Page 15 of Shattered Home

“I have no clue. But we need to figure it out. Alessia made the very valid point that we won’t survive once winter comes. That gives us only around four months before temperatures start dropping. We have until then to figure out another plan.”

Murphy nodded in agreement before turning toward me. “What did you want to talk about?”

I was unable to answer, too caught up in the fact that I was pretty sure Rainer had, in his own way, complimented me. Or at least my line of thinking. Either way, the statement had stunned me into silence and I shook my head to gather my thoughts, remembering what I wanted to speak to them about.

“If we were being followed, would you have been able to pick up on that?” I pointed my stare toward Rainer, hoping his answer would ease my nerves.

“Someone who walked through the woods like you? Sure.” And there went my thought that last night had turned the tide in our tumultuous relationship. “But someone who knows these woods? A tracker? Not likely.”

The nerves I was hoping he could put at bay came back full force and I found myself scanning the clearing, as if an intruder was going to pop out at any moment.

“Why? Did you see someone following us?” Rainer demanded, stepping into my space, the angry glint in his eyes back, as if I had kept important information from him.

Holding up my hands, I took a step back just as Murphy stepped forward, prepared to step in front of his friend. “I didn’t see anything. I just had a bad feeling.”

Rainer’s shoulders slumped at my confession, and he shook his head. “I think it may be paranoia.”

I frowned at his words, hating that he was back to making me feel like an idiot, but this time he held up his hands in defense. “I’m not saying it’s unwarranted paranoia. You were shocked to see the town and then the gunmen. Plus, a week ago you were held at knifepoint. But given all of that, I think it makes sense that you’d be a little more on edge.”

His words made sense, but that didn’t make it any easier to shake said paranoia. Murphy seemed to sense that Rainer’s words weren’t helping, and he hooked his arm over my shoulder, pulling me into his side.

“How about we go practice your fire making? That will help take your mind off of everything.”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” I murmured, letting Murphy guide me away.

Truly, I knew that the fire making wouldn’t take my mind off of anything that had happened in the past day, let alone the past few months, but I was beginning to crave Murphy’s company. Months of self-enforced solitude could only last so long before someone began going crazy with the need for companionship.

The sun began setting as Murphy and I set up a makeshift fire, trying to light a spark to no avail, and some of my worries eased under his watchful gaze. But I couldn’t shake the thought that something bad was about to happen no matter how hard I tried.

Chapter Ten

Idon’t know what woke me from sleep, but my eyes snapped open, sensing something. Trying not to make any noticeable movements, I curled onto my side, keeping my eyes closed. After a few moments of silence, I peeked one eye open, wondering if someone had woken and was twiddling around to try to pass the time before sunrise.

From what I could see, everyone was still asleep. Mina and Sasha were curled together a few feet from me while Rainer and Murphy were across the fire, flat on their backs. I couldn’t see Emmanuel, Elizabeth, or the twins, but I didn’t hear the telltale sign of fishing gear being gathered, something Emmanuel enjoyed doing when he woke too early.

Wondering if the paranoia Rainer had insinuated was setting in, I closed my eyes once more when I heard the distinct sound of branches crunching under shoes. Snapping my eyes open once more, I easily spotted three shadows creeping into the clearing. It was too dark to make out anything more than their shapes, the fire extinguished hours ago.

My heart started beating quickly in my chest, my mind going a mile an hour as I tried to formulate a plan. I was too far away from Murphy and Rainer to draw their attention without also drawing the attention of the intruders. But they were the only ones armed.

Watching their stealthy movements, I realized these people knew what they were doing. Besides the crunch of leaves and sticks beneath their feet, they moved with silence, calculated in their steps. I couldn’t tell if they were scanning the camp, but when they moved out of view, closer to the twins and their parents, their steps stopped.

Holding my breath, I rotated once more, keeping my eyes closed. Seconds passed without any steps coming in my direction and I peered through slanted lids once more.

Stephanie was curled up in her mother’s arms, but Lucas was slightly off to the side and I watched in horror as one of the figures reached into his waistband as he stepped closer to the small body.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I realized I needed to do something. I couldn’t lie here in silence, not when it seemed I was the only one aware of what was going on. Through the darkness, I couldn’t tell if any eyes were on me, but it seemed all the figures were faced in the opposite direction, their gazes firmly planted on the small family.

Taking a deep, silent breath, I rolled onto my stomach, crawling toward the fire. I paused every few inches, hoping to avoid their detection, until I was next to the cooled embers. My hand searched the ground blindly until a sharp point nicked my finger.

I bit back a curse at the sharp blade, smoothing my hand down until the hilt of the hunting knife we used to skin the animals and fish we caught was in my palm. Gripping the knife in my hand, I continued my crawl inch by inch. The figures were blind to my movements, seeming to speak to each other in hushed whispers and focused intently on the children before them.

My breaths became heavier the closer I came, fear begging me to halt my movements. Quickly, I glanced toward Murphy and Rainer’s still forms, wishing they would wake and become aware of their surroundings. I needed one of them.

My quick glance was too long and I yelped quietly when a rough hand gripped the back of my shirt, pulling me to my feet. Memories from last week when I was held in this same position rushed through me, but instead of a cool blade pressed against my throat, there was the unmistakable barrel of a gun pressed against the side of my head.

“What do we have here?” A rough voice clucked against the back of my neck.

Squeezing my eyes shut to gather whatever courage I had left, I peeled them back open to stare at the two other intruders in front of me. Closer to them and with the slight shine of moonlight, I recognized their uniformed bodies as similar to the uniformed men from the night prior.

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