by C. E. Black
My feet pounded the pavement. They’d seen me, but the neighborhood was on the other side. It was the only way. I hefted the pack up on my shoulders, wondering not for the first time if I should ditch it. But then none of this would have been worth it.
Determined to get the food to Kaden and Mason, I hunched down and ignored the burning in my thighs as I pushed for more speed. I blocked out the sound of the men chasing me, my focus solely on the long uneven line of wooden privacy fences ahead. I leaped over a small ditch and sprinted into the field of dead grass, searching frantically for the spot I wanted.
Where is it? Where is it? I panicked. They all looked the same. Every fence. Every roof.
There!
The breeze flipped the slender gray cloth over to this side of the fence. At the last minute, I’d decided to leave the sock hanging on an exposed nail. I was patting myself on the back now. In my panicked state, it would probably have taken me longer to find the right house without it.
I sprinted forward, doing my best to ignore the growling engine in the distance and the hoots of excited men on a hunt. If I could just get to the house, we could hide, and they would give up.
Huffing and out of breath, I threw my bag over the fence, then leaped. The wood dug painfully into my fingers as I slipped. Gritting my teeth, I tightened my grip and used my toes to pull myself up. Ass backward, I slung my leg over the top then paused to look. The coast was clear. I couldn’t even hear them anymore.
Sighing with relief, I quickly swung my other leg over the fence. But just as I was about to hop down, the world around me slowed. Cool fingers wrapped around my exposed ankle and pulled, causing me to gasp and instinctively yank back. Instead of getting away, I fell backward. My eyes widened, seeing only the wall of gray clouds above as I opened my mouth in a silent scream.
4
Expecting to hit the ground, I froze when instead my landing was softened midair. Then sanity returned and I began to fight. My elbow sunk into something hard and a grunt sent warm air blowing across my neck. Goosebumps spread across my skin, and I shivered. Flailing my arms, I pushed at the thing that held me.
“Hey! Stop! It’s okay. It’s me.”
Every one of my muscles stiffened at the sound of the gruff voice in my ear. I turned to look at the man holding me in his arms. Mason stared down at me, his dark brows furrowed as he scanned my face. The lines around his mouth and eyes deepened. “Are you all right?”
My body slumped against him causing him to stumble back with the sudden weight. As he tightened his arms around me, I pressed my nose against his chest and breathed in deeply, letting his scent relax me.
“We thought you left us,” he whispered. “We waited. Just in case. You left your blanket. I told Kaden you wouldn’t have left your blanket if you hadn’t planned on coming back. He didn’t believe me, but he still wanted to wait. Where did you go?”
When I pushed at his shoulders, he let me get to my feet but kept his hands on my arms as I stumbled. Turning swiftly, I met his eyes, then pointed to the fence.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I pointed again. However, when he only stared at me, I curved my fingers like a gun and pretended to shoot. Then I pointed at the fence again.
He shook his head slowly. “I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me. Just say it.”
“Hey, what’s going on?” Kaden came around from the side of the house, his steps faltering when he saw me. His expression didn’t change, but his lips did press harder together causing them to thin.
“You came back,” he said, sounding like I shouldn’t have bothered.
“She keeps pointing at the fence.”
Though Kaden’s lack of enthusiasm for my return stung, I nodded along with Mason’s words, pointing and pretending to shoot.
“See?” Mason said, his hands flying up.
“Yeah, I do,” Kaden murmured, pushing past me to look over the fence. Just then, the growl of truck engines caused us all to glance up. When the guys looked at me, I nodded, eyes wide as I used my hands to tell them we should go inside. Instead, Kaden used his own hand gestures for us to duck down. Though we were on the other side of a six-foot-high fence, Kaden cleared that by at least two inches. Mason almost. And with the hilly terrain, we could easily be seen from the right angle.
Noticing my bag a few feet away, I reached for it, then put my arms through the straps. When we ran—because we would have to run—we’d need the food.
Kaden peaked over the top of the fence, but for only a second before he was ducking back down.
