Chapter Fourteen
Brit
The leaves crunched under my boots and I jumped, afraid of every little noise in the emerging light.
We'd been walking for an hour, hoping that we weren't heading back towards the compound.
I'd insisted to Fly that we stayed in the hut for most of the night, too afraid to run into anyone in the dark…
and also scared that we would walk straight back to Chad.
At least in the light, we could try and get our bearings.
“So,” I said, following a silent Fly through the trees. “The bug thing… Does anyone on the outside find it odd?”
Fly chuckled unexpectedly. I smiled to myself, curious as to what it was like out there, in a world where bug men existed.
I was sheltered, so weirdly protected. When I was old enough to understand that I'd been born on a compound and that there was a whole world out there, I'd been dying to know more about it.
I'd pleaded with Chad to allow me to see the outside, or to at least watch the television or listen to the radio.
Of course, he disagreed every time. That's probably when he realized he couldn't mold me into his perfect soldier.
“I forget that you've never really been out into the world.” He swished a branch aside and waited for me to walk past before he let go. “How did you manage to escape and kidnap me?”
A shudder moved me involuntarily and I rubbed my arms to try and warm them. I wasn't sure whether the reaction had been from the cold or from his question.
“My bodyguards are older men, as you saw. My father assigned them to me to lessen the risk of anything happening.” I shook my head.
“Luckily, they became pretty devoted to me so I used them to help me. I used Jay’s mother’s phone to track him, but our technology is pretty limited, so my men could only get the signal once.
The night they managed to find you. I've still never been out of the compound.”
His footsteps slowed, just for a moment. “You… you've never been out?”
Turning to me, he halted our progress. I looked up at him, unsure why it was such a big deal.
“So? What's wrong?” I swallowed when his jaw tightened.
“I was hoping to drop you off somewhere and go about my merry fucking day.”
“Back to the Bug guys?” I said, only realizing what he'd said once my words had left my mouth. “Wait, what? You're going to leave me?”
My palms started to sweat and I wiped them on my grubby top.
I wanted to be free from Chad and his sick religion, but the wild?
That was a place I had never been, a place that had been catastrophized since I was born.
I hadn't even considered how I would survive out there.
In my domain, I'd been important, looked after and even admired. Out there? I was nobody.
He watched me, probably noting all the emotions that fluttered across my features. But when his gaze narrowed on me, I cleared them all and pushed my fear away. I didn't want to rely on him, not now, not ever. He was technically my enemy, after all.
“That's fine.” I managed to keep my voice light, despite my turmoil. “Of course.”
“You've never been out of the compound,” he said, scratching his thick facial hair.
My gaze was drawn to his growing beard. He had complained about not having a razor and hating beards because of how itchy they were. It suited his rough look though, a little too perfectly.
“How the fuck can I leave you out there when you don't know how any of it works?” Fly gritted his teeth and moaned. “They're going to kill me.”
“More like me,” I said, laughing feebly before the sound fell away.
He stared; his tongue caught between his teeth. “Fuck.”
Spinning, he pushed on, waving for me to follow. I had no idea what he was thinking, but there was no way I was going to let his friends end me, even if it meant facing the world alone.
We walked in silence, navigating the woods until a trail appeared. We both paused, looking up and down the path as if we'd never seen one before. It felt incredible to know that we were outside the compound, on a trail that could lead to the real world.
“This way,” Fly said, pointing to the left.
I scanned the trees, hoping to get a clue from them. Except, they all looked the same, out here and inside the compound perimeter. I had to trust the man who had lived normally for the last ten years.
“Is there anything I should know before I get a culture shock?” I asked, tucking my knotty hair behind my ear when he glanced back at me.
“You won't be a princess out here,” he replied.
His limp was more obvious on even ground and I put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Shall we rest?”
Gesturing at his leg, I waited for his reply. He grunted and shook his head roughly, walking away from me again.
“And you're right, my brothers will hate you.” He cleared his throat. “You are one of them, top on our hitlist.”
“Hitlist? Bug names? Anyone would think you were eighteen-year-old boys who couldn't get a girlfriend.”
Fly spun to me, gripped the top of my arms and stared down at me, his expression dark and brooding. “Have you ever seen a dead body, Brittney?”
Frowning, I shook my head no. Of course I hadn't ever seen one. Had he? What sort of life had he led out here?
“I'll tell you the story another time,” he said, his deep voice barely audible, “but know that it changes you. It changed me and it changed my brothers.”
“Do you mean Jack? Sorry, Wasp? Did you…?”
He squeezed my arms until I gasped, only releasing the pressure slightly.
“No,” he pushed through his teeth. “I mean the woman your father and his friends…”
“What?” I snapped, fighting my way out of his grip. “What did you say?”
Sighing, he turned and started off again, brushing me away when I tried to grab him back. He was bullshitting. There was no way anyone in The Reason would murder anyone, especially not my father. He was saying that to justify his own murderous thoughts.
I was about to tell him this when a whistle sounded behind us, far in the distance. A dog bark was faint but recognizable. Fly and I surged forward, breaking into a run. We had no idea how far away civilization was, but we had to try to get as far away as possible. Surely, we were close.
