Page 6 of A Demon’s Resolve (Demonic Tales and Adventures #3)
CHAPTER 6
“Kavi, it’s been weeks. Don’t you think it’s time to stop obsessing over Kian? He did assure us it had been his choice to leave.” Jace was usually pretty good about keeping the frustration from his voice, but Kavi could hear it clearly this time. “Why can’t you just accept it?” Jace asked for the hundredth time since Kian had visited them.
That was just one of the many differences between Kavi and his roommates. Kavi didn’t have a problem showing his annoyance. “Don’t you think it’s strange they moved to some remote place in Alaska where we have no way to get in contact with him?” Kavi spoke to Jace and Lynwood as if he were talking to children, slow with a large dose of ‘duh’ in his tone.
The three of them were at the cafeteria Kian used to work at in the Presidential Complex on the grounds of the University of Tennessee where they all went to school. Kavi had heard from the private detective he’d hired to find Kian or Alec, the man he’d run off with. As usual, the private detective hadn’t found a thing.
“No,” Jace told him emphatically, ignoring the way Kavi was treating him and Lynwood.
Throwing his arms in the air, Kavi was beginning to wonder why he’d bothered to talk to them about it. Who was he kidding? They were all he had. His boyfriend, Brandon, was not only tired of his constantly obsessing about Kian, but he was starting to train for the NFL combine in hopes of being drafted.
That left his only other friends. Two people who couldn’t ignore him since they lived in the house Kavi’s parents had bought and allowed them to live rent free. Not that they didn’t try to avoid him any chance they got, but sooner or later, they always returned to the house.
If he wasn’t careful, Kavi would find himself with no boyfriend and no friends. He just couldn’t ignore the feeling in his gut and it was telling Kavi something was wrong with Kian and Alec’s story. If only he could find proof.
“Look, sugga, I get that you miss Kian.” Lynwood waved a finger between himself and Jace. “We miss him too, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t want to leave.”
Kavi knew that. He did. But there had been something in Kian’s stiff posture that screamed at Kavi he wasn’t as happy as he claimed. Plus, he’d spent more time with Kian and Kavi didn’t believe for a second that one day his friend decided to give up on his dreams.
“No.” Kavi voice had been loud enough to attract onlookers from the surrounding tables. Taking a deep breath, he got control of his emotions. “There is no way Kian would have left school on his own. He’d been too determined to get that degree so he wouldn’t have to depend on anyone ever again.”
Jace quirked an eyebrow. “Love makes us do crazy things and Kian was head over heels in love with Alec.”
As much as Kavi hated to admit it, Jace was right. When it came to Alec, nothing Kian did made a lot of sense, especially after he’d left him devastated just before winter break. “That’s another thing. Why did Alec leave only to come back?”
A dreamy smile lifted Jace’s lips. “Because he was in love with Kian.”
Lynwood snorted and gave a dramatic eye roll. “Oh please. If he loved Kian so much, why did he leave in the first place? Face it, sugga, Kavi has a point.” Before Kavi could get too smug, Lynwood pointed a finger at Kavi and said, “But that doesn’t mean Kian didn’t leave of his own free will. You need to drop this before it drives you even more crazy, sugga.”
That wasn’t what Kavi wanted to hear. Then again, anything but the location of where Kian was, wouldn’t satisfy him.
Crumbling the wrapper around his half-eaten sandwich, Kavi stood up from the table. “I have to get to class. You two coming?”
Lynwood stood up and picked up his food tray. “Yeah, I’m late for a study group. Physics is kicking my butt and I need all the help I can get.”
Jace remained seated. “I’m meeting some friends here in a few minutes. I’ll see you both later.”
Kavi and Lynwood made their way to one of the trashcans near the door to dump their wrappers.
“Do you really think Kian is okay?” Kavi needed to hear Lynwood confirm Kian was fine, especially since Kavi had spent a ton of money and time to find Kian, only to come up with nothing.
After a terrible winter break at home with Kavi’s parents basically ignoring him, he had been devastated to come back to school to find Kian had disappeared. He’d done everything possible to try and find his best friend.
First, he’d gone to the cops, but they’d given him some bullshit excuse about how many freshmen dropped out of school. It had taken persistence and a little browbeating but he’d managed to finally get the police to file a missing person’s report, not that it had done any good.
So Kavi had hired a private investigator to find Kian. He’d even given the guy Alec’s name since Kian claimed he was with his boyfriend.
That was when Kavi knew something was wrong. The P.I., Kenny Black, couldn’t find anything on Alec Stone. Sure, there was paperwork from the high school he’d attended and the address where he’d grown up, but when Kenny visited those places, no one had ever heard of the guy. The P.I. had even looked through the yearbooks for the past ten years but hadn’t found anything on an Alec Stone.
When Alec had shown up to let Kavi know Kian had moved with him to the wilds of Alaska, he refused to believe him. Kavi had even confronted Alec about what Kenny had found, or rather hadn’t found.
Even with the information Kavi had given Kenny about Alaska, there was still nothing. He’d found the remote village Alec claimed to have taken Kian but nothing more. The place was so remote and small they didn’t have the internet or any way for Kenny to see if Alec and Kian really lived there, short of going there himself. He’d told Kavi there wasn’t enough money in the world to make him do that as the trip would take weeks, since the only way to get there was dog sled that time of year.
Then out of the blue, Alec showed up with Kian in tow. Kavi hadn’t been fooled by his best friend’s act. He could tell Kian was lying but nothing Kavi said would convince Kian to stay.
Not one to give up, he found someone willing to go to Alaska and find out if Kian was really there. This morning, the man confirmed he wasn’t there.
