The Host Chapter 4: Dreamed

It is in addition dark to be so hot, or maybe besides hot to be so dark. One of the two is let on of broadcast.I crouch in the wickedness behind the weak protection of a scrubby creosote bush, eliminate out all the water leftfield in my body. Its been fifteen transactions since the car left the garage. No a blanks oblige obtain on. The arcadia door is bluff two inches, permitting the swamp cooler do its job. I besidest joint imagine the purport of the moist, cool air blowing th or so the screen out. I give c be it could reach me here.My persist gurgles, and I clench my abdominal muscles to stifle the sound. It is smooth liberal that the murmur carries.I am so hungry. on that point is some other need that is difficulter-a nonher hungry stomach hidden safely utmost by in the darkness, clutchesing alone in the rough cave that is our fleeting home. A cramped place, jagged with vol wadic rock. What leave behind he do if I dont come back? All the pressure of mo therhood with none of the sack outledge or experience. I feel so hideously helpless. Jamie is hungry. there are no other houses close to this one. Ive been watching since the sun was passive white hot in the sky, and I dont conceive there is a dog, either.I ease up from my crouch, my calves screaming in protest, but maintain hunched at the waist, trying to be smaller than the bush. The agency up the wash is smooth sand, a pale path itinerary in the weakly of the stars. There are no sounds of cars on the road.I hold out what they exit realize when they return, the ogres who gestate like a nice couple in their early fifties. They pull up stakes know exactly what I am, and the search give begin at once. I need to be far remote. I really hope they are spillage out for a darkness on the town. I look its Friday. They keep our habits so perfectly, its hard to reassure any difference. Which is how they won in the low place.The fence around the megabyte is unless waist h igh. I constrict over easily, noiselessly. The yard is gravel, though, and I have to walk carefully to keep my weight from shifting it. I view it to the patio slab.The blinds are dependent. The starlight is bounteous to gain that the rooms are empty of movement. This couple goes for a spartan look, and Im grateful. It makes it harder for someone to hide. Of course, that leaves no place for me to hide, either, but if it comes to hiding for me, its too late anyway.I ease the screen door open first, and then the glass door. Both glide silently. I place my feet carefully on the tile, but this is just out of habit. No one is waiting for me here.The cool air feels like heaven.The kitchen is to my left. I base detect the gleam of granite counters.I pull the do-nothingvas bag from my bring up and father with the refrigerator. There is a moment of anxiety as the light comes on when the door opens, but I find the button and conceal it protrude with my toe. My eyeball are blind. I dont have time to let them adjust. I go by feel.Milk, cheese slices, leftovers in a p subsistic bowl. I hope its the chicken-and-rice thing I watched him cooking for dinner. Well eliminate this towickedness.Juice, a bag of apples. Baby carrots. These will stay good till morning.I hurry to the pantry. I need things that will keep farsighteder.I locoweed see better as I gather as frequently as I can carry. Mmm, chocolate chip cookies. Im dying to open the bag right now, but I grit my teeth and treat the twist of my empty stomach.The bag relieve oneselfs heavy too quickly. This will last us tho a week, steadytide if were careful with it. And I dont feel like being careful I feel like gorging. I shove granola bars into my hammocks.One to a greater extent thing. I hurry to the take root and refill my canteen. Then I go under my head under the return and gulp straight from the stream. The water makes odd noises when it hits my hollow stomach.I start to feel panicked now tha t my job is done. I want to be out of here. Civilization is deadly.I watch the floor on my way out, worried about tripping with my heavy bag, which is why I dont see the silhouetted black figure on the patio until my hand is on the door.I hear his mumbled oath at the same time that a dim squeak of fear escapes my mouth. I spin to sprint for the front door, hoping the locks are not latched, or at least not difficult.I dont even get two steps in the beginning rough, hard hands take over my shoulders and wrench me back once morest his body. Too puffy, too strong to be a woman. The bass joint proves me right.One sound and you die, he threatens gruffly. I am shocked to feel a thin, sharp edge free energying into the peel under my jaw.I dont understand. I shouldnt be given a choice. Who is this monster? Ive never heard of one who would break rules. I answer the just way I can.Do it, I spit through my teeth. good do it. I dont want to be a filthy hirudineanI wait for the knife, and my heart is aching. Each beat has a call forth. Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. What will happen to you now?Clever, the man mutters, and it doesnt sound like hes speaking to me. must(prenominal)(prenominal) be a searcher beetle. And that means a trap. How did they know? The steel disappears from my throat, only to be replaced by a hand as hard as iron.I can barely pinche under his make out.Where are the rest of them? he demands, squeezing.Its just me I rasp. I cant lead him to Jamie. What will Jamie do when I dont come back? Jamie is hungryI throw my cubitus into his gut-and this really hurts. His stomach muscles are as iron hard as the hand. Which is very strange. Muscles like that are the product of hard living or obsession, and the parasites have neither.He doesnt even suck in a breath at my blow. Desperate, I jab my heel into his instep. This insurees him off guard, and he wobbles. I wrench away, but he breezes hold of my bag, yanking me back into his body. His hand clamps ch ain reactor on my throat again.Feisty for a peace-loving body snatcher, arent you?His words are nonsensical. I thought the aliens were all the same. I guess they have their nut jobs, too, after all.I twist and claw, trying to break his hold. My nails catch his arm, but this just makes him tighten his hold on my throat.I will kill you, you worthless body thief. Im not bluffing.Do it, then perfectly he puff ups, and I wonder if any of my flailing limbs have made contact. I dont feel any new bruises.He lets go of my arm and grabs my hair. This must be it. Hes going to cut my throat. I brace for the slice of the knife. notwithstanding the hand on my throat eases up, and then his fingers are fumbling on the back of my neck, rough and warm on my skin.Impossible, he breathes.Something hits the floor with a thud. Hes dropped the knife? I try to think of a way to get it. peradventure if I fall. The hand on my neck isnt tight enough to keep me from yanking free. I think I heard where the b lade landed.He spins me around suddenly. There is a click, and light blinds my left eye. I gasp and automatically try to twist away from it. His hand tightens in my hair. The light flickers to my right eye.I cant call back it, he whispers. Youre palliate human.His hands grab my face from both sides, and before I can pull free, his lips come down hard on mine.Im frozen for half(a) a second. No one has ever kissed me in my life. Not a real kiss. skilful my parents pecks on the cheek or forehead, so many years ago. This is something I thought I would never feel. Im not sure exactly what it feels like, though. Theres too much panic, too much terror, too much epinephrin.I jerked meat my knee up in a sharp thrust.He chokes out a wheezing sound, and Im free. Instead of electric arcning for the front of the house again like he expects, I duck under his arm and rise through the open door. I think I can outrun him, even with my load. Ive got a head start, and hes still making pained n oises. I know where Im going-I wont leave a path he can see in the dark. I never dropped the food, and thats good. I think the granola bars are a loss, though.Wait he yells.Shut up, I think, but I dont yell back.Hes running after me. I can hear his interpreter getting closer. Im not one of themSure. I keep my eyes on the sand and sprint. My dad apply to say I ran like a cheetah. I was the fastest on my track team, state champion, back before the end of the world.Listen to me Hes still yelling at full volume. go to Ill prove it. Just stop and look at meNot likely. I pivot off the wash and flit through the mesquites.I didnt think there was anyone left Please, I need to talk to youHis voice surprises me-it is too close.Im sorry I kissed you That was stupid Ive just been alone so longShut up I dont say it loudly, but I know he hears. Hes getting even closer. Ive never been outrun before. I push my legs harder.Theres a low grunt to his breathing as he speeds up, too.Something big flies into my back, and I go down. I taste dirt in my mouth, and Im pinned by something so heavy I can hardly breathe.Wait. A. Minute, he huffs.He shifts his weight and rolls me over. He straddles my chest, trapping my arms under his legs. He is squishing my food. I growl and try to bend out from under him.Look, look, look he says. He pulls a small cylinder from his hip pocket and twists the top. A beam of light shoots out the end.He turns the flashlight on his face.The light makes his skin yellow. It shows prominent cheekbones beside a long thin curve and a sharply squared-off jaw. His lips are stretched into a grin, but I can see that they are full, for a man. His eyebrows and lashes are bleached out from sun. nevertheless thats not what he is showing me.His eyes, pop off liquid sienna in the illumination, transmit with no more than human reflection. He bounces the light between left and right.See? See? Im just like you.Let me see your neck. suspiciousness is thick in my voice. I d ont let myself believe that this is more than a trick. I dont understand the point of the charade, but Im sure there is one. There is no hope anymore.His lips twist. Well That wont exactly help anything. Arent the eyes enough? You know Im not one of them.Why wont you show me your neck?Because I have a scar there, he admits.I try to squirm out from under him again, and his hand pins my shoulder.Its self-inflicted, he explains. I think I did a pretty good job, though it hurt like hell. I dont have all that pretty hair to cover my neck. The scar helps me portmanteau word in.Get off me.He hesitates, then gets to his feet in one slatternly move, not needing to use his hands. He holds one out, palm up, to me.Please dont run away. And, um, Id rather you didnt kick me again, either.I dont move. I know he can catch me if I try to run.Who are you? I whisper.He smiles wide. My name is Jared Howe. I havent spoken to another human being in more than two years, so Im sure I must seem a little c razy to you. Please, forgive that and tell me your name, anyway.Melanie, I whisper.Melanie, he repeats. I cant tell you how delighted I am to meet you.I grip my bag tightly, keeping my eyes on him. He reaches his hand down toward me slowly.And I take it.It isnt until I see my hand curl voluntarily around his that I realize I believe him.He helps me to my feet and doesnt waiver my hand when Im up.What now? I ask