The Host belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
Merry Christmas! Thanks for all of your amazing reviews guys! It's great to know that you guys are actually enjoying my writing. Review and let me know what you think of this chapter.
P.S. Next chapter's going to be with Sunny :) So for everyone waiting to see what Kyle thinks of her, it shouldn't be long now.
We brought the parasite on the next raid we went on. It was just her, Ian, Jared and I. We were headed for Oklahoma City.
It was so boring, going out on a raid with a bug. Instead of the breaking and entering we normally do, all she did was go shopping. It made me feel like a kid, waiting in the car for Mom while she ran into the store real quick. After a couple of weeks, I was about to jump out the back of the van and start shouting that I was human, just to add some excitement to things.
The one good thing about taking Wanda along with us was the food. We got to eat freshly made food everyday. She always brought us out something good from the deli section. We didn't have to eat left-overs from some parasites fridge anymore.
She would also bring us snacks or anything else we asked for. Although, Ian and Jared would always get bent out of shape if I asked for something specifically. But she always asked before she went in, and if she was going to ask I was going to answer her. It would have been rude to ignore her, right?
After a couple of days on the road it became pretty obvious that she was going to need a shower. The parasites would have been suspicious if she smelled too bad. Ian and Jared decided it would be alright to get a hotel room. I couldn't, though. I had gone along with this whole stupid idea. I didn't bother Wanda, I even trusted her, sort of, but to sleep right in the lions den was just too much for me.
I spent those nights in the van. I usually just sat up at night; it was hard to fall asleep knowing that you could be killed at any second. I spent some of that time thinking about everything that had happened in our lives over the past few months.
Wanda had definitely changed things. I didn't think she would do anything stupid and get us all killed, she had been alone in every store we stopped at. Surely, if she was going to rat us out she would have done it by now.
I wondered how my brother could feel... the way he did about her. She wasn't human, yet, he loved her. As much as I would rather him be with a nice human girl, Wanda was good for him. Whenever he was around her he seemed happier than he had in... well, forever. But he and Jared had some things to work out; they couldn't share her.
Ian wanted Wanda and Jared wanted Melanie.
At this point everyone in the caves believed that Melanie was still in there with Wanda. Ian even talked to Melanie sometimes, it was really creepy. Apparently, Melanie didn't like all the flirting Ian was doing with her body. He would tell her to calm down and leave Wanda alone. But if I was Melanie and it was me stuck inside of my own body, I would have been screaming inside my head. The unlucky parasite that got me would be begging to be taken out by the time I was through with them.
It was our fourth week out and we were finally on our way home. Ian and I were in the moving truck that contained all of the supplies we had gotten, while Jared and Wanda were ahead of us in the van.
It was late and we were almost home, just a few more miles, really. Ian was half passed out in the passenger seat next to me.
The first thing I saw was the swirling red and blue lights. Ian must not have been asleep like I thought, because he was suddenly very alert.
"What are they doing? Can you see?" he asked.
"No." I couldn't see anything, just the lights. The Seeker's vehicle was too far away to make anything else out.
As we got closer it was easy to recognize the van, pulled to the side of the road. The Seeker was standing by the driver's side window. He appeared to be talking to someone.
"Go! Go, Kyle! We have to do something," Ian was pleading with me.
"What are we gonna do? Huh, Ian? Are we going to fight them? They have guns! And they have probably already called for backup."
"Kyle―"
"Ian, honestly? Do you really think she's the one you need to be worrying about right now? She's fine!" I shouted at him. All he cared about was that damned parasite. He didn't care that those worms had Jared. He didn't care if they were already on their way to the caves to kill every single person there.
Ian stared out the windshield, breathing heavily. I think he was trying to stop himself from hyperventilating or something.
The Seekers and the van were much closer now. Ian started begging me to stop again.
"Kyle, please," he said quietly. "Please. We have to make sure their okay."
The look in his eyes was what did it. The fear and pain that was written all over his face was too much for me. I slowed the truck down, but didn't stop. I was just going to see what was going on. Assess the damage.
