Page 66 of The General's Captive
All my dreams before were of my own making and since he had taken over them, they had become far too real for comfort. The way I could still feel his hands on me… A touch that still lingered long after reality returned… I wanted the memory of his hands on my body to sicken me. But the truth was that it didn’t, and shame filled me because of it. And despite how much I fought against him in my dreams, a dark, secret part of me also craved it.
Craved for more dreams of him.
But I didn’t understand why I would feel this way about the enemy. I had no answers, just a lot of self-loathing that wasn’t enough to get me to stop. The guilt I felt because I knew that he had Riley held captive, and yet here I was, still obsessing about The General. It was unforgivable.
Even now, as I drove Riley’s truck toward where he was being kept, in Boise of all places… well, it was enough to have me gripping the steering wheel hard with frustration. Because as soon as I woke up, it had been all about putting plans into action. And seeing for myself that Michaels was a man of his word, I walked out the office to see just that. People were being loadedinto the buses and filing into cars, all of them eager to return to what they considered home.
As for me, I had jumped into Riley’s truck with Tiffany, Volkov, and Jenkins, who had her usual bag of medical supplies she never travelled without. And a good job too, because after this last attack, there had been more than a fair share of injuries for her to treat. I had no doubt she was as eager as the others were to return to her infirmary, where she would be able to do so much more. Although technically, she was a trained nurse, she had been acting as our doctor for a while now. And she certainly knew her shit, that was for sure. As for the previous doctor, the one who had once treated Riley when I first arrived, he had died about a year ago of a heart attack. But not before teaching Jenkins everything he knew, and thank God for that.
At the Jerome base, it was all hands-on deck, and people got to work. The gate had been first on everyone’s list because the walls had fared well, with only a few minor repairs needed.
So, after helping as much as I could, I grabbed a well-needed shower. But no matter how much I scrubbed my dirt covered skin, it wasn’t enough to rid me of the pain from the past twenty-four hours. Which was why I ended up sliding down the tiles and holding myself on the floor, my arms shaking around my legs. I let the sound of the water hide my hopeless sobs that felt like they would never stop, because every time I closed my eyes all I saw was the sight of Riley dropping to the floor. The last of his strength leaving him and the defeat I saw in his eyes…it was too painful.
I knew he would be angry at what I was planning, because all he wanted to do was protect me, but he also knew me better than anyone. He knew that if there was even a small chance at saving him, then I would do it.
I would come for him as he would for me.
After my shower, I got myself ready, filling my trusty old backpack with everything I would need. The weight of it quickly took me back to those early days of survival. It had been my uncle’s; the same one he had tossed in the back of his truck that fateful day and what had gotten me through those first few harrowing weeks.
And now I was back there again, making my own way out in the world. But the difference now was that I knew exactly what I was up against. Which was why I was prepared, with all my tricks as The General had called them.
Well, I would show him!
I hugged Tiffany goodbye, slipping from the base before anyone else noticed. I knew I should have waited until morning because the sun had already started to set. But honestly, I was afraid of what my dreams would bring next time.
It wasn’t just The General I feared… it was my own response to him that terrified me far more.
Which made me question how I would act when I was actually in the same room with him, the barrier of my subconscious state no longer held between us. The certainty of escape always made me feel far braver than I would be when knowing it was real.
I glanced at my backpack in the seat next to me before my eyes naturally looked to the mirror, wishing to see Riley there sprawled out on the backseat like that first day. But all I saw were tears filling my eyes as I questioned what the future now held for us.
That was until something caught my attention in the front of the road. I squinted my eyes, slowing right down and leaning forward to get a better view. My foot hesitated above the brake, unsure what the best course of action was. Then, realizing just what I was looking at, I slammed my foot on the brakes hard, the seatbelt tightening hard across my chest.
I stared for a moment, unsure if I was seeing this right. I even rubbed my eyes to make sure. Then I was out of the truck and running to him.
“Aster!” I shouted.
He beamed at me, that big easy grin lighting up his eyes.
“Alex! I thought it was you!” he said, and I couldn’t help my reaction to him, taking him by surprise and hugging him.
“Are… are you real?”I asked. It was barely a whisper as the words caught in my throat, I was so happy he was still alive.
“You betcha,” he replied, and his cheeky smile brightened those startling eyes of his. But they looked like they held something more, something I couldn’t put my finger on.
My eyes roamed over that soft olive skin on his prominent cheek bones, those dark heavy brows above his forest coloured eyes, and I continued to scan for injuries, or evidence of the fight, but there was none. His straight nose was still perfectly intact, just like his flawless skin. Not a bruise in sight.
“You’re not hurt,” I stated.
“I’m pretty hard to kill,” was his answer.
“Where were you?”
His eyes hardened ever so slightly before he replied.
“I got cut off from the rest during the attack… is everyone back at the base?” he asked, looking down the road where I had come from.
“Yeah, but I’m not headed that way,” I pointed out, but this was something he had already gathered.
