Earth: Criminal Rehab

Chapter Thirteen

Pete

The basement was filled with empty brown cardboard boxes. Whoever left this place was out in a hurry. Most of the boxes were torn and empty and cast aside. Josh found an old, beat up teddy bear on the bottom of a bookshelf. He and Tyler played around with it while we were hunting for treasure.

I nudged some boxes around with the top of my shoe. I tried to imagine it was like the soccer balls I used to play with on the Legacy. It became some kind of game. I ran through the boxes. They went flying behind me. I screeched to a stop just before I hit the wall. There was some kind of trap door on the floor. I tilted my head and stared down at the knob. My curiosity took over and I reached down to grab it.

"Pete?" I heard a muffled voice from somewhere in the house. I stood up straight and looked around at the guys, who hadn't heard anything. They were minding their own business. I shook it off and bent back down in front of the door.

"Pete!" the voice echoed louder.

I sprang up and sprinted across the room, "I'm coming Patrick!"

I took the stairs by twos and hoped I wouldn't trip up them. I clutched the vacant wall at the top of the stairs for support. It dawned on me that I had no idea where he was. I darted from empty bedroom to bedroom without any luck. I flicked the light switches that had obviously gone out ages ago. Still no Patrick.

Finally, I swung open the bathroom door and found Patrick sitting against the wall. I knelt down in front of him and put my hands on his shoulders. He was hyperventilating and panicking like I'd never seen before.

"Hey... Patrick. It's okay. Just breathe," I instructed and demonstrated for him. I took a deep breath in and out. It was refreshing even for me. My own heart was going a mile a minute. I gave him an apologetic smile. He flashed a weak smile back. I gave him a quick hug and snapped back into serious mode, "Now... What's the matter?"

He pointed to the sink, "Up there..."

I looked up to it and back down to him. What was so bad and scary about a sink? I thought maybe he'd gone crazy. Maybe he was just sleep deprived and hungry and delusional. Though I gave him the benefit of the doubt and rose to my feet. My knees cracked quietly on my way up. A mirror hung above the sink, reflecting my appearance. I looked better than I felt. I peered down into the empty sink, still puzzled. I grabbed the edges of the sink bowl and leaned into it, looking closer.

It wasn't empty.

There was still water in it.

"Did you...?" I asked and let the question trail off and echo in the room. Patrick's reflection shook his head. My heart dropped into my stomach. Who's been here?

The rest of the guys trailed in, a few at a time. They stood under the door frame, watching me closely. I ran my finger across the side of the wet sink. It made a squeaking sound. When I turned my finger over to inspect it, it was what it seemed: water. The transparent liquid dripped down to my palm, leaving a clean trail behind it. I pulled on the faucet handles – nothing came out.

"It would've dried by now," Patrick breathed out.

I nodded, "Yes it would've."

"Maybe there was a leak in the ceiling?" Dallon suggested. I examined the ceiling tiles that were intact and clean.

Joe chuckled, though he seemed to know what we were all thinking, "Guys... Come on... The bombpocalypse killed everything in its path. There are no humans left on this planet. Don't you think we would know that? We've been here for days! There's got to be a logical explanation for this."

I wanted to believe him or at least pretend, but if I was right... We could be in danger. I can't risk any more lives.

A door slammed downstairs and shook the house. We all jumped. I glanced around the room. All 16 of us were on this floor. I parted through and around them and flew down the stairs. I opened the back door and ran outside. There was no one around, no one to be found. The guys followed behind me, joining in the search for something I must be missing. I expected and desperately waited for Joe to tell us that we were being stupid and cowardly and that it was the wind that closed the door. His face was expressionless. There weren't any excuses.

I breathed out a sigh, "We're not alone here..."