When they’d stepped out into still cool April air, Lynwood answered the question. “Honestly? Yeah, I think he’s fine. Kian is strong. A fighter. No way would he ever let anyone force into something he didn’t want to do.”
Kavi wasn’t so sure of that considering how often Kian had done exactly that when Kavi got it into his head to do something his best friend had been reluctant to participate in. Then again, when he truly thought about it, if Kian really couldn’t go because of an upcoming test, nothing Kavi said or did changed his mind.
Maybe Kian had secretly wanted to be a part of the crowd but hadn’t been sure how to go about doing it without Kavi dragging him along.
“I know you and I don’t always see eye to eye.” That was the understatement of the year, but Kavi didn’t comment as Lynwood continued. “But I know how concerned you are for Kian.”
Lynwood placed a hand on Kavi’s arm, stopping him as they stood in the middle of the open quad. “Just know, both Jace and I are here for you. We just want to make sure you don’t become consumed with finding Kian. You’re our friend, too, and we want to make sure you’re okay.”
Kavi was surprised by Lynwood’s statement. He hadn’t been kidding about them not seeing eye to eye, so it was nice to know Lynwood had his back. Touched, Kavi found himself doing the one thing he’d never imagined he’d ever do, he hugged Lynwood.
“Thanks,” Kavi whispered fiercely.
The ground beneath their feet trembled. Shocked, they jerked apart to stare at the sidewalk as if it would offer up a reason for what happened. Within seconds, the trembling turned violent and Kavi grabbed Lynwood in hopes of staying upright.
He felt Lynwood hold on just as tightly, but it did little good. They hadn’t managed to stay on their feet for more than a minute before they both went down just like about everyone else in the quad.
In the distance, Kavi heard someone yell, “Earthquake,” but that didn’t make sense. This was Tennessee, not California. It wasn’t unheard of to have an earthquake in the area, but as several cracks formed in the ground and a light pole came crashing to the ground, Kavi didn’t think they typically were that strong.
Too bad it hadn’t stopped there. For what happened next could have come straight out of one of those earth disaster movies.
What had started out as trembling had become violent shaking but that was nothing compared to watching the ground literally roll in crashing waves before Kavi’s eyes. He curled up into a ball with his hands clasped over his head, pressed up against Lynwood.
It was the first time in his life that he welcomed the prayers Lynwood rattled off, one after another. Kavi wasn’t exactly religious, but this seemed as good as any time to start praying and no one was more qualified than Lynwood.
All too soon, Lynwood’s voice was lost in the screams and loud cracks as fissures appeared in the buildings surrounding them. But all of that was drowned out as one building after another came crashing down. Some were nothing more than rubble, while others only partially lay in ruins.
Still, the ground didn’t stop its jarring quaking.
Kavi had never been so scared in all his life. That was until the wind started to blow, turning the pieces of the destruction into projectiles that slammed into those out in the open.
Horror filled Kavi as he watched a steel pipe from one of the lamp posts get picked up by a strong gust of wind and head right for them. There was nothing he could do. Movement had been impossible since they’d fallen under the constant onslaught of the earth undulating beneath them, causing everyone around them to be practically pinned in place.
Pain and relief exploded within him when the length of steel twisted just enough to hit Kavi but not impale him. It hurt like a bitch but if the sharp ragged steel had skewered his body, Kavi would have been dead.
Both he and Lynwood did their best to curl into each other and make themselves even smaller. Then Lynwood let out a hoarse shout of pain. Kavi tried to make sure her friend wasn’t too seriously hurt, but he couldn’t lift his head to see what happened.
Lynwood squeezed his hand in reassurance, giving Kavi a moment of relief. It didn’t mean Lynwood wasn’t hurt, but at least he was alive.
Never before had Kavi been so terrified, especially since the nightmare didn’t seem to want to end. Screeching could be heard as metal and glass came apart and more buildings fell.
There was no relief from the pounding wind and debris hitting them. All they could do was huddle together and protect their bodies as much as possible.
With the wind as fierce as it was, Kavi kept his eyes closed. Although, if he were completely honest, he was kind of glad it was impossible to keep them open for he didn’t want to see the death and destruction occurring all around them.
The only thing that mattered was getting out of this alive.
If only he could close his ears too, for the screams that came on the gusts of winds tore at his heart. There would be many who wouldn’t survive. At that point, Kavi wasn’t so sure he wouldn't be one of them.
After what felt like hours, the wind abated and the ground dulled back to the trembling that had started their nightmare. All around him, the sounds of crying, screams, and groans of pain could be heard, making him sick. The last thing Kavi wanted to do was open his eyes but he’d prided himself of being a strong, resilient man and Kavi wasn’t about to start hiding anytime soon.
“Lynwood?” He might not know a lot about first aid, but Kavi knew moving someone who’d been injured could be detrimental. It wasn’t more than a whimper, but at least Lynwood made a sound to indicate he was still alive.
Slowly sitting up, which wasn’t easy since the shaking hadn’t stopped, just lessened, Kavi did his best to exam Lynwood without moving him. There was a large bump forming on Lynwood’s forehead along with several cuts on his arms and back.
Lynwood’s lashes blinked a few times before fulling opening his eyes. “What happened?” he croaked out.
Kavi glanced around. The images that greeted him would be burned in his brain forever. Bodies littered the quad with only a few moving. The Presidential Complex they’d just come out of was only half standing. A large portion, including the cafeteria they’d been eating in, was nothing more than rubble.
“Jace,” Kavi screamed as he tried to get to his feet to find their friend. But, as if to prove how foolish he’d been to think that it was almost over, the ground once more rolled beneath them and the nightmare started once more.
“Please, let me survive,” he prayed over and over again as Kavi inched his way back to Lynwood, covering his friend as much as possible from any more harm.