Chapter Twenty
E xhaustion tainted our bodies. Feet dragged sluggishly against pavement, the cheery sun contrasting our drooping eyelids.
Murphy and Warner had made it out of the window safely, the seven of us meeting in the woods outside the camp, none the wiser to our movements. Eventually, they’d break back into the building and see that we were gone and the destruction we had left behind.
But it would take them a while to appoint a new leader to take Vex’s position. It didn’t really matter though. All we had to do was survive out here for a month and then we’d be on those trains, headed for safety.
“Are we going to stop soon?” Sasha asked Rainer.
Now that he was back on two feet, he was in his comfort zone, leading our group through the vacant town. We weren’t being very discreet, not even bothering to keep behind buildings. At this point, we had four guns, and any guards we saw outside the walls of the camp had little chance of escaping alive.
“We need to find safe shelter. Then we can stop,” Rainer responded to her, continuing to peek inside different homes and stores along the sidewalk.
Sasha groaned, stopping in her tracks. Mina and I slowed with her, which had Aiden, Murphy, and Warner stopping. Once Rainer realized we were no longer following, he turned on his heel, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Is there a reason we’re stopping?” He barked out, and I knew I wasn’t the only one rolling my eyes at his attitude.
“Raise your hand if you haven’t slept in the last twenty-four hours,” Sasha remarked.
In unison, six hands raised in the air. Rainer was the only one who stubbornly kept his arms crossed, even though we all knew he hadn’t either, the purple bruises under his eyes not caused by a beating.
I took a step toward Rainer, recognizing the look in his eyes. He didn’t want to stop. He was in overprotective mode, his eyes never leaving Murphy for long. I knew he didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.
“Rainer,” I began on a low whisper, “we’ve passed dozens of empty houses. No one is coming after us today. So, let’s find some place we can all sleep for a couple hours. Then you can lead us around town for hours until you find somewhere safe.”
He stared me down, refusing to give in. But I didn’t back down, tilting my chin up. Minutes passed and finally, he uncrossed his arms, breathing out a stressful sigh.
“Fine. Lead the way.” He gestured with his hand and I gave him a small smile.
Sasha was less tactful. “Thank god! You were going to drive us into the ground at this rate.”
Turning on her heel, she walked into the house directly at our backs. The rest of us filed in after her. The living room we entered was bright, all the windows open to let the sun in.
Mina swiftly walked to each window, closing the blinds and curtains. A staircase led upstairs and I assumed there would be bedrooms up there.
Aiden threw an arm over my shoulder and I helped him up the stairs, although he was carrying most of his weight now. There were three bedrooms upstairs, two with large beds and one with a set of bunk beds. I led Aiden into the room with the bunk beds, lowering him onto the lower section.
Once he was on the bed, I pulled the bag off my shoulder, fumbling around for pain medicine.
“Can I check your leg?” I asked him and he nodded.
Peeling off the bandage, we both looked at the stitched skin. The stitches were in a perfectly straight line, years of practice coming in handy. Clear liquid spilled out of the wound, but otherwise, there were no signs of infection. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I can’t believe you operated on me,” Aiden said on a laugh.
I glanced up at him, his shining eyes and wide smile calming my heart. “I can’t believe it either. I thought I was going to hit your artery,” I admitted on a smile.
Aiden continued to laugh. “Nah, you’re too smart for that, Lessy.”
I quirked a brow. “Smarter than you?”
He shoved my shoulder. “Not that smart.”
Rolling my eyes at his teasing, I began re-bandaging his leg. Once I finished, I held out the painkillers as well as some antibiotics. “Take these, and I’ll give you some more in a couple of hours.”
He held up a thumb, smiling widely. “You got it, doc.”
Pushing off the floor, I paused before leaning down and wrapping him in a tight hug. The adrenaline from the past few hours was fading, and tears pooled in my eyes. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
Aiden returned my embrace, his own voice choked when he said, “Not a chance. We’re going to survive this.”
I hoped he was right.
“Are you going to get some rest?” He asked, tapping his hand against the bunk above his head.
“I will in a bit. I want to check on the others first, you weren’t the only one injured, you know.”
Aiden loosed a laugh. “But I’m your favorite patient.”
I tilted my head from side to side in consideration. “I think Mina is my favorite patient. She’s the nicest to me.”
He rolled his eyes and I backed out of the room, leaving him to sleep. Checking the room next door, I spotted Mina and Sasha climbing into the bed.
Leaning against the doorframe, I asked, “How does your head feel?”
Sasha touched the bandaged skin above her ear, as if forgetting it was there. “I’m all good. Thank you for fixing it up.”
“You’re welcome. If you need any pain killers, let me know.”
Sasha agreed she would before climbing into the bed. Mina walked toward the door, holding her arms out, and I pulled her into a hug.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” I whispered against the top of her head.
“Me too.” She pulled away and I left the two of them, going to the final room.
Murphy laid on the bed alone. Glancing behind me, I didn’t spot Warner or Rainer. I hesitated for a moment, but when Murphy held out an arm, I shut the door behind me, climbing into his embrace.
As I nuzzled into his chest, the walls around my emotions fell, the tears I held back falling freely down my cheeks. His hand ran soothingly up and down my back, soft words whispered in my ear.
“I should be comforting you,” I sputtered through the tears.
“Having you safe and in my arms? That’s the only comfort I need.”
I had no idea how long we stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, creating a bubble of safety for only the two of us. Eventually, Murphy’s chest rose in a solid rhythm and I knew he was asleep.
I wanted to stay in his arms, fall asleep with him wrapped around me, but I couldn’t find sleep. Untangling myself, I crawled off the bed. When I reached the door, I took one last look at him.
The bruises looked harsher in the dark, his face swollen from his lips to his eyes. But the injuries would fade. All that mattered was that he was alive.
The thought that he could have been killed nearly brought me to my knees, more tears streaming down my cheeks. And I knew in that moment, the way my heart broke at merely the thought of his death, that I loved this man.
The thought equally elated and frightened me. I knew there could be worse men to love and Murphy was one of the best. But in this world, love was a scary thing. I had already lost people that I loved, picking up the pieces of my soul that broke with their deaths.
And I feared that if I lost one more, I would no longer be able to put the pieces back together, completely and utterly shattered.