The Seeker that was still standing next to the driver's window was waving us forward. I continued to slow down and he continued to wave me on. He looked a little irritated that he had to tell me more than once.
"Look," Ian murmured.
There in the driver's seat of the van, were a pair of shiny, reflective, silver eyes. They were reflecting the light from our truck's headlights.
Wanda was driving.
I wasn't really sure what to make if it. If she had wanted us dead she could have alerted the Seekers weeks ago. But with a Seeker right there next to her, would she still want to help us or would she take this as an opportunity to escape? And what about Jared? Had they realized what he was yet? Was he still alive? Was he still human?
"Stop!" Ian growled.
I took one more look at the Seeker and then started driving again.
"What are you doing?" Ian hissed.
"She can handle it, we have to go. If she's gone traitor, maybe we can get back in time to save everyone... or at least try," I told him.
He was shaking his head. "Wanda would never do that. She could have done it a thousand times on this trip and she didn't. Stop being so pigheaded, you know she's not like that."
"Well if she's not than she'll figure something out."
"Kyle, what if they... if they... use the pills?" He looked scared again.
I wanted to comfort him. No matter how I felt about her, Ian loved her and I loved him, so I told him what he needed to hear.
"You have all the faith in the world in her one second, and then the next you're doubting her ability to talk her way out of a speeding ticket," I laughed, but it was a tense laughter.
He knew I was trying to make him feel better. He took three deep breaths and stared in his side view mirror.
We sat in silence for another five minutes, but then we saw headlights coming up behind us.
I could see Ian tense beside me and I was tense, too. I really hoped it was them. I hoped Wanda was as great as they all claimed she was.
The van pulled around us. Jared was in the passenger seat, shining a flashlight in his eyes. There was no reflection.
Wanda had done it. She had talked her way out of being caught by the Seekers.
I nodded and turned back to the road in front of me. Ian was leaning around me, looking at Wanda, no doubt. His face was contorted into some unknown emotion. A mix between fear and relief.
When we hit the turn off into the desert, we didn't stop like we normally would have. We continued on right to the caves. I guess Jared didn't want to stop in case someone noticed us.
Jared was still himself and we were all safe from the Seekers, for the moment. And now I was wondering what had drawn the Seeker's attention in the first place. What were they doing that almost got us all killed tonight?
I quickly pulled the truck into a spot where it would be invisible from view while we unloaded the supplies, and jumped out of the car. Ian was right behind me as we ran towards the van.
"What happened?" I yelled.
Then I noticed Wanda crying. Jared had his hand on her shoulder and she was balling her eyes out.
Ian rushed to her and pulled her into his chest. That just made her sob louder than before.
"It's okay. You did great. It's over," Ian murmured, hugging her to him.
"Seeker's not the problem, Ian," Jared said.
"Huh?" Ian asked. I wasn't understanding what was going on, either.
"They were watching the road for a reason. Sounds like Doc's been... working in our absence," Jared explained.
"Why, those―" Ian spit through his teeth. He was too angry to form actual words though, so he trailed off, instead.
"Nice," I said, "Idiots. We're gone for a few weeks, and they've got the Seekers on patrol. They could have just asked us ―"
"Shut up, Kyle. That's neither here nor there at the moment. We've got to get all this unloaded fast. Who knows how many are watching for us? Let's grab a load and then get some more hands," Jared said.
He was right, we could discuss this later. Right now we needed to get everything unloaded so we could move the trucks.
I stacked a few palettes of canned foods on top of one another and then headed off down the tunnel.
"They're back... ack... back!" Jamie's voice echoed off the stone walls.
Jamie bounded down the dark tunnel, a solar lamp in his hand. The light cast strange shadows on everything, but I could clearly see Jamie was upset. His eyes were red and swollen, and his face was ghost white. Tears stained both of his cheeks.
Something had happened while we were gone.
"Jamie?" Jared and Wanda asked.
The kid didn't say anything, at first. He just ran over and threw his arms around Wanda's waist. Once he was there, in her arms, he began to cry.
"Oh, Wanda. Oh, Jared. Wes is dead. He's dead. The Seeker killed him."