“What is it?” Mason asked.
“Trouble,” he replied tightly. Mason stepped up beside him and took a look, cursing under his breath.
Turning to Mason, his jaw tight and eyes stern, Kaden gestured toward the house. “Take her inside and hide. Do not leave her side.”
Mason, his face more serious than I’d ever seen, gave Kaden a terse nod. Then he turned to me, jerking his head toward the house for me to follow. Gripping the straps of my bag, I swallowed hard then stopped to look back at Kaden.
Kaden’s gaze locked with mine for a full five seconds before it flickered to my bag and narrowed. I let him have it when he held out his hand. His expression, flat and unreadable before, morphed into surprise as he pulled open the top flap. When he glanced back up, his lips were parted, his eyes wide, confused, but appreciative. Then it was all gone and his expression was even once again.
Hooking the flap back, he handed me the bag. “Go,” was all he said.
At first, I just stared at him. “Come on,” Mason said in a whispered shout just as the engines came too close for comfort, along with a few familiar shouts. “Go,” Kaden growled. I went.
Inside the house, Mason pointed toward the stairs. “Come on. It’s best to go up, I think.”
Nodding, I followed him up and into one of the bedrooms. He shut the door behind us, then went to the window, pulling back the blinds to get a look. Not knowing what else to do, I stood in the middle of the room. It was pretty plain. Gray walls, a twin bed with white sheets and dark gray quilt with yellow flowers.
As voices grew louder outside, I shook my head and joined Mason at the window. I pulled back a blind and sucked in a sharp breath. Three men with guns walked below us. Their voices carried up, muffled, but clear enough to hear.
“I saw her go over this fence. We should check inside.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I glanced at Mason. His face pinched as if he was thinking hard about something. Licking my lips, I looked back out the window. Where was Kaden?
Mason touched my shoulder and nodded at the closet. “See if you can hide in there,” he whispered just as a shout outside caused us to still.
“Hey!” a man called out. “Is that her? Go. Follow her!”
Then silence settled over us, and the only sound left was our ragged breathing. When my shoulder brushed Mason’s, my eyes fluttered up, catching his gaze already on mine. We stared at each other, just breathing, our arms now pressing against one another. My heart pounded, either from fear of the men looking for me or because of the man standing next to me, I didn’t know.
Mason stiffened. “Shit,” he exclaimed softly. That’s when the smell registered. I followed his gaze to the smoke billowing under the door and gasped.
We both turned to the window at the same time, Mason reaching for the seal first. It slid open easily and we leaned over to get a look. There wasn’t a soul that we could see, but the drop would be rough.
I looked over my shoulder. The smoke had thickened and I could have sworn the heat singed the hairs on the back of my arms.
“We have to jump,” Mason said unnecessarily. “I’ll go first. That way I can catch you.” I started to shake my head, but he began climbing out the window, ignoring my protest.
Once sitting on the window seal, feet dangling, he turned so he could face me, then let himself hang from his hands. Giving me small smile, he winked. “See you down there.”
Pushing off the side of the house with his feet, he let go, landing on the grass with a roll before hopping back up. After looking both ways, he looked up at me and smiled triumphantly. Then he held out his arms and nodded. Right. Time to go.
After dropping my bag to the ground, I took a deep breath and slid out the window, sitting on the seal just like he’d done. Instead of turning around, I tucked my arms and jumped, trusting that Mason would catch me.
The drop was short. Nevertheless, it caused my breath to catch and my heart to race with adrenaline. Mason caught me easily, but when I expected him to set me back on my feet, he hesitated. He pierced me with the same smoldering look as before. Would he kiss me now? We shouldn’t. For multiple reasons. The most imperative being how much danger we were in. But as his head dipped toward mine, I lost all sense of logic.
I gave a breathy sigh as his lips brushed mine. I’d barely gotten a taste of them when he suddenly tensed.
“Put down the girl and take a step back.”
