Darkness Fades (Darkness Falls Series, Book 3) (9 page)

Mathew looks at her sadly. “I haven’t turned
yet, but I can feel it coming. It’s only a matter of time.”

“What do you mean it’s only a matter of
time? How can you tell?” Greyson asks curiously. He’s been so quiet
through all this, I almost forgot her was there.

Mathew seems uncomfortable with the question
and shifts in his chair, moving forward then deciding to lean back
again, as though he can’t figure out what to do with himself. “I
started hallucinating that my skin was falling off. I’ve actually
had to check in the mirror several times to make sure it’s not
real.”

Aiden raises his eyebrows at me, bumps my
knee from under the table and then whispers, “Do you really believe
him?”

I’m not sure. I’m not sure of anything
anymore.

“Are you sure that you’re not putting anyone
at risk; that you’re not changing?” I ask Mathew.

“Mathew wouldn’t put anybody at risk,”
Nichelle snaps. “He’s always been the one who tries to help
others.”

Mathew puts his hand on Nichelle’s and gives
her an affectionate look. “Nichelle’s right. If I think that I’m
becoming dangerous to anyone, I’ll make sure the right thing is
done.”

Greyson looks at Mathew with disappointment.
“So your change has only been delayed. Does that mean that there’s
no cure?” He frowns.

Mathew takes a folded piece of paper out of
his pocket then he puts it onto the table and smoothes out the
wrinkles. There’s something written on it, but since I can’t read.
I don’t know what it says.

“Not too long ago a man came in search of
me,” he says. “He claimed to be sent here by Monarch, and he told
me that Monarch wasn’t sure if I was still alive, but if I was, he
was to deliver this paper to me. From what I remember of Monarch’s
handwriting, I’m pretty sure the man wasn’t lying and Monarch did
write this.” He taps his finger on the paper.

“What does it say?” I ask, glancing at
Aiden, wondering if he can read it.

“Apparently, Monarch had a change of heart
and wanted to reverse the damage that he caused,” Mathew explains.
“He finally discovered a cure and wrote it down. He was afraid that
he’d be caught, so he hid the information in his office at the
colony.”

I know what papers he’s talking about. The
one’s that Sylas and I found earlier. I’m not sure why Monarch
would tell Mathew about it when he was so careful to make sure that
he removed all my memories and put them into Aiden, so that his
plans to save the world would stay hidden.

“Why did he tell you about it?” I ask Mathew
with caution.

“He told me about everything in this letter…
his plans for an army of Day Takers and how you’re the only Day
Walker. He wanted a backup plan to make sure that there was someone
else that knew about the cure. I guess, because I wasn’t happy when
the virus was created, he assumed that I’d want to make sure a cure
was found.”

“So what we need are those papers that are
hidden?” Aiden asks, raking his fingers through his hair, leaving
it sticking up everywhere. “If they are still even there.”

“They’re there,” I tell them. They all look
at me inquisitively, waiting for me to explain further.

“How do you know?” Nichelle asks
skeptically, glancing at the knife in front of me.

“Because I’ve already found them,” I tell
them, putting my hand over the knife, ready to use it if
needed.

“You have them?” Mathew asks, his eyes
lighting up.

I shake my head. “I
had
them. But
when Sylas and I were attacked, I dropped them.”

“Do you think that Gabrielle has them?”
Aiden asks, frowning.

I bite my lip, deliberating. “I don’t think
so. There were other papers scattered all over the room to begin
with, so I’m pretty sure that no one even noticed when I dropped
them, but then again, I can’t be one-hundred percent sure.”
I
can’t be one-hundred percent sure of anything.

“Then we should go get them,” Nichelle says
with way too much enthusiasm. “If we hurry, maybe we can make the
cure before…” She trails off as she glances over at Mathew.

She’s right. We should go get the papers and
bring them back. Mathew is one of the original doctors. He has a
better chance of understanding what Monarch wrote down. He may be
able to make the cure. Besides, even though I don’t want to think
about it, there’s a chance that if I go back, I can find Sylas. I
hate that I’m getting my hopes up, though, when deep down I know
it’s never going to happen.
Sylas is gone.

