Chapter 25 Emery #2
“It’s you or them, Emery. There is no in between.
There is no middle ground. If they aren’t on your immediate squad, you need to choose you and your own first. Always.
I know it’s different from what you’re used to from the family.
Being given a name and target is easy. There’s someone telling you what to do, so you do it.
But out here, you need to know that they’ll eat you alive if you give them the chance. ”
He sets his hand on my helmet and tilts my head up so I’m looking at him. All I see in him is sadness and longing. It hurts to look at, so I jerk my head back down. I won’t let the shit he said earlier slide that easy.
“I get it,” I retort.
“Do you? This is serious,” he doubles down.
“I know it is!”
“Then stop being so childish. And stop accepting things from people you don’t know well.” Cameron reaches for my combat knife and takes it from the hilt. I try to catch his hand as he retrieves it, but he swats it away. “Poison is a terrible idea to have on your blade.”
He scoops up a handful of snow and rubs away the streak of red from the knife. When he’s done, he hands it back to me. I want to object and argue with him, but considering the fact that his knife was just lodged deep in his thigh, I relent.
“If I had allowed that sketchy kid to rub poison on my knife, I’d be dead right now.” He turns away from me.
Well, I feel thoroughly wrung out. I walk beside him as we make our way back to the camp.
Damian is pretty shaken up from being shot in the chest three times.
He’s lucky he was wearing an upgraded vest. The standard ones we had in the first trial wouldn’t have held up against the point-blank shots.
Thank God I told him and Bree about them; otherwise he would be dead, and we’d be stuck carrying his body for two days.
Bryce seems unfazed by the whole ordeal and made a few of his poison traps while Cameron and I were chasing down the remaining squad members. He lays them out and brushes snow over them so they’re completely hidden.
Cameron makes a pointed look my way, as if saying Sketchy, don’t you think?
before leading us down a steep slope toward the eastern mountains.
I watch Bryce as he walks a few beats behind Bree.
He’s concerningly calm after the surprise attack, considering the rest of us seem shaken up, besides Cameron.
There is something different about him. Though I’m not sure it’s enough to think he has ill intent. We’re all a bit quirky.
The green beacon isn’t visible during the day, but dead east is where it was last night, so that’s the direction where we go. The sun does nothing to help warm us. I’m so cold that I have to fist my hands inside my gloves to warm my fingers up every thirty minutes.
Gunshots ring out occasionally and travel through the air in waves, but luckily we don’t cross paths with anyone else throughout the day.
As the sun begins to set, Cameron finds a cave in the mountainside.
It’s not like the caves you see in movies where the ground is flat and basically perfect for camping; it’s littered with sharp-edged rocks at the base, and a small stream bends through the crevices.
Drops of liquid drip from the stalactites above, ticking on our helmets as we carefully traverse the cave.
Light has never known this place. We each have a dull green glow stick around our necks at least, so it’s not a shot in the dark.
Four remain in my pocket, and I plan on using them sparingly.
I suddenly feel like we’re back in the comforts of the Under. It’s certainly just as daunting in here as it was down there.
Cameron stops when we find a relatively flat area near the back. We let our guard down now that it’s been cleared and settle for a few hours of rest. Last night, sleep seemed impossible, but tonight I’m exhausted. I know I won’t have any trouble falling asleep, and I’m eager for it.
Cameron won’t let us go without one person standing watch even though Bryce littered the entrance with his nail traps. It’s probably protocol on the Dark Forces squads to always have someone standing watch.
Bree takes the first shift, sitting on a rock a bit away from where we’ll be sleeping. Damian passes out before he can even eat his MRE. The bag remains closed in his hand and soft snores drift up from him.
I nibble on the contents of mine. Focusing mainly on the cornbread and then the applesauce. The protein powder in this one is chocolate. I mix it with water and quickly drink it, savoring the familiar taste for as long as I can.
Cameron plops down next to me, eyeing Bryce sitting across the small cave carefully before biting into his bread.
“Don’t trust the poisoner?” I ask wryly.
He scoffs and takes another bite. “Rule number infinity: don’t trust anyone.”
“Sounds about right.” I grin at the way that’s exactly how Reed would say it.
We finish our meals quietly. It sucks not having a pillow, but I’m grateful we can lie down to sleep tonight rather than leaning against trees. The moment my head hits the ground I start to drift off.
Cameron settles in behind me. I jolt back to consciousness and glance over my shoulder at him with a what the fuck look, because last I recall, he hated my touch.
“Go to sleep,” he orders softly.
I frown and whisper, “I thought you hated me and the thought of even touching me repulsed you and—”
“Hush,” he murmurs teasingly and presses his hand softly against my helmet until my head is against the ground again. “I’m keeping you safe.”
I stare into the dark, barely seeing Bree’s figure as she watches the entrance of the cave. “Safe from what? You need to sleep too.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t sleep on missions.”
Either he’s the strongest soldier on the planet, or he’s literally dedicated to dying a miserably slow death. It could actually be both, I decide.
“Ever?”
“Ever.”
I purse my lips and whisper, “What has you so on edge about Bryce?”
Cameron is quiet for a moment before pressing his chest completely against my back and bringing his lips to my ear.
“He’s casing us. He observes every little habit each of us has, and during the raid earlier, he didn’t so much as lift a finger to help.
I don’t think he was the last cadet chosen.
He’s too witty and confident. His true alliance is not to us. ” He sounds so sure.
If I trust anyone, it’s Cameron. And he’s far more intuitive in the Dark Forces world than I am. Now that he mentions it, I have noticed that Bryce has been eyeing my knife since the fight. Has he been trying to see if I had used it or not? Or if poison still taints the tip?
A small gasp escapes my lips as a revelation hits me. “Why did he rub poison on his blade if he wasn’t going to help us in the fight?” I whisper. Didn’t Bryce even tell us that he wasn’t good in up close combat? A slip in his fabricated demeanor.
Cameron hums low, and the vibration crawls along my spine, sending a shiver through me. “Exactly. Now get some rest.”
I scowl, not that he can see it. “Stop ordering me around. You’ve been relentless today.”
He chuckles softly and twirls my braid around his finger. The motion makes me smile as I shut my eyes.