A Fate So Cruel

Chapter 4 - A Long Drive to Nowhere

The drive seemed to go on forever and lead nowhere. It wasn't until the light of morning started to creep out that we finally came to a stop.

"We're here," Isaac grumbled.

I couldn't see him or Boston or anything else for that matter. Once I'd settled into the backseat back at the University, Isaac had thrown an old, paint-stained sheet of canvas on my lap and commanded that I lay down and cover myself. That was hours ago.

A warm hand rested on my knee.

"You awake, Noa?" Boston asked.

As if I could have fallen asleep.

No, I had been awake every excruciating minute of the drive. It had been mostly silent, only the sound of the tires on the long pavement and Boston occasionally giving directions to Isaac. Not long ago, the smooth pavement had turned bumpy as the car turned off what I assumed to be a more rural road that hadn't seen maintenance in the years since the Lycan took over, and probably many years before as well.

"Yeah. Is it okay if I come out now?" I croaked.

I could almost hear Isaac rolling his eyes before a car door opened and slammed shut.

"You're good," Boston replied. "Just keep your hood on and your head down while we walk inside."

I threw off the musty sheet that concealed me and sat up to take in my surroundings.

We were parked in front of a house. There were other houses in sight, but they were spread out far enough to be uncharacteristic of a suburban neighborhood. We must have been somewhere in the backcountry, but in an area a little too populated to be considered rural.

Isaac's irritation was evident as he waved to us from the porch to follow him inside the house. I put up my hood and scurried beside Boston the short distance to the house and through the door. Once Boston and I were inside, Isaac quickly shut the door behind himself.

I took a look around, although there wasn't much to see. We stood in the foyer, which led to what could only be the living room. Although, it didn't seem like there was much living going on. All the room contained was an old, lumpy green couch against the far wall and a wooden chair missing a leg on its side in the corner. It smelled musty in the way that unlived-in houses tend to. A thin layer of dust coated the sparsely decorated landscape and the wallpaper was peeling off large swaths.

"Where are we?" I breathed.

"Nowhere," Isaac snapped. He locked three different bolts on the door before stalking further into the room, stopping in its center.

"We'll stay here for the day and then move to the safe house tonight." His eyes narrowed at Boston. "You take first watch. I'm going to sleep."

Isaac didn't wait for a response. He turned and stalked down a dark hallway. The sound of a door shutting was the only cue that he had reached his destination and officially retired.

For the first time since we'd been in my dorm, Boston and I were alone.

Silence engulfed us. I felt I should say something, but I didn't know what. The bizarreness of the situation and the suddenness with which everything unfolded (combined with the fact I was approaching 24 hours without sleep) made my thoughts hard to detangle.

I had never been unsettled being alone with Boston. It felt unnatural. I hugged myself around my center and forced myself to speak.

"So, I don't suppose you would be willing to share any details about our whereabouts, would you?"