AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay,” she states simply. Even through her exhaustion, I can tell she’s not a quitter. She is determined to get through this, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help her.
“Okay,” I confirm, “walk in a straight line, I’m going to follow right behind you, keeping a lookout. If I tell you to drop, you drop to the grass and flatten yourself like a pancake. Got it?”
“Got it,” she doesn’t hesitate.
“If I tell you to run, take off as fast as you can, and do not look back, do not slow down. Run until your legs give out, or until you find the access road. It’s straight ahead. If you follow it to the right, it’ll take you to a main road eventually and you can flag down a car for help. Got it?” I ask again.
“But, what about you?” She counters, instead of agreeing.
“Don’t worry about me, you’re the one that matters.” Her eyebrows pinch together like she isn’t quite sure how to interpret what I’m saying.
“I’ve trained for things like this. I know you don’t know me, but my goal is to make sure you are safe. If we get separated, I’ll find you. If you get out of these woods and I don’t, my name is Nathan Wolfe.” I pause, clarifying, “So, you can look up my obituary online.”
Her mouth drops open, dumbfounded by what I just said. It seems harsh to a civilian but I’ve accepted the risk of death a long time ago. I’ve had my affairs in order since I was 18 years old. I’d rather risk my life to save someone than anyone being forced to give up their life due to circumstances they didn’t ask for.
She didn’t ask for any of this to happen to her, the choice was forced onto her. I made my choice by helping her. As soon as I saw her laying on the river bank with a gun pointed to her head, the decision was made and I immediately shifted into active defense mode. I was ready to be who she needed at that moment- a sworn soldier, a protector, a defender. Whatever it takes to save an innocent life.
Chapter Seven
Callie
I cannot comprehend the selflessness of this man, Nathan, he said his name is Nathan. In contrast to how my day started, it doesn’t seem real that this stranger would be willing to give his life to save mine. I feel like I have emotional whiplash. I am not cut out for such an adventurous life, the high and lows in such a short span of time is making my head spin.
“Can you do that? Can you run if I tell you to?” He asks again, not an inkling of worry in his voice.
“Yeah,” I mumble, “I will.” If I was a child I’d have my fingers crossed behind my back. As worn out as I am and as ready as I am to be out of these woods, no part of me could live with myself if I left him behind.
“Okay, go ahead and start walking, I’ve got your back,” he tells me, confidently, making me believe that he truly does have my back. I don’t have the words to explain how grateful I am that he’s here with me. So, with one more deep breath, I brace my arms on the log, using it to push my body up. I’m not sure that I would have been able to stand up on my own.
Every part of me aches. My legs are shaking so badly that I think my knees are going to buckle. My shoes feel like they’re filled with concrete. My feet are miserably wet and cold. I take a second to stabilize myself, but Nathan follows my lead, standing up behind me, still facing the river bank.
“When you’re ready,” he encourages, his deep voice steadying me.
I start walking, and even though my joints feel like they need to be greased, I try to keep a steady pace. The soft crunch of the dry grass is the only indication that Nathan’s walking behind me, matching me step for step. He’s right there but I still can’t help feeling exposed walking through this open field. I wrap my arms around myself trying to fake some sense of security.
“Almost there,” I whisper more to myself than to him. A couple more steps and I’m enveloped into the trees. I exhale deeply, not realizing I had been holding my breath. I brace both of my hands on a tree and hang my head, trying to regulate my breathing.
“Still no sign of them, I think we’re in the clear,” Nathan says from the edge of the tree line. He slings his rifle over his shoulder and turns to look at me. We make eye contact but neither of us says anything at first, letting everything that has happened sink in. I finally notice that he’s wearing head-to-toe camouflage. That paired with the rifle makes me realize he’s a hunter. A random hunter in the middle of nowhere saved my life.
I’m overwhelmed with emotion, the day taking its toll on me. I have to squeeze my eyes shut to keep myself from crying, again. “Thank you, I don’t think I could’ve made it out of that field alive if it weren’t for you,” I manage to say through trembling lips.
“Nah you didn’t need me, you would have made it. I just couldn’t let you have all the fun.” He responds, smirking at me almost nervously, finally breaking his hard facade.
I am about to crumble and this man is attempting to make a joke. I can’t help it, I start to laugh. The kind of laugh that has me doubled over bracing my hands on my knees. This is ridiculous, this whole day. I can’t decide if I’m the unluckiest person alive for being taken in the first place, or the luckiest person alive for running into Nathan when I did.
“I’m Callie by the way,” I say after I finish laughing, immediately feeling depleted of all my energy again.
“It’s nice to meet you, Callie.” He scrunches his forehead after he says it, probably realizing how that sounds after meeting under these circumstances. He rubs his hand through his short dark hair, contemplating. “You know what I mean,” he says with a shrug. This conversation is clearly not easy for him.
I stand there, not knowing what to do next. I should be more assertive, taking control of my destiny and all that, but I think I’m okay with Nathan taking the lead. At least until I’m not so exhausted. Whenever that will be.
“My 4-wheeler is about a mile out, we can take that back to my cabin and get you dry. Then I can get you in touch with the authorities in town, they need to know what happened.” He watches me, trying to gauge my reaction. To which part I’m not sure, but I am mostly stuck on the fact that I have to walk another mile.
“I… I don’t know if I can…” I don’t finish my thought.
“Listen, I know you don’t know me but I promise I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You’re safe with me.”
I realize that he thinks my hesitation is about going back to his cabin with him, which makes sense, but I’ve already resigned that he means me any harm. I know that logically it is stupid for me to trust him after knowing him for all of two seconds, but his actions have driven home that he is a good person. A bad person wouldn’t have done all that he has done for me. He risked a lot if he only planned to hurt me in the end. Then again, maybe he has nothing to lose.
