Page 29 of Dead By Dusk

I have to remind myself to keep distance between him and I. It’s irritating to say the least as I had assumed it would be easy to ignore those deceitful blue eyes. Instead, I’m finding it harder and harder with each step that we take. With each whispered word between him and Carmen as they walk in front of me. She doesn’t speak much, but she listens. She nods her head every so often and makes the most sparse eye contact I’ve ever seen.

Almost like she’s just as wary of him as I am, though she’s been more kind and accepting than I have. He doesn’t look back at me like I expected, but instead stays close to her in a protective manner, one that is more than appreciated at the moment. I continue to look around and notice the way Nathaniel keeps hesitantly looking back at the pair in front of me.

He walks near the front, just slightly behind Adonis’ imposing form taking the lead. I can’t tell what brims behind his features each time he looks back, but it appears to be something akin to suspicion, resentment and…envy? Though, I’m not sure if that can be correct. Not when I scour my brain for memories in which Nathaniel resides, but find only the ones in which he spars with Ronan. Nothing that could link him to any of us in a way that would allow him to harbor such emotions.

Though there is one memory, a recent one in which the young woman woke, and his immediate reaction was to step to her before faltering, and I move that small movement to the forefront of my mind, as I begin to observe him closer. I may have remembered Ronan being the villain in this story, but I would be a fool to believe that he is the answer to every question we have. A fool to believe thatheis the only one lying.

Trust no one.

The warning rings through my ears as I scan the movements of each person here. Part of me wants to believe I judged Ronan too quickly…too harshly when our lives hinge on knowing the entire truth surrounding us. And he’s handled everything with a delicacy that I’m not sure could belong to someone uncaring and dishonest unless…I was wrong and that the liar came here the same as the rest of us.

Clueless to the actions that brought them here.

And if that’s the case, wouldn’t that make them more dangerous? Anger can make us do terrible, terrible things. If the liar helped bring us here just to end up in the same situation, they may not just blame themselves, but everyone else as well. They may feel as if they’re blameless, victims of everyone’s actions and not just their own.

Either way, I know that I need to tread carefully and be mindful to not say too much to anyone. After taking in oursurroundings, I look back to my companions and think back to the brief encounters I’ve had with them thus far.

Though Adonis carries himself with such rage and uncertainty, a permanent scowl etched onto his face and an air of confidence surrounds him at any given moment. Being around him feels like burning alive, so much so I’m not sure how he himself has not turned to ash with the fire that lies beneath. This itself feels like it should be a warning to stay away. This man looks just as dangerous as Iknowhe is. I’ve felt power in each blow, and even after days of no food and water, there’s not a single hit that landed without purchase. Not a single blow that didn’t feel intentional. And that’s with me being fully aware of the fact that he was holding back.

Nathaniel, who appeared to be calm, settled, with almost a leader type of presence in the beginning, has wavered with his emotions. I fear that at any given moment, he puts on a different mask, one he thinks fits best. His emotions are hard to read, and I only get a real sense of who he is when he’s unguarded. I’m acutely aware that out of everyone here, he’s the one I remember the least about, though I can’t be too entirely sure, especially when he doesn’t feel like a strange presence as much as he feels like someone who would have been a constant. A confidante.

Then there’s Ronan.Blue.The one I know had something to do with this regardless of how wrong it feels. The one who speaks to me in soul ties and pretty lies. I fear that if I lived with him and knew him in the most intimate of ways and was still betrayed, who I am now may not be able to detect his deceit either. I may not know for sure until it’s too late. Though I suppose it may already be given that I have no fucking idea what I’m doing or where we truly go from here. We go to the house and then what? There’s only one unchecked room. One room that seems sealed shut so tight we may never be able to enter.One door thatwill begetting demolished if it gives us even a chance of the answers we’ve been robbed of.

Tearing myself away from my thoughts, I bring myself back to reality enough just in time to notice the fist Adonis holds up, the quiet turn of his body as he holds a finger to his lips, a signal to still and silence all movements.

We all do as he requests and look around. Listen to the way some of the branches of nearby trees brush against each other in small scratching noises, the bark falling to the ground in long sweeps through the air. But in the distance, I can hear it.

The slight, unmistakable crunch of footsteps.

We’re all taking defensive stances, grabbing whatever weapon we have on us in a given moment. Me, with my small hatchets, the boys all holding their respective daggers and then there’s Carmen holding a staff with a shaky grip. All ready for whatever it is that waits for us.

My head is still killing me from yesterday’s fights, my body aches from the near-constant exertion, begging me to just stop and rest.

But I can’t.

Shoulder to shoulder, we all wait with shallow breaths, listening for any more movement. Maybe twenty seconds pass before we hear another twig snapping and leaves crunching. Carmen is adjusting her grip on the staff, her sweaty palms slipping, we here more rustling and—

A rabbit. A rather large one that now has a blade through it courtesy of Nathaniel releasing it as soon as it appeared from behind a large tree. There’s a collective sigh of relief as most of us relax our stances, but Adonis and Ronan continue to stare out into the mass of bark and greenery like they’re not quite convinced. I see their caution, and suddenly I’m gripping my weapons a little tighter.

It isn’t until Nathaniel starts walking toward the small animal and semi-cheerily talking about dinner in a glass half full type of way that I see movement just beyond him. Black that is a stark contrast in comparison to his red hair, the golden light, and the greenery around him.

My eyes grow wide as I find myself yelling at everyone to duck or hide while throwing my body over his. Our bodies collide and roll onto the ground just in time to hear a sharpwhizzas a starblade passes us before lodging into a nearby tree.

Our bodies roll twice before they stop, and I grab onto the collar of his shirt and yank him up with wide eyes and whisper, “Axe. Now.”

My eyes glance to the left where I released both my hatchets in our fall so as to not accidentally kill him.

He quickly grabs one and hands it to me. I roll over one more time to ensure I’m completely covered by the trunk of a tree and listen for any and all movement. My head is pounding just as hard as my heart, but I remind myself to breathe. In and out as deep as I can until it feels less like the bass of a drum and more like small waves washing over me, until I can finally hear something other than the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Leaves crunching is all I hear, all I think any of us can probably hear, though the only one of us that I’m able to see at the moment is Nathaniel. His eyes are as wide as mine were mere moments ago, though he keeps his brows furrowed, peering up at me like my whole existence is questionable from where he’s seated behind his respective tree. I slowly begin to round the tree, quiet as death itself. As I do, I’m able to see the unfamiliar man crossing the threshold between both trees.

I stay low and, in an instant, swipe at his calves, watching the man yell out in pain and surprise as he falls to the ground. He attempts to catch himself with his hands. He can’t though. The long blade of a machete stops his attempt, doing nothingmore than redirecting itself straight into his mouth, through his throat. And as his full weight lands onto the ground, the blade pushes its way through his neck.

His death seemed quick, probably only painful for the brief moment the weapon first entered him. Though I can only imagine how frightening it must have been. How time most likely slowed in those seconds. How fear probably took hold of him as he could do nothing to stop the gruesome and bloody fate that quickly descended upon him. Or, more accurately, him upon it.

I stare in what I’m sure has to be disappointment as blood pools around his head, and the others gather around, grimaces on most of their faces.

“Well, I feel that even though it was effective, there may have been a better way,” Nathaniel says slowly, disgust a picture painted on his freckled pale face. “We may have been able to get information out of him.”

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