Ravenous (The Ravening #1)(56)
Author: Erica Stevens

“We haven’t figured that out yet.”

I glanced back at the man; I’d forgotten he was even there. “Have you figured out anything?”

“We think we know how the frozen people were chosen.”

I took a quick step toward him that I instantly regretted as my hand went back to my side. “How?” I breathed.

“The people that are still moving all have one thing in common.”

“And that is?”

“We all have type O blood.”

I hadn’t thought it was possible but I actually felt the color drain from my face. My brain flashed back to biology class three years ago when we had typed our own blood. I’d already known my blood type by then, as I’d received plenty of it when I’d been in the hospital after the car accident. My father had been O, my mother was A.

It seemed to be the one thing I’d inherited from my mother.

Swallowing heavily, I focused my attention back on the man. “How do you know this?”

He appeared a little frazzled as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “I’ve tested everyone within this building; they all have type O blood. The people trapped in this frozen state do not.”

His gaze was piercing as he studied me, his arms folded over his chest. “Are you a doctor or something?” I asked.

“I am, though until this happened most of my work was focused upon research.”

“What kind of research?”

We both knew I was stalling but I was hesitant to meet his penetrating gaze. He was a doctor, he had probably saved my life, and yet I felt trapped beneath the weight of his stare. “I was studying cystic fibrosis, but when the aliens arrived I began to research them. I was fascinated by them and intended to learn more.”

“Did you learn anything about them?”

“Not much more than we already knew.” I shifted as my gaze turned back to the young child. “I have discovered that they do not immediately kill everyone they take.”

My eyes shot back to him, I took an involuntary step forward as excitement spurted through me. If he was right, if what he said was true then there was still a chance, no matter how small, that Cade was alive. I was tingling, electrified with excitement but I was terrified to put too much hope into his words, terrified of what he would say next.

“How do you know that?” I demanded.

“They drain some of them immediately.” I shuddered as I recalled the man on the street. “And some of the others they take with them. I believe they store them for later.”

I was repulsed by the notion, but I hope still pulsated through my whole body. “Are you saying Cade could still be alive?”

His eyes became sympathetic, but there was a relentlessness in his gaze that left me cold. “I believe that is highly unlikely.”

“But it could be possible,” I pressed.

“It could, but you would do better to let that thought go. It would be better if you moved on.”

I couldn’t look at him anymore. How could I simply move on? The thought caused a lancing slash of distress to tear through my heart. "If there’s a chance…”

“How would you get to him? What would you do? You don’t even know where he is, where to begin looking for him. There is no chance that you will be able to find him.”

I gaped at the man before me, hating his words, and hating him for saying them. I was resentful of the fact that they may be true. And yet…

I knew I wasn’t going to just give up. I never would. If there was even a small chance that Cade was still alive, then I was going to continue to look for him.

I focused on the little girl again, my mind churning as I tried to sort through the tangled thoughts and emotions jumbling it. If he was alive, what were they doing to him? My head bowed beneath the weight of my emotions and disquiet that the thought caused. If he hadn’t cut that line I could have saved him, if he’d given me the chance. He had sacrificed himself for me; I had to save him now. There had to be a way to find him, he would do the same for me.

“Do you know what your blood type is Bethany?”

I had to force myself to look at the doctor again. There was a speculative gleam in his eyes that made me feel like I was pinned under a microscope. “You could be wrong about the blood type. O is the most common…”

“But everyone here that is still moving has it, including your siblings. None of the frozen people have type O. I could be wrong, but the possibilities of this not being our uniting factor are very slim. Even if it is the most common blood type, there would be others here with a different type. There might be more than just the blood component involved, but it is the most significant tie that I have found. Do you know your blood type?”

“Yes,” I responded flatly.

“You were injured badly enough that you required a blood transfusion when you arrived here. I wasn’t going to type you because everyone else has been O. Even though you were still able to take your siblings blood, your brother informed me that you weren’t.”

I refused to look away from him as I forced myself to meet and hold his steady gaze. “No, I’m not.”

He continued to study me. “I would like to run some other tests on you, if you would let me.”

“What kind of tests?”

“Some genetic tests. There may be something in your blood that’s different, something in your genetic makeup that isn’t the same as the others, something that made you immune when others weren’t.”

“You’re immune too.”

“But you’re different.” There was a gleam in his eyes that unnerved me. He seemed a little too eager to start poking and prodding me. “You’re different than the rest of us here. Don’t you want to help if you can?”

“Of course I do!” I protested hotly, realizing only too late that I had just given him the reaction he’d been angling for.

“Good, good. There may be something…”

His words drifted off as the door creaked open. Relief and joy filled me when Aiden popped his head around the corner. A small cry of delight escaped me as I hurried past the doctor toward my brother. He grinned at me and held his arms out for me. He caught me and hugged me gingerly against him.

“Finally,” he breathed. I clung to Aiden, needing his solid reassurance right now. “You ok Bethany?”

“Yes.” It was a lie, we both knew that, but it was a lie we were both willing to accept right now. Abby stepped into the doorway with Bret close behind her. They embraced me carefully, though Bret held me for longer than I would have liked. “Are you guys ok?”