Page 389 of Rage

“Come on.” I jerk my head toward the forest and we run, sprinting like our lives depend on it.

We don’t stop at the treeline, instead we weave between giant tree trunks and maneuver through the underbrush for nearly an hour before we stop. We’re exhausted and pouring sweat, but the relief of freedom outweighs everything else.

We’re free.

Of course, there’s a chance they’ll send Peace Officers after us. They’ll want retribution. They’ll want to make a spectacle out of us, because if everyone believes they can be free, who will be left to keep their state running?

Who will feed them? Nurture them? Breed for them?

We retreat into a small cave hidden perfectly at the base of the mountains, elated to find shelter for the night. It’s small and cozy, just wide enough for Lita and I to curl up together, but it’s perfect otherwise.

I use her satchel as a pillow, and she settles into the crook of my arm with her head on my chest.

For what feels like the first time in my entire life, I relax.

I close my eyes and breathe in the sweet smell of our new life, letting it fill me to the brim. We’re not entirely out of the woods yet, and we have a lot of work ahead of us, but in this moment—this slice of perfection we’ve managed to find ourselves in—I finally have a name for the feeling I get when I’m with Lita.

It doesn’t exist in Merik, but out here in the wilderness, away from Peace Officers and the High Majesty’s rule, it makes sense.

I’mhome.

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