Sunlight

by Gwen Cole

  West must have seen the doubt in my eyes because he stepped closer, moving his hand from my wrist, placing it on my cheek, his fingers sliding through my hair and past my ear. He had never touched me that way before, so intimate and yet so natural, like the moment had happened before, but I was sure it hadn’t. He had a strange effect over me—one that I couldn’t explain.

  I was having trouble breathing again.

  “I’m not lying to you,” he said. “I never do.”

  “I know.” The words barely made it out of my mouth; half whisper, half air.

  He dropped his hand, smiling brightly. “Good, and don’t forget it.” And with that he walked away, leaving my frozen body where I stood in the rain. What just happened?

  I sighed heavily and tugged my hood from my already wet head. I watched for a moment as he kept walking. Then he stopped, turning towards me, almost knowing that I wasn’t behind him. “You coming?”

  “Yeah,” I answered nodding.

  We ate our lunch while walking; more ravioli. It got a little watered down from the rain as we ate, but still tasted good. West had a look on his face as he stared at his can of food that said he wished it was pizza ravioli. He slowed to a stop and looked around.

  “What is it? Hoping a pizza shop will appear?” I asked sarcastically.

  He smirked at me. “No, I . . . need to use the bathroom.” He winced awkwardly.

  I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Well, pick a tree then.” I said, waving my hand around.

  He walked off to the right, glancing at the trees as he went and peeking back at me, probably figuring they were too close from where I was standing.

  “Don’t get lost!” I called as he dropped out of sight over a small hill. I leaned against the nearest tree, and thankfully the leaves reflected most of the rain, keeping the nonexistent me dry.

  I was beginning to hate rain, with a passion. But on the bright side, the woods were peaceful when it rained. The rain drops pattered on the soft ground and leaves, making a rhythmic song. I think I was beginning to secretly love it.

  It felt odd being in the woods alone again, I almost felt too exposed. An odd feeling but a true one. Soft footsteps came into my hearing range and I was about to say, “About time,” but paused. My stomach turned over for an unexpected reason. Something I was not ready for.

  The footsteps were behind me.

  Coming from the wrong direction.

  My heart rate quickened, past the point of separate beats, just one long continuous thump with my hands already shaking. My body stiffened with my muscles locking in place. I was holding my breath, not even daring to even breathe. The air around me was suddenly cold and every drop of rain felt like ice to my skin.

  My ears strained to hear how many sets of feet there were behind me but the rain was falling harder now, muting out all other sounds but the drops themselves.

  Very slowly, I glanced around the tree, my breathing shaky and uneven. About a two hundred feet behind me, down a slight slope which was covered with the same thick trees, were a dozen United soldiers combing the forest. The rain drops glinted off the guns grasped in their hands while they searched the forest floor for footprints, trying to find any evidence of people passing through recently. The very sight of them caused my stomach to churn within itself.

  Though among the soldiers there was one man that caught my attention. He didn’t wear a uniform like the rest but a black jacket and jeans, out in front of them all, leading the way. He wasn’t very tall but the attitude he held made up for it; someone who I already disliked. He reminded me of a snake who was about to eat a helpless crippled mouse, even though it had already eaten.

  I turned back around, pressing my back to the tree again and my mind went into overtime. West was still nowhere to be seen, and I wanted to keep it that way. I had to keep it that way. I would do anything to prevent them from finding him, even something that put me in danger instead of him. West had had the courage to do the right thing, and I wanted to believe I did too. I didn’t have time to think about my actions, so I just acted.

  My pack dropped with a dull thud at the base of the tree and I dug my handgun out, breathing deeply, summoning every ounce of courage I had within me. I desperately needed it. West was the only thing going through my mind at that moment. I couldn’t bare the thought of him being in those people’s hands again.

  They would kill him.

  I knew if I simply started running they would immediately know that I was trying to lead them away, and my plan would fail. So, I had to act normal until the moment I pretended to notice them, then I would make my break. I had no idea if it would even work, but I had to try.

  Especially before West came back over that hill. Before he could ruin my plans and try to help me escape instead of him. I knew where I was headed, and I wanted to keep it that way, and he wasn’t going to be apart of any of it. Not if I could do something about it.

  I already knew this was a one way street.

  So, I just did it.

  I stepped from behind my tree and walked directly to my right so it would be impossible for them not to see me. And it wasn’t. I walked in a straight line, keeping my eyes forward on the trees ahead as a man yelled out. His voice was harsh and loud. I turned my head sharply, looking at them for a half second before taking off in a dead sprint. I urged my legs to run as fast as they were able to, jumping over broken branches and dodging around trees.

  A man yelled orders and I could hear them running after me; their heavy feet drowning out mine through the pattering rain. I wasn’t surprised when they didn’t try to shoot me. Their desire was not to kill me, but to keep me alive so they would be able to ask questions of where their main target was.

  West was the one they wanted.

