They Walk Among Us

They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2011 T.A. Chase

Part Eighteen-

::How are we going to get where we need to go?::

“Trust me.”

I led the way to a barn where the doors were locked with a padlock. I pulled the key out of my pocket, and opened them. I started to tug out a flashlight from one of the duffle bags, but a soft glow filled the area right around Raven and me. I glanced over at him, and he smiled. The light came from him, emanating from Raven’s skin like he was lit from within.

He gestured for me to go ahead of him. I knew exactly where I was going, and the barn hadn’t been used since the last time I was there. I went to where a tarp covered shape sat at the back of the building.

“You’re going to have to explain the whole glowing thing,” I spoke softly.

Raven snorted, but didn’t comment. I realized it was one more secret the Opalites hid from us. What else had could Raven do, and if the aliens could do things, why hadn’t they used their powers to protect themselves?

I shook my head. Too many questions raced through my head, and it wasn’t the time for me to ask them. Maybe someday when we weren’t hiding from the rebels and the government, I’d be able to ask Raven about his people. Maybe I could learn the truth, and not the half-truths or outright lies written in government books.

After pulling the tarp off, I stood for a moment, studying the motorcycle. There were two helmets hanging from the handlebars, and I set the bags down before grabbing one to hand to Raven.

“You’re going to have to wear this,” I told him.

He frowned at me. ::How do you know this will still work? How long ago did you leave this here?::

“I stuck the cycle in here about two years ago. I was back here a month ago and checked it over. There’s gas and it’ll start. I just need to check to make sure no one put tracking devices on it.”

I watched as Raven stepped close to the bike, and rested his hand on it. My hair stood up as an electric current seemed to rush through the barn. When it disappeared, Raven glanced at me.

::If there was a tracking unit on the motorcycle, it is fried now. We won’t have to worry about that.::

“How the hell did you do that?” Every atom in my brain collided and raced around my head. So many questions, and I was starting to over load. Raven reached out, took my face in his hands, and met my wild-eyed gaze.

As I stared into his dark eyes, my breathing calmed and my heartbeat eased. By the time he let go of me, I’d completely stopped flipping out. I’d gone back to being my rational analytical self.

“How did you know my mind was freaking out?”

Leaning forward, Raven brushed a kiss over my lips. ::There are a lot of things you don’t know about me or about Opalites in general. We don’t show all of our tricks at once, and most of the time, not at all. You’re trying to save my life at the moment, so I’m willing to share some things with you.::

“At the moment? Do you think there’ll be a time when I don’t try to save you?” I wasn’t sure if I should be insulted by his lack of faith in me.

::There will be a time when my life won’t need saving. It will be in those moments when I must decide to trust you with secrets that belong not just to me, but to all of my people. You see, while I might trust you with my life, I’m not sure yet if I can trust you with theirs.::

I thought about what he said as I got the cycle ready for us to ride. I packed all our supplies into the saddlebags on either side of the seat. Raven stayed out of the way, glowing steadily while he held his helmet. When I finished, I pushed the bike out of the barn, and settled astride it. I motioned for him to join me.

The glow died away, and he put the helmet on. I shoved my helmet on my head, and hooked the chin strip while he moved to sit behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist. It was going to be chilly for both of us, but I knew there was a town not far from here with a twenty-four hour store where we could get jackets.

“Are you ready?”

He squeezed me once, letting me know he was fine.

“It’s going to be cold for a little while, but we’ll fix it as soon as we can.”

::I’ll be fine, Zach. We need to leave. I have a feeling whoever Gideon is, he’ll be here soon, and I’m not sure I want to meet him just yet.::

“I don’t want you to meet him,” I muttered, knowing he probably couldn’t hear me. I raised my voice. “All right. Let’s go.”

He nodded, and rested his head between my shoulder blades. I started the bike, and listened to the rumble of the engine for a few minutes, making sure it was running all right. It sounded fine, so I put it in gear, and we rolled away.

I let the vibration of the bike, and Raven’s warmth against my back, relax me enough to enjoy our ride to the store. I trusted Raven when he told me the tracking devices were inoperable. I didn’t have any illusions about my friends having found my bike and messing with it.

I was even more of a rebel than they were. I didn’t want to play on either side. All I wanted was to be left alone, and to help those who needed it. I wanted to learn more about the aliens who changed my life, and the lives of all the humans on earth. Raven edged closer to me, and his groin pressed against my ass.

I could be honest with myself, and say I wanted to fuck Raven again. I wanted to feel his skin against mine, plus I wanted to run my fingers over his wings, and learn everything I could about him. Not just as an Opalite, but as a person. What made him laugh or cry. What made him into the man he was.