The command had my heart leaping into my throat, and I clung to Mason’s shoulders as he placed me carefully on my feet.
“Come over here,” the deep voice said.
I couldn’t take my frightened gaze off Mason. Like a lifeline, our gazes connected, and I couldn’t look away.
Lifting his hands up, palms out, he took a slow step away from me, then another, until he was too far for me to reach. The man who’d spoken grabbed Mason’s shoulder and pressed a gun to his temple.
“There. That’s better,” the man said. His red beard was just beginning to gray, but the lack of lines around his eyes either meant he wasn’t that old or he never smiled.
His dark blue eyes settled on mine. “Figured you were hiding in there. Didn’t know you had company, though.” He pressed the gun harder against Mason’s temple, causing him to wince.
My back teeth ground together. For some reason this made him crack a smile. A small one.
“Don’t like that do ya?”
Another man came up behind him, a shotgun held loftily over one shoulder. “Duke,” he nodded to the guy holding Mason. “What do we have here?” he asked. His squinted eyes raked over me from head to toe. Then he licked his lips, grinning when my gaze narrowed. Disgusting. “Not much to look at, but you’ll do.”
The insult didn’t bother me. I was more worried about my companion. Murder showed clearly in Mason’s eyes. From the vein that pulsed wildly in his neck, he was seconds away from doing something stupid. I made eye contact and shook my head just enough for him to understand. Don’t.
“The boyfriend’s a problem,” Duke said before speaking to me. “If you come to us without a fight, we won’t kill him.”
Movement in my peripheral vision had me glancing that way. But only for a fraction of a second before I focused on the men in front of me again. Mason mouthed the word run. Seemed he was a mind reader, that one.
I turned on my heels and took off. As expected, I made it only a few steps before a hand clamped down on my arm painfully. As he yanked me back against him, I used the momentum to swing around with a raised fist. Pain exploded across my knuckles as I made contact with his nose. But ignoring the pain was easily done while hearing the satisfying sound of bones crunching under the hit.
His gripped loosened as he cried out, and I pulled out of his grasp easily enough while sending a knee into his groin. The hit caused him to make a choking sound in the back of his throat before falling to his knees.
“Feisty. I like that,” Duke chuckled. “Beau, wipe the blood off your face and bring her over here.”
Beau spit a wad of blood on the ground and sneered at me, a promise in his eyes. I wasn’t about to find out what. Before he could stand, I bent down, simultaneously grabbing the knife in my boot as my other foot connected with his head. Then, with a flick of my wrist, I sent the knife flying toward Duke.
Wide and filled with confusion, the single eye stared back at me until the last light of life dimmed. Mason stepped sideways as Duke’s body slumped to the ground at his feet. He looked between me and the dead roughneck.
Kaden, who had just stepped out of his hiding spot, said nothing. But his expression told me he was disappointed or disgusted, I wasn’t sure which. It took a lot of strength not to clutch my chest and beg his forgiveness. Instead, I turned toward Duke’s prone form. As much as I wanted to look away, I couldn’t. I’d done this. I’d killed a man. Looking away would make light of what I’d had to do. Bending down, I gripped the knife’s handle and slid it out, choking back vomit at the sight of the mess that was once Duke’s eye.
Taking a deep breath, I stood on shaky legs and made my way back to the man lying on the grass, clutching his groin.
“I’ll fucking kill you, bitch,” he spat.
Squatting next to him, I lifted the knife. His eyes widened. “No,” he whispered. But I had to. From Duke’s own mouth, they admitted they didn’t know about Mason and Kaden. If I let this guy live, he’d tell the rest of them. They were after me, and would no doubt give chase once they found their friends’ bodies. But only me. Not the guys. I couldn’t put them in danger. Not because of my mistake.
Mason said something, I wasn’t sure what. A hollow sound had filled my ears as I carried out my deed. Then I wiped the knife on Beau’s dirt stained shirt and rose to my feet. Chin high, I grabbed my bag and started walking.