  The trees whipped past my face as I ran as hard, begging my legs to move faster. Every step I took brought the soldiers farther and farther away from West. I knew they were going to catch me, it wasn’t something I could escape from. Thankfully, I had already accepted my fate. They were behind me, probably a hundred feet back, crashing through the forest like a stampede of wild animals.

  Over the sound of my fast breathing and footsteps came another order, and followed by the shouting was a gunshot. It was something I hadn’t been expecting. The bullet sliced through my left knee, triggering it to buckle immediately, and I was down before the sound even left the forest. The air rushed past my ears with the ground coming up too quickly and I hit the dirt face first.

  At that moment my adrenaline was at a peeking point, unable to register the pain from my knee to my brain yet. So I quickly dragged myself up before my mind had time to process anything. My left leg was useless, dragging behind me like dead weight, so I put all my weight on my right as I brought my handgun up, aiming at the closest soldier, my vision wavering.

  I wasn’t going down without bringing someone with me.

  I slowly pulled the trigger and the bullet hit him straight in the chest, bringing him down in a flash, his body twisting in the air in an unnatural formation. I didn’t stand there staring. Knowing I couldn’t run—but not wanting to be shot again—I dove for the nearest tree and sat against trunk gasping for air, just waiting for them to find me. I blinked the rain out of my eyes, and tried to take in what just happened in the matter of seconds.

  Then the pain hit.

  It came as fast as a bolt of lightning with all the energy that came with it. If a surgeon had appeared suddenly in front of me, I would have agreed to have my leg taken off, even if I had to give him money. And even though it was my knee that was shot, I felt it everywhere at once. My heart was working in overtime and every beat practically slammed painfully into my head, and I winced every time it did. The air around me seemed to disappear as my lungs tried to work properly, unevenly gasping for something that wasn’t there.

  I gritted my teeth and looked down at the blood dripping down onto the already wet ground. The color blended in with the dirt in an ugly combination.
I kept my eyes down as footsteps came around the tree, kicking my gun from my hand. There were only four pairs of feet, with the rest of the soldiers behind me waiting for more orders.

  “Where is he?” The voice was rough, like sandpaper to my ears. I tried to keep my body from shaking as I let my gaze drift upward slowly, just testing the man’s patience. I was caught now, so why not piss them off more than they already were?

  It was the man in black who had spoken. He stood over me with his dark eyes glaring down at me, waiting for the answer I wouldn’t give him.

  And I gave him the most believable smile I was able to and said, “Where’s who?”

  My head whipped around fast as his fist slammed into my jaw. I tried to ignore the pain but everyone knows thats virtually impossible. The only thing I could do was hold back the tears that were threatening to come out.

  I was in pain, but that didn’t mean I had to cry about it.

  “Don’t mess with me girl, it will be the last thing you ever do. Now . . . tell me where he is.” The last two words were almost a growl as his eyes became harder. “We know you’re the one who saved him, so don’t try to lie to us.”

  I looked at him again but this time I glared, already hating this man. I even hated him before he had punched me. I would hate anyone who would try to find West. My breathing started to slow but the pain was still lingering, and I didn’t expect that to leave anytime soon.

  “He’s gone,” I gritted through my teeth.

  He bent down slowly into a crouch beside me. If anyone would have asked me, I wouldn’t have denied that I was afraid. I knew I described him as a snake before but I changed my mind. He was a poisonous snake, with eyes so dark they could have been black, probably matching the color of his blood.

  “Then we’ll just have to make him come,” he said, “won’t we?”

  The man moved his hand before I realized what he was doing. It came down on my wounded knee and squeezed with everything he had. A short yell of pain escaped my mouth before I could lock my jaw, making it impossible for me to do it again. The man knew if he made me scream, West would magically appear.

  In which, he was right. I would have done the same thing if West were in my situation. In a way, I already had. He squeezed harder, making the blood pour faster and the pain increase than I could’ve imagined, but when he realized I wasn’t going to play along, he stopped. The man stood with a scowl and wiped my blood on the other soldier’s uniform, like it had some contagious disease.

  My vision spotted with black.

  He turned to the men waiting behind him. “I’m going back to where we found her. If he was with her, he’d leave tracks. Take her back, and if I’m not there within the hour, I’ll meet you at the outpost.”

  He turned around, spitting on the ground next to me as he walked passed, and disappeared past the tree and out of view.

  “You and you,” I heard him yell behind me. “Come with me, and if you can’t keep up, don’t bother coming at all.”

  And just like that they were gone. Going to search for West.

  Going to search for that single break in the clouds, that one crack where the sun can shine through. They were going to search for the one person that had changed my life. I couldn’t stop the a tear that ran down my cheek.

  I would probably never see him again.

  CHAPTER TEN

  My body instinctively stiffened as the soldier to my left grabbed my arm and threw me face down to the ground. My heart thumped into the earth, causing my head to pulse with every beat. He pressed his foot between my shoulder blades as another soldier tied my hands behind my back with a length of rope. It was rough against my skin and so tight that I could already feel my hands becoming numb.

