Page 76 of Five to Love Him

No. That human had said he was coming to get us. That human still wanted us. He might see Leo. He might hurt Leo. Or he might decide he wanted Leo.

Leo was almost on the stairs with the one, dragging cashew milk all over the carpet when we rushed to him, all of us, putting our arms around him to make sure he didn’t leave.

“No. We can’t let you get hurt, and he would hurt you. You can’t leave. He’s out there. You can’t, Leo, promise us.”

We didn’t really know how Leo managed to stay quiet, but he reached out, wiped the tears from one of our cheeks and stroked along a back heaving with sobs.

“Hive. Who the hell are you talking about?”

We would have to tell Leo, would have to tell him everything, and he would be disgusted with us. All the happiness we had found vanished like ice in boiling water.

thirty-four

I had no idea what the fuck was going on, but I was pretty sure someone had hurt the hive. One of them wasn’t here, and that was where my thoughts went.

“Hive,” I said, looking at one’s tear-wet face. “There are four of you here. Is the fifth one okay? Is he safe? Where is he now?”

“A-at work.”

“Is he hurt?”

They shook their head.

“Okay. Can you get him into a 47 cab and come here?”

“That’s a good idea. We didn’t think of that. We should turn off the computer and send Xander a message.”

“We can do that later. Grab your stuff, open the app on your phone, and order a cab. Tell me the moment you get in.”

“You will stay here?” The question came from two mouths, both of them still crying.

“Yes. I’m not leaving you. Let’s get you upstairs, okay? I’ll get you some water.”

“No, we—”

“I won’t leave. I’m going to the kitchen to get you water. Go upstairs.”

But they all shook their heads, and so we all went to the kitchen where I grabbed two of the water bottles we used for work and finally headed upstairs with them. I got them to all sit on the bed that was still just my old mattress and pillows on the floor, and while they had calmed a little, they were still shaking.

“Hive. Tell me what’s going on.”

Two started crying all over again. I closed the one nearest to me in my arms, took the other one’s hand.

“W-w-we are s-so sorry. We think i-it’s phantom pain.”

“Phantom pain? Did you… Don’t tell me you lost one of you? Were you ever six?”

They shook their head no. That wasn’t it then, but something had scared them and done this to them, the most stable person I had ever known in my life, the person who had taken care of me at every turn, who was working three jobs while helping me with mine and painting Gran’s old room.

I decided to let them cry themself out.

“We’re in the cab,” one of them said.

“Okay. That’s good. Hive, please talk to me. I want to help. I can see that something is very wrong, but I don’t understand. You’re afraid, but I don’t know what of.”

More crying. After several more minutes, I thought I might have to repeat myself when I heard the front door and slow footsteps on the stairs. Then the fifth one was here, curling up next to me and burying his face in a pillow. What in the actual fuck?

There was nothing I could do though, nothing except hold them and wait.