It wasn’t until about a mile outside of town before I finally stopped to empty the meager contents of my stomach onto the side of the road.
5
We walked for days, stopping only when exhaustion or hunger forced us. I didn’t know where we were going, and for the first three days, I hadn’t cared. Mason and Kaden were headed south, and I followed. I just kept walking, not seeing much of my surroundings. Not a care for when we’d stop. I wondered if this was how the flesh eaters felt. No purpose. Except to eat when hungry. Sleep when tired. Drink when thirsty. The only difference, I supposed, was that flesh eaters didn’t sleep or drink. That I knew of.
I did remember a brief discussion between the guys. A couple hours after we’d fled the scene with the roughnecks, Mason had asked Kaden how many were left. He’d whispered the question as he glanced back at me. I’d pretended not to notice.
“Four,” Kaden had replied, his voice just as hushed. “They were in the trucks so I hadn’t been able to get to them. But I have a feeling they were part of a bigger group.”
From that comment alone, I’d determined he’d killed the other three. I’d ground my teeth together thinking of the anger in his eyes after I’d taken out Duke and Beau.
“Think they’re after us?” Mason had asked.
“Yes. But they aren’t looking for you and me.” Kaden’s gaze flickered in my direction.
Exactly, I’d wanted to shout. That was why I’d had to do what I’d done.
As the silence stretched between the guys, I’d begun to wonder… Had that been Kaden’s way of saying he would hand me over?
The air had whooshed out of my lungs almost violently when he’d added, “If we stick by her, they might not notice who she is. None of them got a good look at her. And if we see them first, we can hide her.”
For the first time in years, tears had prickled the corner of my eyes. I’d choked them back, of course, but I wouldn’t forget it. I owed them. Again.
“Let’s stop here for the night.”
Glancing up at Kaden’s announcement, I noticed we were coming up on an old, overgrown barn. Leaning to the left, it looked as if the trees were holding the structure up. The reddish-brown wood blended in with its surroundings. The roof was covered in red, brown, and yellow leaves. The same leaves that covered the ground. A gust of wind sent goosebumps over my skin. Yesterday, I’d had to pull out my jacket. I’d been so far inside my own head over the last few days, I hadn’t paid close attention to the weather.
Kaden did his usual, which included searching the barn while Mason and I waited. When he returned, we were allo
wed inside. Then he spent an hour walking the perimeter, as he called it.
The inside of the barn was cool and damp but would work for a night or two. With the dirt floor and the giant hole in the roof, it would be safe to make a fire too. It had rained earlier in the day, and the heavy clouds still cloaked the sky. If we waited until dark, no one would see the smoke or the flames.
Hungry, I searched for a makeshift table with no luck. Besides the remnants of hay littering the floor, the place was pretty sparse. Sitting on the ground, we began rummaging in our bags. We’d divvied out the food a day into our journey. The weight of the cans had slowed me down too much. Plus, if the three of us were ever separated, at least we’d have some supplies. The thought of running away again flitted across my mind. It was probably time. I should have left already.
I closed my eyes and blew out a calming breath. But when I opened them, I was unsettled in a completely different way. Mason’s gaze held mine, searching deeply before falling to my lips. His eyes darkened seconds before he looked away.
I ignored the fluttering in my stomach and stared down at the food. Between us, we’d set three cans of soup and two bottles of water. I’d wanted to wait for Kaden, but maybe eating would keep my mind and hands off other… things.
Mason’s voice caught me by surprise. “You had to do it,” he said.
The meaning behind his words made my stomach flip. I looked away, my gaze landing on the open doorway. Freedom.
“You shouldn’t have had to, though,” he continued. “If I would have…” My eyes jumped to his as he trailed off. “The point is, I’m sorry. I promise I won’t ever put you in that position again.”
Not comprehending what he’d meant, my brows furrowed. Put me in that position? He didn’t do anything. I was the one who had led those men right to us.
“You’re safe with me,” he whispered harshly. His eyes, full of guilt and determination, drilled into me as if I would refute his words.