A Seeker killed Wes. There had been a Seeker here. Close, too. Close enough to kill Wes. Jamie's words were ringing in my head the whole walk to the kitchen.
Everyone was gathered there. They proceeded to explain the details to us, and occasionally one of us would have a question.
It seemed impossible, we were the ones who were supposed to be in danger, those of us on the raid. We were the ones out there fraternizing with the enemy. Wes was safely hidden in the caves. Our home. Was it safe anymore?
It was the same Seeker I had seen. The one that wore all black. She had killed Wes. Shot him in the head. She shot Brandt, too, but Doc was able to patch him up with the Soul medicine Wanda had gotten for Jamie.
They told us that they hadn't killed her yet, but they were planning to.
Good, I thought. She needed to die, she had killed Wes. He was a good guy, and he was only nineteen. That's too young. He had so much life left. And he had Lily. Poor Lily. I know people die here, but to be murdered is different.
They had kept the Seeker alive so Wanda could speak to her. I don't know why they would do that, though. Wanda was crying all over the place, she seemed so distressed. It was easy to see that she wasn't upset because they were going to kill the Seeker. She was crying for Wes, for a human. She really was one of us now.
Even though it really didn't seem like she wanted to, she got up and went with Jeb. Jamie and Ian were going to follow her, but she wouldn't let them.
She looked torn in half as she left the room. I was pretty sure that was because of the Seeker. It was like she was confused. I could only guess that she was feeling conflicted. The parasites were all very nice to one another. Maybe from being here with us, she understood how deserving of death the Seeker was. Maybe she really did see how wrong her kind had been in stealing our planet and killing humans off.
I had to admit, I trusted her. We had gotten more supplies on that raid then we'd ever been able to get before. And when they had been pulled over by the Seeker she saved Jared's life. She protected all of us by talking her way out of it. She saved everyone. Just like she saved me after I tried to kill her.
I felt a little bad thinking about that, but I attributed it to Wes' death. Grief for my friend must have been doing things to my head. But if that was the case, than shouldn't I have blamed her for bringing the Seeker here in the first place? The Seeker was looking for her, that's why it was out here. But I just couldn't bring myself to blame Wanda for Wes' death. She looked so sad... It would be like kicking someone when their down to argue that it was her fault.
"I can't believe he's gone," Ian murmured.
Everyone had already filed out of the kitchen. It was late and I was sure they hadn't gotten much sleep the past few days.
"I know. It's... unreal," Jared said. "I can't help but think that if we hadn't left, maybe ―"
"If we hadn't left than it probably would have been one of us lying in that grave right now," I interjected. If any of us had been here, Wes wouldn't have been the one to try and stop the Seeker.
"I never thought I'd say this, but Kyle's right," Jamie said, his eyes were still blood-shot and new tears were threatening to spill over. "I feel awful about it, but I'm glad none of you were here."
Jared got up and moved closer to the kid, pulling him into a tight hug. Jamie lost it then, he began sobbing into Jared's shirt. It was a personal moment, a family moment.
I got up and headed for the door. Ian quickly followed my lead, stopping for a second to pat Jamie on the shoulder.
We were almost to our room before Ian spoke.
"I'm gonna go see how Lily is doing," he told me, the concern clear in his voice.
I nodded and watched him stop outside the door to Lily's room. He stood there for a moment before entering.
I was glad he was going to talk to her. Ian always was the nicest one here. That's the reason he accepted the parasi... Wanda so quickly. He would know what to say to help Lily.
Reaching the door to my room I went inside and sprawled out on my mattress. There was nothing I could do to help Wes now, except to hope he was in a better place. And I did, I prayed he was up there with Walter and... Jodi, and all of the others that had been taken from us.
I stared up through the cracks of the stone ceiling, looking at the stars. That's where they had come from. That's where they should have stayed. I hadn't been able to look up at the night sky without shuddering since the aliens arrived. But laying here now, all I could think about was how nice it would be if Jodi and Wes and Walter and my parents and the rest of humanity were up there, staring back down at me.