By Breana Bates - Year 13, Kaikorai Valley College
THE kettle whistled away to the image of the rising sun, a harmony to the tapping of Adrian's ring on the metal sink. Every clink it made had tension in Kas shoulders building; counting bullets was becoming a very distant goal.
''1 ... 2 ... 3 ... ,'' he murmured aloud, glancing pointedly at Adrian, who pursed his lips, intentionally tapping louder.
Kas stopped counting in preparation for the nervous talking to begin, raising his eyebrow at his colleague, who seemed to be struggling to keep quiet.
''We'll be on the road soon ... You did clear the bedrooms, right? They like it in there and we're so close to Sanctuary -''
''I know, I checked, but we're running low,'' Kas interrupted, continuing to sweep their meagre amount of bullets into a pouch. His dark tired eyes were barely open, a tangle of eyelashes resting low over them.
''Three shotgun rounds, 10 pistol, 2 snipers,'' he recounted out loud.
Adrian straightened slightly so his blonde hair was turned white in the rising sunbeams.
''Each? Delta.''
''Foxtrot, all together,'' Kas confirmed.
A burst of anger spiked through his chest and he stood up abruptly, the chair skittering across the kitchen.
Adrian flinched at the outburst and watched Kas pace, his fingers clasped on the back of his neck. He couldn't pretend it was fine and that was what had Adrian's heart in his stomach.
''We're so close ... How much food do we have left?''
Kas sighed. ''Three cans. Two beef and one preserved peach.''
Adrian's eyes turned to the ground. ''We aren't going to make it, are we?'' he offered finally, waiting and watching as his friend stood motionless; it felt like a year before Kas finally shrugged his heavy shoulders.
''I don't know.''
Another uneasy silence fell and the infernal tapping reared its obnoxious head again.
''I'll double check if the owners had anything in the bedroom,'' Kas announced, wandering back to the door.
''Why, you already checked?''
''I know, but there's no tapping upstairs,'' he muttered, knowingly harsh. He didn't mean to be but it was hard to be in high spirits with their hopes of survival diminishing.
''Delta!'' Adrian called after Kas as he slipped into the hallway.
''Foxtrot,'' he answered, glancing over his shoulder at Adrian standing in the window light, surrounded by a heavenly white glow, drawing attention from his second-hand attire and his too-big jeans. All tied together with bandages as the main accessory. Kas didn't realise he should've paid closer attention to the scene.
Kas padded upstairs, shrouded in the dark of the burst light bulbs and the old striped wallpapers. He was now painfully aware of the muffled clinking of the silver ring and of every creak of the stairs. His mouth went dry and he could almost taste his heart in his throat.
His hand drifted to the knife at his hip out of instinct, the other reached for the door handle. The second his fingers touched the metal, the high-pitched squealing in his ears ceased abruptly before he'd even realised it'd started. The added silence had chills running down his spine.
He swung in the door and was greeted with five pairs of blinking silver moons. Two adults, two teens and a small child all sat eerily still in the middle of the room. They looked normal, but the tattered and torn room they sat in just added to the twisted vibe they gave off. That with the silver eyes, wide with glee as they watched their prey and he watched them.
It felt like an eternity before everything leapt into action. He turned on his heel, darting down the stairs.
''Car! Adrian!'' he cried, stumbling into the kitchen, the otherworldly hissing trailing after him.
Adrian was already running for the door and Kas bowled after him, slamming the door behind him and leaping in the car window as it took off, wheels squealing. A sharp pain lit up his hip as it hit the window frame.
If it hadn't hurt so much and he couldn't see through the side mirror the grotesque image of the family hurtling down the road, twitchy unco-ordinated limbs and too-wide grins, it might have been funny, his long lanky legs flailing out the side of a four-wheel-drive.
He righted himself in the seat, panting and watching the mirror; the family was shrinking in the distance and dropping off one by one. Only then he allowed himself to sit back, his nerves still firing.
But even after an hour, he hadn't stopped. He was still in flight mode and he couldn't figure out why. It was as if he'd forgotten something. Something important and it was gone.
He searched the floor. They had the bullets ... first aid kit ... food. Almost in a daze, his eyes found Adrian's hands hard on the steering wheel.
He wasn't tapping. In fact, he was sitting hard and straight in his seat, eyes straight ahead.
Goosebumps ran up Kas' arms and he swallowed hard, trying not to let the dread sink in his chest.
''Foxtrot,'' he said, closing his eyes and awaiting the reply.
The silence seemed to drag out forever. Finally, Adrian loosened his hands on the wheel and glanced over.
''What?''
