 a landmark, allowing
him to get his bearings, it was the freeway he
was looking for. Now inding the overpass with
the R painted on it would be that much easier.
"If I didn't love so damn hard I wouldn't
have someone to risk my life for," he said, with a
skip in his step.
****
walked into the room wearing her Hello Kitty
maternity pajamas—a matching black polyester
pant set with the face of the dotted eyed cat
stamped all over it. The shirt hit mid-thigh in the
front and higher up on her bottom in the back.
She glanced at him and rolled her eyes,
pulling her hair up into a messy bun. "It's because
there's more fabric in the front to accommodate a
growing belly. And to get a growing belly—or to
make getting pregnant easier at least—I'm gonna
wear maternity clothes any chance I get." She
giggled.
Her crazy superstitions and her giggle
always made Adam laugh, but this time he didn't.
This time he wanted to vomit. He could feel the
unpleasant churning in his stomach.
She sat down beside him on the bed and
took the laptop from his lap to place it on her
own. "You ready to be a daddy?"
His head hurt just thinking of what that
question entailed. A baby, a wife, a lie he'd be living
for the remainder of his life. The headache was
almost enough to get his troubled mind off of the
laptop.
And then she lifted the screen.
"Jena,
wait!" His head throbbed, his
stomach turned, and sweat moistened his palms.
"Jena!" He struggled to breathe. "Jena, I'm sorry."
His chest, his ribs, his arm ached.
He opened his eyes to blackness and a
sudden intense pain in his right arm and along
his right side. Turning his head slightly, he could
see the roof of the charred car as it rested on its