Page 39 of He Will Always Love Me

I think I’m afraid, deep down, that whatever’s at odds with us has already won. The fear that we’re walking to a fate pre-decided for us long ago makes me desperate to try anything that can change it.

“I’m sure we can salvage one or two on the way,” I tell him, folding up our pallet and stuffing it into my bag.

It’s the unsaid words that rule us now. The shy glances that mean ‘I’ll miss you’ and the reluctant return stares that say ‘I don't want you to go.’ Yet we sneak out of the schoolhouse together in the sunshine. Snow still clings to the shadowy corners of Armstrong, adding a stark glare to our walk as we trudge on, at odds and yet united.

Somewhere in the silence, I slide my fingers into his, a signal that I hope he reads as my trust in him, even though we disagree. Honestly, there’s just no way to go into this and know the outcome. Our fate lies in the hands of great forces at work, and we’re simply caught in the crosshairs of what will be.

“Any idea of where they may have gone?” I ask, looking up at his towering figure.

“We’ll have to go back to the most recent camp base and look for signs of which way they headed.” It’s easier said than done.

We step out into what used to be Main Street, but the sign has been blackened over with paint. They all have. Even street signs are casualties in this war. Thankfully I grew up here, and there are markers even the Coalition doesn’t know about.

“I don’t know how to get back there,” he admits, looking at a four-way stop.

“Tell me about base camp. Were there any buildings in the area? That kind of thing.”

“It was a small farm where they had us set up. With a large white silo and a red barn.” Bingo.

“That’s Greer’s tree farm,” I say, taking a left down the unnamed street. The Coalition set up concrete blocks, upturned hover cars, and anything else they could piece together to direct all foot traffic straight through town. It’s dangerous, but it's the only way to Greer’s.

“We set foot traps through here,” Revnan bends down, showing me the lines of the traps. Now that I know what to look for, thousands come into focus.

“Fuck, you did,” I say, my jaw agape. “How are we supposed to get through this?”

“One step at a time.” He looks cocksure, and it's a good thing, too. He takes the first step, wobbling slightly.

“Careful.” I remind him, “You’re out of practice, soldier. It's gonna be harder than you think.” But I'm dead wrong, as he rights himself a second later. He takes each agile step, holding out his hand for me to follow in his footsteps.

“Step where I step,” he says, but I don’t need telling. One wrong step and our fate is sealed. I have no intention of losing everything now that we’ve come this far. Gripping his hand for my life, I follow him step by step until we make it to the other side of the street. My shoulders drop as I begin to breathe easily again.

“Sure you want to send me back through this alone?” I try to sound casual about it, but I'm begging him to reconsider.

“I trust you’ll be safe,” he says the words, but his voice sounds unsure.

After a bit, we make it to an open field away from town where a small dirt path leads to Greer’s farm.

“This is a back road.” I point down to the farm where evidence of barracks used to be. “Look there. It looks like they went south, towards the village of Apotilu.” Looking out, the ground near the treeline has been gouged out to make room for heavy hover artillery.

We step into the field, looking for med paks, food rations, or anything left behind. When we have enough makeshift supplies, we start our trek. The sun hangs high over our heads, despite the chilly wind nipping at my ears. After a few hours, the path becomes less clear.

“They’ve dispersed throughout the area. It makes it harder for us to be tracked while moving the troops, but it makes them impossible to track. It’s getting dark, too. Are you getting hungry?”

“Yes, very.”

“Then we better try to find somewhere we can camp for the night. We need to be off this road and out of sight.”

“I may know a place.” My thoughts turn to a spot I know to be a long shot, but hey, crazier things have happened since the war began. “This way, follow me.”

CHAPTER 21

REVNAN

“Ican’t believe it’s ruined,” says Maya. “I’ve dreamed of coming here for years.”

Great shards of thick clear glass tower above us like the ruined teeth of some ice giant. I stagger, and Maya reaches out a hand to steady me.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, concern in her voice.

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