Page 29 of Through The Woods

I laughed weakly, shaking off the negative thoughts. “It’s just a little infection. I’m not dying, man.”

Charm’s jaw ticked and he held my gaze for a moment longer than necessary. “Then you shouldn’t have any trouble holding up your end of the bargain.”

He looked like he wanted to say more, but instead, stalked out of the room.

I sighed and leaned back against the pillows. I probably should’ve milked this long enough to get out of cooking and cleaning—at least for tomorrow, but there was something about Charm.

I knew he expected me to fail—to relapse and ruin everything. Something about knowing that made me want to prove him wrong.

I wanted him to have to eat his words.

I needed him to...because I didn’t have a plan B. This had to work out until I could figure out what to do with my life.

Obviously, going back to Clint was not an option. And my parents...I couldn’t think about that right now.

I was going to have to make this biker my friend.

End of story.

Fir tree

I woke with a start, my body coated in a fine sheen of sweat and I couldn’t tell if it was the sound of motorcycles or the nightmare that had pulled me back to consciousness. I lay still and listened as the rumble from the bikes gradually faded into white noise.

I wanted to go back to sleep, but my mind was restless.

I couldn’t stay cooped up in this room, regardless of what Doc recommended. The IV tubing ran from my hand up to an almost empty bag. Trying not to cause any damage, I pulled off the tape and gently removed the needle, before slipping out of bed.

I pulled on the sweatshirt that Charm had loaned me the day before and my shoes before creeping silently down the hallway. I felt like a felon breaking out of prison, alternating between elation to be out of my room and an intense fear of being discovered.

Once outside, I leaned against the side of the lodge and breathed a sigh of relief. The crickets chirped, but otherwise, everything remained still. I realized three steps into my journey that I didn’t have a flashlight or any way of knowing if I was headed in the correct direction.

I kept picturing myself reaching the stone ledge and walking right off of it because I was flying blind.

Just in case, I kept my hands outstretched in front of me as I continued taking cautious steps forward. Just when I was convinced that I was going in the wrong direction, I saw a small light glowing up ahead. I took another couple of steps forward and the light swung around in my direction. It was the glowing ember from a cigarette. I tried to back away, but the person moved too quickly.

“Running away already?”

I didn’t recognize the voice, but refused to cower. I held my chin high, even though I knew that he couldn’t see me. “I needed some fresh air.”

The ember bobbed up and down as the man nodded. “Get that way sometimes myself. Twitch.” A hand bumped mine and I instinctively shook it.

“Neve.”

“Heard a lot about you—got Charm all twisted, that’s for sure.” He laughed as he said it, even as I cringed. I guess it was no secret that their Prez was not a big fan of mine.

I sighed. “Yeah. In my defense, I never asked to be rescued though.”

Twitch laughed again before blowing out a ring of smoke that was just becoming visible in the early morning light. “You’re alright with me, kid.” He gestured back toward the ledge. “Care to sit?”

I was going to decline when I realized that I had nowhere else to go. “Sure.”

He took my hand and led me up onto the rock where we sat quietly, waiting on the sun to make an appearance.

“Do you come out here often?”

He took another slow drag before replying. “Every once in a while. Seeing the sun rise—it’s a nice reminder.”

The sky lightened a little more and I could see that his hands were trembling. I pressed. “A reminder of what?”

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