Page 54 of The General's Captive
Fuck, I just didn’t know!
“Alex!” I looked up the second I saw Tiffany heading towards me, I plastered on a smile, the only truth in it was knowing that she had escaped with her life. That out of all those faces of the dead that I had refused to look at when running from the base one hadn’t belonged to her.
“Tiff!” I shouted in return as we embraced the relief in our hug one we both felt coming from the other.
“Thank god you made it.” I said making her wince.
“I wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for Aster.” She told me. The memory of the way he caught her when she fell from that tower was one that would be forever engrained in my memory. It had been nothing short of heroic making me wonder where he was and prompting me to ask,
“Where is he, I haven’t seen him around and well he’s pretty hard to miss.” I joked, one that didn’t register, and I soon knew why when her pretty eyes glassed over.
“He saved me, got me to one of the trucks just as a Chimera attacked.” I gasped knowing too well what he must have faced.
“Oh shit.”I uttered, hoping it wasn’t what I thought.
“Yeah, he fought it and…” she said stopping herself with a shake of her head as if there was something she didn’t want to admit.
“What?”
“He just didn’t make it.” She finished off, sadness and something else I couldn’t place tainting her usual happy tone. Her naturally upbeat nature taking a hit and adding to my guilt. I winced hearing this as I liked the guy and I know that she did as well.
“I’m so sorry Tiff.” I said pulling her in for another hug.
“I want to go back.” She admitted like a few people I had spoken to today had also said, as this seemed to be the general consensus.
“Well let’s hope when the scouts get back they say it’s safe to do so.” She nodded at this but then one of the kids called Jesse started calling her name.
“I better go I promised them we would play hide and seek.” I paled at that making her laugh.
“Don’t worry, I gave them strict rules it’s basically only hiding in the main building.” I wiped my forehead in a dramatic way,
“Phew.” This made her laugh before running off to join in the fun and the mammoth task of trying to keep kids entertained and their minds off the reason we were here in the first place. Again, that pang of guilt assaulted me.
As for Riley, he had left to speak to the train guy to see how long it would take him to get the thing moving, something about a part they needed for the breaks. Hence why when I walked over to them I did so midway into their conversation,
“Basically, the braking is provided by a mechanism that is similar to a car drum brake, an air-powered piston pushes a pad against the outer surface of the train wheel and…” the new guy stopped talking when Riley saw me and excused himself. The older guy with a long beard and a Harley t shirt chuckled to himself muttering,
“Young love eh.” He said nudging Volkov who smirked at us.
“Hey.” I mustered making Riley hook me under my chin when I didn’t look at him directly.
“You look tired why not go get some rest.” He suggested his hand now cupping my cheek which slipped when I nodded.
“I just can’t stop thinking that maybe I shouldn’t be…” at this he pulled me further away from the others and next to a colourful storage shed that was half spray painted with even more colourful language.
“Stop Alex.” He said softly.
“But after what you said I can’t put these people at risk.” I argued.
“Fuck but I wish I never said anything.” He admitted angrily, but I knew it wasn’t aimed at me but more himself.
“I am glad you did, although I wish you had sooner.” I admitted, needing him to understand.
“Why, you would have snuck off in the middle of the night without a word?” he asked angrily making me sigh,
“That’s not fair.”
“No, you’re right, that wouldn’t have been.” He snapped in reply making me frown up at him.
