Chapter Twelve #2
“Oh.” My mind wandered back to a time when we had jumped in the river, not long after we'd arrived at the compound.
Then I remembered how each one of us had been tied up outside our new family home, able to see one another across the way, but not able to talk. It was our punishment for evading capture for two years when we were eleven.
As soon as we'd been freed, we'd tried to run away again, exploring the woods all around our prison.
We hadn't got far, instead finding a river where some of the teens from the compound hung out.
They'd heard us coming, so we joined them, telling them our stories of living alone in an abandoned house.
“This way.” Brit released me and started to run, her hair flying out behind her.
I went too, gritting my teeth against the pain of my healing bone and the stitches that pulled. If I wasn't deformed after this fucking crazy venture, I would be lucky. However, I had to push the pain away, overcome it and endure to get the fuck out.
“Over here,” Brit called, diving between two trees and straight into overgrown brush.
Wincing, I matched her steps, keeping right behind her, just in case anyone came at us. I would fend them off while she got away.
We pressed on, dodging trees and shrubbery, just to get through the woods. Dogs barked behind us, far in the distance.
“Does he have dogs?” I shouted through my panting breath.
She glanced back at me and frowned, shrugging when she couldn't find the breath to answer me. Instead, we carried on forward and straight through the small gap in a wire fence that was so twisted with bushes, I hadn't even noticed it.
“Here's the boundary of the compound.” Brit panted and bent over, resting for a moment. “But we can't go to the river. I think they know too much about its history. We need to go another way and hopefully reach civilization.”
Nodding, I lifted my leg to ease the pressure of it, just for a moment. We couldn't rest for long, we had to get far away so if the dogs did catch a scent of us, we could outrun them.
“Let's go.”
Brit smiled and inhaled deeply. “This is a way I've never been before, hopefully it’s safer.”
Turning left, she followed a thin trail that was clear of foliage. It didn't last long, quickly turning into trees and overgrown bushes. And yet, we pushed on. Sometimes walking, sometimes running. The sounds of the dogs faded and we listened to one another's breathing in the almost silent forest.
“I… I don't know if I can go any longer,” Brit said after several hours.
I stopped as soon as she uttered the words and collapsed on a nearby log.
She came to me and dropped beside me, using my arm as a headrest. Exhaustion overtook and I closed my eyes, ready to pass out.
No. I wasn't ready to quit. My leg was on fire, right up and down the nerves, but I wouldn't stop until we were safe.
“Is that…?” Brit said, pointing through the trees.
Squinting, I followed her gaze, smiling when the faint sound of trickling water reached my ears.
“Oh yes.” Standing, I caught Brit as she fell, too exhausted to hold herself up. “We need to drink.”
Righting herself, she stood and set off towards the sound of heaven. I stumbled after her, barely able to put weight on my leg now. My hobbling slowed me down and I cursed myself, berating my weakness.
“I've always taken clean drinking water for granted,” Brit said, walking between two trees and reaching the cluster of rocks that formed a flowing spring.
We both looked at one another, sharing a smile before we dropped to the ground and scooped water into our hands, sipping hard and fast. My dry mouth soaked up the water as I closed my eyes, appreciating the liquid that satiated my raging thirst.
“That's so good.” The water was dribbling down Brit's neck and onto her chest, disappearing under her shirt right where the rise of her breast started.
My mouth dried again but for a different reason this time.
I hadn't forgotten how turned on I'd been when we'd been faking sex.
It had taken everything in me not to penetrate her.
But now I was in the wild, with the woman who had put me in this position.
A lot of the hatred had returned and… fuck, I was hard just watching her despite her betrayal.
All sorts of emotions broke through the numbness, confusing the hell out of me.
“We should keep going.” I shook myself as I stood, looking around to see if there was something we could keep water in.
Alas, there was fuck all in the middle of the forest. The quicker we got out, the better.
“You're in pain,” Brit stated, standing and resting her hands on her hips. “We need to find somewhere to hide for the rest of the day and start again tonight.”
There was no denying her logic, especially when I went to step away, only for pain to lance right up to my groin. I grabbed hold of a tree and breathed through it, not daring to look at her, in case she could see the weakness on my face.
“Well, there's…” I looked through the trees, trying to find an old log or something we could rest behind. “…a hut?”
“Huh?” Brit came to stand beside me, looking to where I pointed.
Through a tiny gap, there was a flash of brown wood. It was either an old hut or nothing at all. Either way, we had to investigate.
Putting her hand on my arm, Brit looked up at me. “I'll go check it out. You stay and rest that leg.”
“Are you looking out for me now, Brittney?” I tilted my head to the side and frowned. “Or are you planning on pissing off and leaving an invalid, like me, to fend for myself?”
“You're no invalid,” she said, rolling her eyes, “Stop feeling sorry for yourself, it was just a minor break.”
She left me leaning against the tree, anger bubbling in my chest. She had no idea what I’d been through before she’d kidnapped me. I’d had a fucking operation to put my bones back together. She was once again proving her princess status.
Sidling herself to the gap, she used her bare hands to pull at the overgrowth. The gap got bigger with her efforts and I had to admit she was pretty hard-core in the wild.
“It's an old hut.” Brit waved at me. “And it's completely intact. Shall I find you a walking stick?”
“Hey, you cheeky bitch,” I quipped back, “I'm not that old, yet.”
Holding her hands up in surrender, she winked at me. “It was just a suggestion.”
Launching myself from the tree, I shuddered with pain and almost fell when my leg refused to hold me up. “Actually, that's a good idea. I should have a stick. Find me one.”
“Excuse you?”
“What? You offered.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Just make sure it looks a little dangerous or cool, yeah?”
Brit narrowed her gaze on me before sticking out her tongue and proceeding to search on the ground around her.
“Something Gandulf-like would be ideal.” I quirked an eyebrow when she glared at me. “I won't accept anything less.”
“You will accept that I give you,” she replied, “or you'll get it shoved up your butt. Either way, I don't mind.”
“Me neither.” My quick reply froze her and she stared, mouth gaping open.
I stared back, daring her to give me a comeback. Instead, she sighed and shook her head, as if she were dealing with a child. I mean, I couldn't help but rib her, considering how uptight she was.
“Here.” Grabbing up a fairly thick stick, she came over to me. “This’ll have to do. We can't stand around talking all day, they might catch up to us.”
I accepted the stick, putting pressure on it to make sure it would hold my weight. “Good job, I suppose.”
“A thank you would've been nice,” she said, disappearing through the bushes and moving towards the hut.