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Eli was about to make a break for it when Ali grabbed him by the sleeve of his jacket.
"What are you doing?" she screamed at him.
"What does it look like I'm doing, Ali? Let me go. We can't leave them." He tried to jerk his arm free but she held fast. "Ali, let me go!"
"Eli! You're going to get yourself killed!"
He yanked free and moved out of reach when she scrambled to grab him again.
"Eli, please get back here," she pleaded with him from the edge of the tree line, her face crumpling when he didn’t obey. Her hands balled into fists. Only the falling snow obscured him from enemy eyes. "Don't do this."
"I'm not letting Andus fall without a fight." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "You should stay here." There was a high likelihood he wouldn’t return. No need for her to endanger herself, too.
He pulled out his knife. It wasn’t much, but it was all he had. He might have the element of surprise, too. The invaders weren’t expecting anyone to attack from outside of the town.
"Eli, please!"
God damnit, Ali.
She was right behind him. So much for staying put. “Just give me a minute,” she said. She had one hand on her hip and the other on her head, trying to find a way out of this.
Eli waited expectantly, his patience wearing thin as the battle raged on.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "They're all at the main entrance. We can jump the fence near the farms and get in that way. Follow me. Hurry!"
They stomped through the thick snow, taking the long way around this time. Eli had never been to the farms before. It hadn’t even occurred to him that there might be another entrance than the one they used every day. It was his fault they’d wasted precious time. Thankfully, Ali's mom had worked on the farms, so she was familiar with the route to get inside from when she’d tagged along as a child.
They made their way to the fence made of logs and mesh wiring. It was taller than he’d expected, almost taller than he was. He interlocked his hands and made a step for Ali. she took the boost and climbed the fence with ease. It was a long jump from the top, but she hopped down without fear. Her bravery was admirable, or maybe she was just too preoccupied to be scared. He placed one foot on a log and then another, pulling himself up over the top, and dropped beside her.
They ran along the rows of crops and through various sheds filled with pigs and chickens. The intruders hadn’t gotten this far yet, and it was eerily quiet except for the livestock. Ali made a hard right turn into one of the sheds.
“What are you—”
Eli didn’t have time to finish his sentence. It was immediately clear why she’d stopped. This shed was full of tools and equipment. There were some disturbingly long knives used for slaughter. She grabbed a couple and handed him two as well, one for each hand. These would work much better than his pocketknife.
“Ready?” he asked her as she pulled her loose hair back into a ponytail.
“Ready.” The fear she’d displayed earlier in the forest was completely gone. This woman was brave and fierce. It amazed Eli how she could turn it on and off like a switch. Meanwhile, his hands were still shaking.
They treaded carefully, sneaking peeks around the corners of buildings and rubble. It wasn’t long before they ran into an intruder. He faced the opposite direction and didn't see them initially. Eli hesitated for one moment, realizing that he’d never killed anyone, but another scream in the distance sent rage surging through him. He lunged without another thought and sliced into the man’s back. The man grunted and crumpled to the ground, blood oozing from his wound.
Eli’s entire body shook from adrenaline. Ali brushed her hand down his arm, and he clenched his jaw. He didn’t have time to process this. They were still under attack.
They rounded another corner, and this time there were two men. They sauntered out of an empty house, hands full of stolen belongings. Eli ran toward them without hesitation this time. He turned his brain off and let his instincts take the lead. He slashed the first one across the leg and plunged his knife into the man’s stomach. But the second was quick to respond. He dropped his possessions and grabbed Eli by the throat from behind. Eli couldn’t breathe. His throat was being squeezed so tightly. He yanked with all his might on the man’s arm, but it was no use. He threw his hands back wildly, swinging to hit the man, but every swing was a miss. His lungs were on fire and blackness crept into the edges of his eyes. He was going to pass out.
It can’t end like this. I have to fight harder than this.
He couldn’t give up after only killing two men. That wasn’t enough of a stand.
Through the muffled noise and scuffling, he heard Ali scream with rage. The chokehold was released and Eli inhaled sharply, oxygen filling his lungs. His hands instinctively went to his neck. It felt as though the man’s hands were still there, even though they weren’t. He turned around and looked down. The man was bleeding profusely from his neck and Ali stood over him in a state of shock, blood splattered across her front and covering her knife.
“Ali, it’s okay. Ali, you’re all right.” Eli closed the gap between them, and she shivered in his arms. “You did what you had to do. You saved me.”
Her chest expanded as she took deep, self-soothing breaths. He took her face in his hands, examining her. Her eyes were blank, like she was locked in a daydream. He brushed his thumbs across her cheeks and her eyelids fluttered closed. After a couple more deep breaths, she opened her eyes again and they had a new glisten to them.
Please don’t cry. Not right now.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting…I don’t know what I was expecting,” she said slowly and softly.
