111. Chapter One-Hundred-Ten
Chapter One-Hundred-Ten
Scarlett
This weather is freaking crazy. I don’t know how long it took me to find Xane out here, but it feels like it’s taking three or four times as long to walk back.
Of course, that might at least partly be because Xane claimed me up against a tree before the rain really turned torrential and the sky became impossible to see through the clouds.
I put on the clean, dry shirt he gives me, but it’s pretty much soaked through within minutes.
My sneakers are soggy and covered in mud, and Xane is the only reason I didn’t take a full-body mud-bath a little while back on the slight slope with the fast-forming puddle at the bottom.
There are a few of those deceptively small puddles around now, and the ground feels a lot less steady under my squelchy feet.
I can hardly wait to get back to the jet and get dried off.
I gave up on Xane’s hand a while back, clinging to his arm tightly instead, while he navigates our way forward.
His steady, unshakable composure makes a stark contrast to the uncertain guy who spent all day yesterday basically hiding from everyone else.
He’s a born leader, but something made him forget that.
I hope he’ll talk to me about it, but right now all I really want is to get warm and dry.
“How much farther?” I yell, hating how quickly the wind steals my voice from me.
He raises his free hand, all five fingers spread out, and he flashes those fingers twice, making me sigh in relief. Fifteen minutes, I can handle. Any longer, I don’t know.
I slide a little with every other step I take at Xane’s side.
We’re probably moving slower than he’d like, because of me.
I try not to think about it.
He’s already carrying a massive backpack with one of the tents attached to it, and a surprisingly heavy machete in a cover at his other side. Having to also keep me steady against the wind and rain is a lot to ask, and he’s doing it without complaint.
I can’t believe how cold it is.
It was so hot on the beach a while ago.
Now the sky is dark and the rain is cold.
Our path narrows and Xane moves ahead of me.
We’ve got another small gap between trees, I guess.
They didn’t seem like such a huge obstacle on my way out to find him.
The swampy ground makes everything a huge pain in the ass.
I move my grip to Xane’s hand, and he pushes through the gap.
I jump over a puddle as I follow him through, feeling my foot sink into the ground anyway.
Ugh! I’ve definitely got mud inside my sneaker now.
Turns out, that’s not gonna be a problem anymore.
Because when I take another step, my foot leaves the sneaker behind, and the sock in it.
“Shit!” I curse, hopping on my other foot.
Xane stops and looks back at me.
“Lost my sneaker!” I yell, kicking out my naked foot for him to see.
He stops moving, and I try to decide what I should do.
The water-logged sneaker wasn’t exactly protecting my foot that well anyway, but I really can’t stand the thought of walking the rest of the way back barefoot. We don’t exactly have any running water left back at the jet so it’s not like I could clean off once we’re back.
Sighing, I get ready to put my foot down on the ground.
And just when I’m about to do it, Xane lets go of my hand and puts his under my butt. He lifts me onto his side and starts walking again. About two seconds after which, my other sneaker slides off and disappears into the mud.
“Damn. Those were kinda cute.”
There’s no way we’re gonna find them after this. The ground swallowed them both up like they were tasty little snacks. The last thing I’m gonna do out here is dig through mud.
I hold onto Xane’s shoulder, kinda impressed at how easily he’s carrying me.
He’s not quite as broad as Riley, but he’s probably stronger.
Not that I have any direct evidence on how strong Riley is, I guess.
I’m snapped out of my thoughts by a cry that gets quickly swallowed by a crack of thunder from above.
Was that my name? It sounded like it.
Xane doesn’t slow down, and I don’t want to distract him.
He’s concentrating on getting us out of here.
But I think he’s gonna have some help really soon.