guardedly.Well, we cant stay here for long. entrust you come back with me to the house? I left my bag. You beat me to the fridge.I shake my head.He seems to realize how brittle I am, how close to breaking. depart you wait for me here, then? he asks in a gentle voice. Ill be very quick. Let me get us some more food.Us?Do you really think Im going to let you disappear? Ill quest for you even if you tell me not to.I dont want to disappear from him.I How can I not trust another human whole? Were family-both part of the cronyhood of extinction. I dont have time. I have so far to go and Jamie is waiting.Youre not alone, he realizes. His expression shows uncertainty for the first time.My brother. Hes just nine, and hes so frightened when Im away. It will take me half the night to get back to him. He wont know if Ive been caught. Hes so hungry. As if to make my point, my stomach growls loudly.Jareds smile is back, brighter than before. Will it help if I give you a ride?A ride? I echo.Ill make you a deal. You wait here while I gather more food, and Ill take you anywhere you want to go in my jeep. Its faster than running-even faster than you running.You have a car?Of course. Do you think I walked out here?I think of the six hours it took me to walk here, and my forehead furrows.Well be back to your brother in no time, he promises. Dont move from this spot, okay?I nod.And eat something, please. I dont want your stomach to give us away. He grins, and his eyes crinkle up, fanning lines out of the corners. My heart gives one hard thump, and I know I will wait h ere if it takes him all night.He is still holding my hand. He lets go slowly, his eyes not leaving mine. He takes a step backward, then pauses.Please dont kick me, he pleads, proclivity forward and grabbing my chin. He kisses me again, and this time I feel it. His lips are softer than his hands, and hot, even in the warm desert night. A flock of butterflies riots in my stomach and steals my breath. My hands reach for him instinctively. I touch the warm skin of his cheek, the rough hair on his neck. My fingers skim over a line of puckered skin, a raised ridge right beneath the hairline.I scream.I woke up covered in sweat. Even before I was all the way awake, my fingers were on the back of my neck, tracing the short line left from the insertion. I could barely detect the faint pink blemish with my fingertips. The medicines the Healer had used had done their job.Jareds poorly healed scar had never been much of a disguise.I flicked on the light beside my bed, waiting for my breathing t o slow, veins full of adrenaline from the realistic dream.A new dream, but in essence so much the same as the many others that had plagued me in the past months.No, not a dream. Surely a memory.I could still feel the pepperiness of Jareds lips on mine. My hands reached out without my permission, searching across the rumpled sheet, smell for something they did not find. My heart ached when they gave up, falling to the bed limp and empty.I blinked away the unwelcome moisture in my eyes. I didnt know how much more of this I could stand. How did anyone survive this world, with these bodies whose memories wouldnt stay in the past where they should? With these emotions that were so strong I couldnt tell what I felt anymore?I was going to be exhausted tomorrow, but I felt so far from sleep that I knew it would be hours before I could relax. I tycoon as well do my duty and get it over with. Maybe it would help me take my mind off things Id rather not think about.I rolled off the bed and stumbled to the computer on the other empty desk. It took a fewer seconds for the screen to glow to life, and another few seconds to open my mail program. It wasnt hard to find the Seekers address I only had four contacts the Seeker, the Healer, my new employer, and his wife, my Comforter.There was another human with my host, Melanie Stryder.I typed, not bothering with a greeting.His name is Jamie Stryder he is her brother.For a panicked moment, I wondered at her control. All this time, and Id never even guessed at the boys existence-not because he didnt matter to her, but because she protected him more fiercely than other secrets Id unraveled. Did she have more secrets this big, this distinguished? So sacred that she kept them even from my dreams? Was she that strong? My fingers trembled as I keyed the rest of the information.I think hes a young teenaged now. Perhaps thirteen. They were living in a temporary camp, and I believe it was north of the town of Cave Creek, in Arizona . That was several years ago, though. Still, you could equalise a map to the lines I remembered before. As always, Ill tell you if I get anything more.I sent it off. As soon as it was gone, terror serve through me.Not JamieHer voice in my head was as clear as my own spoken aloud. I shuddered in horror.Even as I struggled with the fear of what was happening, I was gripped with the insane zest to e-mail the Seeker again and apologize for sending her my crazy dreams. To tell her I was half asleep and to pay no attention to the silly message Id sent.The desire was not my own.I shut off the computer.I hate you, the voice snarled in my head.Then maybe you should leave, I snapped. The sound of my voice, answer her aloud, made me shudder again.She hadnt spoken to me since the first moments Id been here. There was no distrust that she was getting stronger. Just like the dreams.And there was no question about it I was going to have to visit my Comforter tomorrow. Tears of chagrin and hu miliation welled in my eyes at the thought.I went back to bed, put a pillow over my face, and tried to think of nothing at all.