“You’re right,” I say to Nichelle,
collecting my knife from the table. “We do need to go get them, but
you need to stay here.”

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of
myself,” she says harshly. “Besides, you may need my help.”

“Nichelle, Kayla’s right,” Mathew
interrupts, placing his hand over hers again. “You need to stay
here. The vampires are becoming more aggressive and it is becoming
more difficult to keep them out of town. We need your help here.
Kayla and Aiden are more than capable of doing this by themselves.
They just need to be careful not to run into any Highers.”

Greyson looks at both Aiden and I. “What
about me and Maci?”

“Is it all right if they stay with you?” I
ask Mathew, hoping upon hope that I’m not making a mistake. That
he’s trustworthy and won’t hurt them

He nods and relief washes over me because,
even though I don’t want to say it aloud, I don’t want to have to
take them with us. They’ll only slow us down.

“You have to promise me that you’ll let
nothing happen to Maci,” I tell Mathew with a warning in my
tone.

He nods. “I will make sure nothing happens
to her. I promise,” he says truthfully.

I turn to Aiden who is watching me with
curiosity. Before I can even open my mouth to ask him if he wants
to go, he says, “When are we leaving?”

When he says he’ll go, I almost want to tell
him to stay behind, but at the same time, if something happened to
me, it’ll be good if he’s there to step in and finish the job; to
save the world. It’ll be getting dark and the vampires will be
roaming, yet for Aiden and I, that doesn’t matter.
So
weird.

“Now,” I say, the strangeness of the
situation even more evident.

He stands up and waits for me by the door
with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

I get to my feet. “Give us two days,” I tell
Mathew. “That should give us enough time to get there and
back.”

He nods and then I motion for Greyson to
come over to me. Nichelle and Mathew give me a strange look, but
don’t say anything as he winds around the table and huddles up with
me.

“If anything weird happens at all,” I tell
him in a low voice, “get Maci out of here.”

He squirms uneasily, scratching at the back
of his neck. “Where should I go?”

“To the caves back up on the hill. And hide
out there until Aiden or I return.”

He reluctantly nods and then Aiden and I
open the door to head out, unsure of how dangerous it is, though
certain that there will be dangers. Not with the vampires, but with
the abominations; the unknown. Plus, we’re walking into the
Highers’ territory.

“Kayla, Aiden, please be careful,” Mathew
calls out as I’m shutting the door. “We need you to return; we need
those papers.”

I nod and then we leave, walking down a
hall, and moments later, we’re outside. The sky is dark, the air
chilly, and the vampires’ cries greet us from the distance;
however, we don’t have to be afraid.

The town has a wall built around it made
from old vehicles and scraps of metal. Guards are posted on top of
the barricade with knives, ready to kill anything that threatens to
try to break through. Aiden and I climb on top of one of the
barricades so we can jump over to the other side. There are two
guards posted there, one short and round, the other tall and
sturdy. The tall one steps in front of me as I attempt to hoist
myself over a smashed-in car and to the other side.

“What do you think you are doing?” He walks
up to me, his boots crunching against the dirt and rocks and he
almost steps on my fingers. “You can’t leave town now. It’s getting
dark.”

“Your rules don’t apply to us,” I tell him
as I push myself on top. Rules. I hate rules.

“Leave them alone, Earl,” the other one
says, moving his knife to his other hand as he stares out at the
opposite direction from us. “They’re part freak. Can’t you tell?”
They both laugh at us.

Aiden jumps back over onto the car, heading
towards them, fist clenched and raised. I quickly stand up and
latch onto his arm, pulling him towards me as I back to the edge of
the roof. I keep backing up until we reach the edge then I tug him
with me as I hop down to the other side, landing with a soft thud
in the dirt.

“Let me go.” He jerks his arm away from me
and starts back towards the wall where the guards look down at us,
still laughing under their breath.

“It’s not worth it, Aiden.” I grab the
collar of his jacket and drag him backward then I take his hand and
start to walk away out into the hills and desert.

“Yes, it is.” He grins as he looks down at
our hands that are clasped together.

I shake my head, wanting to smack him. “You
know that’s not what I meant.”