  Anger started to run through my veins, not believing this was really happening. I was supposed to be on my summer vacation, lying around outside, going to the lake, and going camping with my family. I wasn’t supposed to be here.

  This time last year, Ethan and I went on a small road trip to our cousin’s house. Well, tried to go to our cousin’s house. We spent three days driving around in circles, sleeping in the car, almost hitting a deer, being chased by a crazy raccoon, and buying cheap food from rest stops. It was the best three days we had spent together. But now I was here . . . .

  They lifted me off the ground by my arms and by this point I couldn’t stop my body from shaking uncontrollably. The rain pricked my cold skin like small flaming needles, and the blinding pain from my knee was all I could think about. If it hadn’t been raining I would have sworn that my leg was on fire.

  It hurt so much I was sure I would pass out. My vision swam and my blood felt too hot. It happened all too fast. It was like a horrible dream that I couldn’t wake from. My eyes stared at everything but nothing at the same time.

  A man from behind grabbed my hair, pulling my head back right next to his face as I gritted my teeth against the pain. I could smell cigar smoke coming from his clothes, and my head spun from being pulled back so quickly.

  “Don’t worry about your boy,” he said. “He’ll be joining you shortly.” He laughed into my ear and I got the urge to punch him as his breath touched my skin. But of course I wasn’t able to, and how very convenient that was for him.

  He pulled me around the tree with my leg dragging on the ground behind me, back to where the rest of the men were waiting. The one I had shot was laying dead on the ground. The remaining soldiers looked at me with loathing eyes. I couldn’t blame them, I lured them away from their main target, and shot their fellow soldier while doing it.

  If I wasn’t in so much pain, I would’ve smiled.

  The woods were quiet except for the continuous rain as my escorts walked alongside me, dragging me between them. I couldn’t so much as think about walking.

  But after while they decided to let me try, suddenly letting go of my arms to see what would happen. I collapsed to the ground with their laughing echoing above me.

  I was unable to break my fall and my head hit the ground hard. My body wanted to lay there forever from how tired I was, and I wasn’t going to argue. Feet shuffled around my ears and then a boot slammed into my ribs. The air left my lungs the very next moment and my mouth opened but no sound came out.

  The man smelling of cigars came walking back from the front of the group and kneeled down next to me, grabbing the back of my head again so I had no choice but to look at him. I stared into his eyes, trying not to show my fear, but it was still there, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.

  I had no idea what they planned to do with me.

  “If you don’t walk, I will break both of your legs the very moment we get back to the outpost.” I wasn’t afraid of his empty threats, and he saw it in my eyes and smirked.

  Then a new voice came. “We’re on a tight schedule. We need to be back at the trucks as soon as possible. You got that, Jenkins? We have no time for you’re silly little games.”

  “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but we’re all equals right now. The sergeant would still be alive if it wasn’t for her.” He pointed his finger directly at me. “So, don’t go ordering me around.”

  “I’m not ordering you, I’ll telling you. Dersa will probably be back within the hour, and we have to be there when he does.” His voice had authority and the other soldiers seemed to take his side, staring at the man in the middle with expressionless faces, all silent over the falling rain.

  He was outnumbered.

  “Fine.” He spat at his feet. “Keep her for yourself.”

  He stalked off and the others reluctantly followed, a few dragging me along with them. It was becoming increasingly difficult. My adrenaline was still high but the pain was becoming worse with every passing minute.

  My eyes kept darting around, hoping I wouldn’t see West. The men were walking in a lose formation around me, their eyes also searching the woods, hungry to find the person they wanted most. In my heart, I was desperate for him not to appear, even though I already missed
him.

  Two big trucks were waiting on a dirt road when we walked out of the woods about forty minutes later. The two men dropped me on the ground against one of the tires and one of them motioned another soldier over.

  “Wrap her leg so she won’t bleed out. We don’t want that to happen by the time we get back.” He gave me a wink. “Not yet anyway.”

  I sat in the mud while another soldier came and wrapped a cloth tightly around my knee. Blood soaked through it immediately and it became hard for me to watch. My eyes wandered up from my bleeding limb and idly watched the tree line, waiting for the man in black to make his appearance. The soldiers had said his name—Dersa, at least I thought that was it. His hour was almost up and if he reappeared by then it would mean West had been able to escape.

  I tried to imagine what West had thought when he had come back and found me missing. Maybe he thought that I had finally decided to leave, figuring he was too dangerous to be around after all. I hoped he wouldn’t think that, after all this time trying to convince him I wanted to stay, just to leave when his back was turned. I wouldn’t want him thinking of me that way after everything was over; of someone who would go back on their word.

  I closed my eyes and pictured his face the way I remembered it, and not the version I saw when he would have found me gone. Maybe he figured out what happened and had enough time to escape.

  But I could only hope at this point.

  Most of the men climbed into the back of the covered trucks to escape from the rain, and they left me where I was, like an animal they were no longer interested in. If I was able to run I would have tried. I would have done anything to run back into the secluded woods. To find West. To go back to the way it was. I already missed his brilliant smile.