Page 14 of Shattered Love

“Now?” Mina squeaked, looking out the small kitchen window to where the stars littered the dark sky.

Standing up, I set my dishes in the sink, agreeing with Warner. “Now is the best time. It’s a two-day walk if we keep to the night.”

No one disagreed this time. We all knew the dangers that awaited us in the daylight. The guards may be easier to spot, but so were we. It was best if we kept to the shadows.

Warner handed Sasha and me both a bag, the two of us saying our goodbyes. Then the three of us were off, traipsing down the dirt road that led from the cottage and to a larger road that would eventually lead into town.

Sasha walked slightly behind us while I struggled to keep up with Warner’s long strides, but I wanted to talk to him and this may be one of the few moments I was able to do so.

“You could have told them about the gun,” I started, and Warner loosed an amused chuckle.

“I don’t know these people. Why should I tell them anything?” He looked to me with a raised brow, probably expecting me to not have an answer.

“Maybe because they’re helping to keep you alive,” I deadpanned, bringing another chuckle to Warner’s lips.

“Maybe you’re right. Doesn’t mean I trust them.”

“Right. Let me guess, trusting no one is the practical thing?” I couldn’t keep the irritation out of my voice. I wasn’t asking Warner to become best friends with us, but the least he could do was try a little more to be a part of the group. I knew how it felt to be on the outside and it wasn’t great.

“I never said I trusted no one,” Warner said, his voice hinting at exactly who he did trust. Too bad for him, I didn’t believe it.

“Are you saying you trust me?” I asked with disbelief, glancing up at his face and nearly tripping over a rock in the road.

Warner’s grip caught me, pulling me close until I had to arch my neck to look up at him. “I’m saying, if it were up to me, you would have been off that couch the day you woke up.”

Releasing me once I was steady, he bent down until his face was inches from mine. “Don’t let them forget that you’re tougher than you look.”

Backing away, the two of us began walking once again, my steps slowing until I was side by side with Sasha, not sure what to say to the man ahead of me. I wanted to tell him that they were only protecting me, the same way I would protect them.

But the more I toiled over his words, I realized he was right. I couldn’t let them forget that I had been through horrors they hadn’t. However, because of those terrors, I would never be angry at their protection.

But I was stronger than before. They could protect me as much as they wanted, as long as I was allowed to stand on my own two feet, fighting beside them.

Chapter Eight

My hand ran over dust that had collected on the kitchen counters of the abandoned house we currently hid out in. We had made it into town by walking throughout the entire night, never once stopping, only taking a rest now that the sun was out.

Sasha was down the hall, resting in one of the bedrooms. Warner had urged me to do the same while he kept watch, but my mind was too wired, my body tired of lying around.

I had already peeked in all the cabinets and pantry, but to no avail, everything had been emptied. Who knew if it was by the owners of the house or the corrupt government that had corralled this town into that camp like cattle.

Moving from the kitchen, I walked down the short hallway into the living room. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Warner, leaning against the front door, his eyes cast out the nearby window. He stood still as a statue, his chest moving subtly with each breath.

Letting him be, I took in the living room. Quilts were haphazardly thrown across the couch, a singular pillow resting next to the couch, as if pushed off in a hurry. I sat on the couch, imagining the family that had been here.

I didn’t have to imagine too hard, from this spot, not only was the television directly in my line of sight but also a large canvas photo. Six smiling faces stared back at me. The older man in the photo had his arm wrapped around the woman to his left, his other hand resting on the oldest boy's shoulder. Two young girls stood in front of their mother, her hands holding both of theirs.

Their smiles blinded me. In another world, the photo may have made me smile. But now, an ache formed in my chest. Rubbing the spot, I stood back up, turning away from the photo, my gaze falling instead on stern features.

Warner’s blank stare penetrated through me, but he didn’t say a word. The silence stretched between us until I could take no more.

“Do you think they’re dead?” I asked him on a whisper.

He didn’t need to ask who I was speaking about. “If they aren’t, they will be in a few months.”

He said it so simply. As if there was no other option. The ache in my chest blossomed, spreading to my head. How could we just accept this?

“Is that what you’re planning on doing? Dying in a few months?”

---