I try to let go of his hand, but he tightens
his grip. “Can’t we just enjoy it for a second?” he asks as I wind
downward into a group of towering rocks.

I resist the urge to pull my hand away and
try to find the enjoyment he suggests, wondering if I can get
there, but I can’t. Honestly, I don’t really feel anything at all,
except the slight chilliness of his skin. My mind wanders back to
Sylas and the kiss we shared before Gabrielle captured us. A spark
of sadness hits me as I think of what he has turned into. How he no
longer exists and has become a monster, that he might have been one
of those things running around on the street.

“You look sad… what are you thinking about?”
Aiden asks, his eyes sweeping the path in front of us—the rocks,
the bushes—his body tensing with every vampire cry, as if he’s
still not used to being able to walk with them.

“Nothing important,” I mutter. “I just hope
we’re not too late to find the papers,” I lie. My thoughts are
still firmly planted on Sylas and the kiss. I can almost visualize
him changing into some unknown horror of a monster and I simply
left him. What the hell? Why did I do that? Why am I so worried
about it now? Why do I feel so… so guilty?

“You know we don’t need to go back to the
colony; we don’t have to get the papers and take them back,” he
says, tugging on my arm and moving me to the side as a snake
slithers across the ground in front of us.

I gape at him, slamming to a stop. “Are you
being serious right now? Because getting those papers is pretty
much the only hope for humanity.”

“Who says humanity is worth saving? Maybe
this,” he points at himself and me, “is what is really supposed to
happen to the world. Maybe we
are
perfection,” he says
smugly and starts walking again, pulling me with him.

I jerk my hand from his. “What the hell’s
happened to you? You’ve changed and I don’t think I like it.”

He shrugs, stepping to the side, putting
distance between us. “I’ve changed into something better.” I glare
at him and he smiles. “Look at us, Kayla, the vampires won’t bite
us. I haven’t seen you drink any blood and I know that I don’t have
the thirst for it. We’re strong. Fast. Basically invincible. Isn’t
this better than being a weak human and having to worry about
surviving every day? It’s as if we’re perfect.”

I’m about to tell him that he’s lost his
mind and sounds just like the Highers when we’re interrupted by a
hoard of vampires blocking the trail in front of us. They’re lined
up in a row across the path and between the rocks as they viciously
snap their teeth at us and snarl; some stepping forward and some
moving back like a rippling wave.

Aiden smirks at them and then at me, giving
me the most arrogant look, before he takes off and charges
headfirst towards the group, bringing his knife out as he charges.
He jumps into the air right before he reaches the line of them and
kicks his feet out in front of him, knocking down the front ones
before he lands in a crouch. Quickly springing up, he slashes flesh
and stabs them in the heart, moving at a speed my eyes can barely
detect; I almost start to worry that he’s faster than me. The
vampires explode into dust one by one while any that are left take
a whiff of the air and start to retreat back into the shadows and
down into the flat area of the land, letting out shriek after
shriek.

Aiden strolls towards me with a gloating
look on his face. “See what I mean.” He tucks his knife into his
pocket and brushes dust off his hands. “This is much better. We
kill them instead of them killing us. We’re the only ones that can
control them.”

He seems like a completely different person
than he was before he changed. When I changed, I felt better,
stronger, but I didn’t lose my sense of compassion for the human
race. Not like Aiden seems to have done.

He’s right. We’re the only ones that can
control them, but it still doesn’t mean that this is what the world
comes to. That we’re the future of humanity. There’s still so much
we can do. We can still save the world.

Flashing me a grin, Aiden turns and strides
off towards the hill like he’s proving he’s faster than me. I watch
him as he makes his way up the hill while I trudge behind him,
wondering if he’s lost all of the humanity inside of him.

If the Aiden I first met is completely gone,
then it’s completely up to me to bring those papers back.

Chapter 13

We hike the rest of the night, keeping quiet
along with a bit of space between us. A few vampires appear in
front of us occasionally, but Aiden is quick to make sure that they
know who we were and what they are dealing with by running at them
with his knife, baring his fangs. Within a few steps, they
backtrack and disappear behind the rocks, howling at one another
and snapping their fangs, starving to death, yet knowing they can’t
feed on us.