AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I take one last look around and clench my jaw as my eyes fall on the mattress. We knew our time here was coming to an end, but fuck, I didn’t want it to be like this.
Shaking my head, I head back out, my eyes falling on Salem and Oz, who are right where I left them. When she spots me, she moves forward, but I shake my head.
“I have what we need. There’s no need to come up here. We need to head out.”
She looks at the plane and swallows. The irony that she felt safe here isn’t lost on me. It speaks volumes about the danger she was in before we crash-landed.
I jump down and open the zipper of my bag, retrieving what I’m looking for before I zip it up and slide it on my shoulder.
“I know you’ve walked a lot today. And I know you need a rest, but can you hold on a little longer?”
She nods even though there are dark circles under her eyes, and she looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders.
“Let Oz carry you for a little while,” I murmur to her softly.
She shakes her head. “I’m okay.”
Oz wraps his hand around the back of her neck, turning her to look up at him. “You remember when we left the dungeon? How we carried you out on our backs. You didn’t slow us down, Salem, and you know it. You probably weigh less than the pack Zig is carrying.”
She hesitates for a second before nodding. “Okay, but if it gets too much, just tell me.”
Oz nods even though it’s bullshit. He’d carry her until his legs gave out if he had to. I wait as he squats so that she can climb on. Once she’s on his back and he has a good grip on her, he stands and nods at me.
“What’s the plan?”
I lead them away from the plane. “We have to head back the way we came.”
Salem whimpers and shakes her head.
“I know you don’t want to, Salem. I don’t either, but we know there is no other water source close enough. And sticking to what we’re familiar with gives us an advantage.”
“But what if whoever did that comes back?”
I reach over and wipe her tears before laying out the truth, no matter how brutal the honesty is. “There is nothing there for them to come back for.”
She flinches as if I struck her.
Oz curses my name, but I focus solely on Salem. “Most of the men and women in that village were older. None of them were in their prime, so I can’t see them going out hunting every day. Also, some of the things they owned were things from the city. They were trading with someone else, even if the trade was for favors. If we want to find another village, it’s best to head back that way.”
“The fire will draw attention,” Oz states.
I nod. “Attention means people. It’s not ideal, Oz, but we need to get the fuck out of here, so if you have a better idea, I’m all ears.”
He clenches his jaw but shakes his head.
“All we have right now is an impossible situation and bad ideas.”
“Fuck,” Oz curses, adjusting Salem. “Let’s go, but keep your eyes open.”
Oz takes the lead while I cover their backs. When we get closer to the village, I’ll switch our positions.
Once we’re clear of the plane, I call out for them to wait. I hold up my hand so Oz can see what’s in it. The crazy bastard laughs at me. Though perhaps I shouldn’t consider him the crazy one when I’m the one with the grenade.
“What are you doing?” Salem asks as she lifts her head to look at me over Oz’s shoulder.
“Creating a distraction.” I pull out the pin with my teeth and spit it to the ground.
Her eyes widen when she sees what I have. “You said that was fake.”