Panting, I kept up with Fly, whose leg only hindered him slightly. He must have been in pain, but he didn't show it, his face disclosed nothing as I drew even with him.
“I can hear water,” I cried, almost tripping on a tree root.
Fly caught my elbow and righted me as if I weighed nothing. He didn't reply, too engrossed in getting out of the woods. I had no idea what he'd been talking about, and I would bring it up again, but not now.
The pathway opened up and came out onto a bridge. A river flowed beneath us, loud and gushing. I checked the route ahead, but it just lead back into the overgrown forest.
“Look!” Fly barked, pointing down.
I followed his finger, gasping when I caught sight of a car. It was parked in a little clearing, just off a road I hadn't seen before, obscured as it was by thick trees.
“Do you think that path leads down to the road?” I asked.
Fly studied the area and shook his head. “No, it looks like you have to hike up that hill on the other side of the road. It'll take too long.”
A dog bark sounded again, this time accompanied by shouting. They still weren't close enough, but if we were to escape, we had to hurry.
“We need to jump,” I said, gripping hold of the railing.
Fly caught my arm and brought his scowling face close to mine. “You’ll hurt yourself, that river is fast.”
“What choice do we have?” I shrugged. “It’s not that high. Plus, if I drown, at least I won't have to go back.”
Shaking his head, he caught hold of the railings and hauled himself over, using the muscles in his arms to lower himself to the bottom of the bridge. “I'll go first,” he shouted, “Just wait before you go, in case it kills me.”
The whistle sounded again and as his body dropped, I flung myself over the bridge.
Air whipped around me and for a few seconds I was flying.
The fear gripped me as my legs hit the water, plunging me underneath.
The current pulled at me, swirling me around and around.
I held my breath and kicked my legs, trying to pull myself up.
Arms came around me and I was hauled, up and out into the air. I gasped, spluttering when an icy shock of water rushed at me.
“Hold onto me,” Fly ordered.
I held him as he swam us out of the current and into the shallow area at the side, gasping and trying to avoid eating river water. He was silent, his strong body moving us until we were safe.
“Be careful.” He stood and helped me to my feet, catching me around the waist when I slipped on a rock.
I clung to him, letting him guide me out of the river and onto the bank, where we both sat to catch our breath.
“Are you hurt at all?” he asked, looking me over.
Smiling, I shook my head. “I'm fine, thank you. What about you? Is your leg okay?”
Winking, he smirked. “I'm unbreakable. It's a good job I was there though; you would've drowned otherwise.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, getting to my feet. “I would've found my way up eventually.”
“When you were dead… and floating to the surface.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned towards the car that was only a few feet away. Fly did the same, inspecting it as he trod closer.
“Do you think they've gone for a morning hike?” I asked him, frowning when he tried to pull on the door handle.
It didn't budge. Shit.
Fly looked around, his gaze searching around us. He went still and I looked to where he had fixated, putting a hand over my mouth when I spotted the tent. It was nestled so discreetly, beside a tree, we hadn't even noticed it.
One look at each other and we knew that we had to be silent. If there was a chance for us to get away from Chad's men, we needed the car. Asking wasn't an option.
A whistle sounded again, nearer this time. If we weren't quick, the people in the tent would hear it and come out, leaving us in trouble.
Fly put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed before stepping away. I stayed where I was as he walked across the soft grass, towards the tent. I didn't want him to hurt anyone, but at this point, we needed to get away, fast. As long as he didn't really hurt them, I'd be okay with some persuasion.
When he got to the tent, he bent low next to the zipper.
A shout came from in the woods, not far from the bridge.
I held my breath as he reached down, surely about to reveal himself to whoever was inside.
Except, he fiddled for a second before standing again.
He paused, glancing at me and putting a finger over his lips.
I stayed silent as he crept back, holding up the keys.
An excited squirm overtook me and I threw my arms around his waist.
A sudden barking erupted up on the bridge, followed by shouting from men just inside the woods. We sprung apart and ran to the car, jumping straight in when Fly pressed the unlock button.
The sound of the people in the tent, awoken in surprise, mingled with the men’s voices who appeared on the bridge, shouting my name.
As we slammed the doors, Fly started the engine and accelerated out of the area, laughing his head off.
I glanced behind us, watching the men on the bridge throw up their hands and pace.
They quickly receded from view as Fly drove us down the hill and away from hell. The beauty of the scenery was tarred by the knowledge that lurking in that forest, was a cult that had hurt people. Including me.
“We're fucking free!” Fly chuckled and slapped the steering wheel, joy lifting his usually moody expression.
When he glanced at me, I tried to smile, but it didn't quite emerge. His own jubilance dropped and he frowned, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Aren't you happy?” he said, glancing at me sideways.
Sighing, I watched as the countryside stretched out before us. I'd known we were hidden well, away from normal people, but I hadn't realized how far into the country we had been. The tingling of anticipation of seeing towns and cities was suddenly overwhelming.
“I'm all alone in a new place,” I said without any emotion. “And I don't know whether that's a good thing or not.”
“Fucking hell, woman,” Fly said, his tone sharp, “As much as we hate one another, I promised you one thing. I would protect you. So, no…” He looked at me, a resigned expression on his face. “…you're not alone. You have me.”