AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They were both out of the tent, dressed, and packed within ten minutes. They consulted the map. And then Hammer and Charlie made their way out of the clearing.
Hammer had healed some, but Charlie still moved faster than he did. She was moving with more purpose too. It seemed that she understood the situation as plainly as he did.
After they had left their makeshift camp behind by several miles, they slowed. Charlie fell into step with Hammer.
“So you’ve always loved things from the past.” Hammer referred to the previous conversation. “But you could have become a historian or an archivist.”
Charlie let out a huff of laughter.
“I definitely could have,” she replied. “And I definitely thought about it.” There was a certain reverence in her voice as she continued speaking. “But considering how I dug up my parent’s hydrangeas when I was five years old, I thought my current position would be the better fit.”
When Hammer consulted the map again, he realized they were only a few miles away from a village.
“What about you, though?” Charlie asked him, holding her hand out to him.
He took it, allowing her to pull him forward.
“What was your childhood like?” Her voice was very soft. Tentative.
Something inside him clinched at the slight apprehension in her voice.
“My childhood was good.” His voice cracked, and Hammer winced. “But then, my father died. He was a soldier, and he was killed in enemy action.”
“Oh, my God.” The horror in Charlie’s voice was tangible. “I am so sorry. What about your mother?”
“Hmm.” He had not expected it to hurt as much as it did. Talking about the past. “My mother and sister died in a bomb blast.”
He had not been there when it happened, but Hammer could picture it clearly as though he had been.
“There was a bomb in a car on the street where we sold our handmade products. When it went off, they were caught in it.”
Without waiting, Charlie stopped and then pulled him into a tight hug.
He sagged against her, letting her cradle him. And even though she was ten inches shorter than him, she managed his weight.
“I’m okay now,” he said. But his voice cracked again. “I mean. … I’m better.”
“No, you’re not,” she retorted hotly. Then she pulled away. “But I’m here, so you will be.”
Did that mean she planned on staying?Hammer asked himself. The dragon inside him purred again.
“Umm, we’re about a mile away from this village.” He tapped the map. “We can stop there and rest. And get proper showers.”
“I’d kill for a shower right now,” she murmured. He couldn’t help agreeing. He felt sticky and uncomfortable. “And proper food.”
“Another half mile,” he said with as much encouragement as he could muster. The wound on his arm had scabbed over, but it was still uncomfortable. “Then you can have all the food you want.”
As they reached the crest of another hill, they saw the village in the distance. It was tiny and quaint. But large enough to settle in for at least one night.
Hammer heard voices as they passed through a field filled with tall trees. Male voices having a heated argument.
He slowed, pulling Charlie behind him instinctively. The voices had no particular accent, completely neutral.
Charlie had just heard the voices, too, and turned to him in alarm. He lifted a finger to his lips and pulled her behind a tree.
He could not tell what the argument was about. But then the voices fell away, leaving them in silence.
What the hell just happened?Hammer thought frantically. The silence was thick and eerie. So thick that he could not hear anything else. He could not hear the scurry of animals. He could not hear the sway and whistle of wind ripping through trees.
