Day 26
Him
True to my word, I wake her up with the sunrise, and she groans as the light hits her eyes.
“It’s not even that bright,” I point out. “Come on, we should hit the road.”
“I hate you,” she grumbles and buries her head in the pillow, but her grumpiness only makes me smile.
The entry point we chose is only a few minutes away, and during the drive, I make her go over our route on the folded map. “It says that this trail is suited for families.” She squints as I park. “What families go on seven-day-long camping trips?”
“Fuck if I know.” I climb outside and turn to the back seat. “Come on, grab your bag so we can go.”
“Don’t forget to lock the car.” She sounds on edge as we finally make our way into the forest, throwing glances at the truck behind us. “In case someone comes by.”
I think we both know that’s not going to happen, but I lock it anyway.
The trail starts out tame enough, so we set off at a brisk pace. Even though she talks a big game, I know that over the next few days, she’ll get tired, and the route won’t always be this flat and walkable. It’s best to cover as much distance as possible today, while she can still handle it.
She doesn’t speak, so I don’t, either. I wonder if she’s still thinking about her family; I dismiss the thought because she’s not crying, and there’s determination to her steps as we wade through the woods.
“No signal,” I report when we stop for water and a quick breakfast—leftovers from yesterday’s cheese, because we didn’t want it to go to waste and it won’t survive another day. I have rations from my base, but I don’t want to use them if I can help it. They should be our last resort.
“What? Already?” She takes out her phone and lifts it up into the air. “Damn.” She taps something on the screen, then enlarges it. “I downloaded the map, so we can still see where we’re at, at least. Looks like we’ve covered a good few miles.”
I don’t need to see the map to know that, but I nod anyway. “You should clasp your backpack across your chest.” I comment when we resume our walk. “It’ll be better for your back.”
“At least it’ll get lighter with time,” she says, half to herself, as she struggles with the buckles.
I almost offer to help her, but the thought of placing my fingers anywhere near that particular area immediately sends warning signals to my head. She’s only wearing a tank top, and the straps of the backpack wrap over her sternum and ribs, making her breasts even more pronounced.
Yeah, the girl I’m about to be stranded with for a week has some pretty nice tits. I don’t know if I should consider myself lucky, or the opposite.
I pick up my pace so I’m not tempted to ogle, but I can still picture them pretty well in my mind. Not huge, but a good, healthy size. Just the right amount of flesh to spill out of my grip.
Maybe I shouldn’t be thinking about those things.
I mean, it’s not like I’ll grope her or anything.
Stealing a glance or two is fine. I’m just not used to seeing her cleavage, since she’s always bundled up in sweaters, but the fast-paced hike has us both heating up.
Good thing I stopped insisting on wearing my uniform.
The black compression shirt and camo pants are much more comfortable.
“So how do we determine where to stop?” she asks after a while, and I’m thankful for the change in subject. Not that there was any conversation, but my thoughts desperately needed redirecting.
“For the night? Well, a flat, grassy area is always a good idea. We won’t want rocks digging into our backs.
” I look at the forest ahead of us as we keep walking.
“Under some trees is preferable in case there’s any rain, even if the tent should be water resistant.
” I think for a moment more before I add, “And it might be best to put some distance between us and the trail.”
“Why?”
“We still don’t really know what we’re dealing with here,” I shrug. “I’m not saying we go sleep in a bear cave, but maybe we shouldn’t… draw too much attention to ourselves.” I glance her way when she doesn’t speak, only to find her staring at me. “What?”
“I don’t know which part is more alarming.” She wraps herself with her arms, like a self-soothing hug. “Do you really think there are people out here? And that they…” She swallows. “Want to hurt us?”
“Honestly?” I kick a rock. “No, I don’t think there’s anyone here. But if there is, we can’t be too careful.”
“Great.” She sighs. “And on top of that, bears.”
I let out a chuckle. “Don’t worry, we can handle a bear.”
“I’m not sure I want to know what ‘handle’ means in your case.”
I just wave my rifle in response, and she groans out loud.
It gets dark sooner than I expect for this time of year, so we’re forced to accelerate our steps until we find a place I deem worthy of a stop.
“You think you can handle setting up camp?” I ask as I drop my bag to the ground. “I want to go get us some wood to start a fire.”
“I’ll manage,” she says, already unwrapping the tent. It seems to be her tagline for this trip, and I leave as soon as I get my axe out.
I don’t know if she’s trying to prove herself to me or just use as little of my help as possible, but whatever it is, I hope she doesn’t tire herself out before this hike really even begins.
I focus my attention on finding the right types of branches; dry ones that won’t smoke too much, in case there is something in those woods to be scared of.
I hope she doesn’t try to sneak up on me, because the shadows are getting darker by the minute, and I’m not above shooting the slightest suspicious move.
I’m sweating from exertion soon enough. Swinging the axe is a movement my muscles aren’t familiar with, but over the next few days, I’ll have to get accustomed to it. At least I’m physically fit enough thanks to my training.
I once again find myself wondering how well she’s holding up.
You worry about her too much. I harshly tell myself. Let her take care of herself.
It’s pitch black by the time I get back, so much so that I’m surprised I can even find the spot I left her in. She’s sitting halfway inside the tent, which looks wobbly but intact.
“Where the hell have you been?” she snaps, jumping to her feet. “It’s been hours!”
“No, it hasn’t.” I quirk a brow. I don’t have a watch, but it couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes. This girl is certifiably crazy. “It took longer than I thought.”
“Yeah, no shit.” She’s heaving, like she’s fighting to regulate her breaths. “Don’t do that again, okay? I was freaking out.”
I dump the pile in my arms onto the ground. “Getting attached to me?” I taunt, but something in her eyes makes me regret my tone the moment the words leave my lips.
“That’s not it and you know it.” She blinks rapidly, her nostrils flaring. “If we want to make this work, you can’t just disappear like that. Stop fucking around.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, wasn’t I quick enough for your liking?” I bite mockingly. “Tough shit. Get over it.”
“You’re such a dick,” she groans.
“Go ahead and leave, then.” My jaw is clenching so hard it aches. “Find someone else to follow around and annoy.”
“You agreed to this partnership,” she angrily reminds me. Fuck. I thought that insulting her would stop her from being so quick-witted, and it pisses me off even more that I was wrong.
“And every day, you make me regret it.” I make sure my words are colder, this time around. “I didn’t want you around to begin with.”
There’s hurt on her face, and for a second, I think I’ve managed to silence her, until she spits out, with all the anger and frustration she has, “As if I have anyone else left.”
That’s a sentiment I know all too well; being a last choice. Kept around due to circumstance.
“Well, I’m as good as you’re gonna get,” I grit. “So you’d better get used to it.”
“Are you serious?” She huffs out in disbelief. “You’re just as lost as I am. You think you’re doing me a favor by being here?”
“This is a good time to remind you that I don’t owe you shit,” I bite back, and I don’t care how harsh I sound, trying to tell myself that the step she takes back is a good thing. “Keep that in mind, sweetheart. You need me more than I need you.”
“Oh, that’s rich,” she snarls, motioning at the bags at her feet. “Especially considering I’m the one with all our supplies.”
“Yeah, well,” I place a hand on my rifle, my next words venomous as they leave my mouth, “I’m the one with the gun.”
Even in the dark, with the moon as our only light, I can see her eyes widening.
“I’m going to start the fire.” I stride past her to gather some rocks. “If you want to make yourself useful, anchor the tent into the ground. A gust of wind could knock that thing down.”