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How?
Last I remember, he was choking the fucking life out of me.
Did Rowdy or Ronan shoot him?
Gingerly, I sit up on my ass and nudge his body with my boot. He rolls onto his back, giving me a prime view of him. His arms bear many lacerations from my slashing and the wound in his ribs is extra bloody. It’s the one on his thigh that delivered his death blow. A shit ton of blood soaks his jeans and continues to leak out of him onto the forest floor.
I hit an artery.
A fatal one.
Thank fuck.
It takes a few minutes to regain my strength, but then I’m shakily standing. I take his rifle and my knife before heading back to camp. After five or ten minutes of walking, I hear something.
“Ryder!”
Rowdy’s voice can be heard off to my left. I turn, searching him out despite the lingering double vision I’m having. He’s standing over something or someone. When I reach him, he eyes me warily. Blood, most of which belonged to Michael, drenches my entire front.
“You should see the other guy,” I croak out, words a mere rasp.
He grunts and gives a small shake of his head. “This fucker is dead too.”
The body on the ground has a bullet wound through his eyeball and he too isn’t moving.
Unfortunately, it’s not Logan. It’s the other guy, Seth. Still, two down is better than none.
“We need to check on the others,” Rowdy says, gesturing for me to follow.
Our trip back to camp doesn’t take long. Trying to slide down the hill to the meadow is a lot more difficult after having the shit beat out of me, but eventually I manage with Rowdy’s help. Kristen and Ronan are waiting beside the tent, wide-eyed and nervous.
“Ryder,” Ronan cries out upon seeing me. “Fuck, are you okay?”
“Michael’s dead,” I mutter without preamble. “I’m fine.”
“Seth’s dead too,” Rowdy chimes in.
Ronan nods, relief flickering in his eyes. “I managed a shot and hit Logan.”
“I saw his blood,” I say to him. “You did good. He ran off to bleed to death.”
Kristen sighs heavily and then starts to cry. “Thank you. Thank you for saving us and killing those sickos.”
“We need to go, though,” Rowdy grunts. “If Logan did make it, I don’t want to be sitting here, waiting for when he comes back. We’ll hike back home at a breakneck pace. No resting unless absolutely necessary. No straight paths. Quietly and stealthily is our mission today.”
It doesn’t take long for us to pack up the tent and head out. Despite being covered in sticky blood, I don’t take the time to try to remove it. Eventually, we’ll run across a creek that I can wash up in. I’ll feel a lot better when we’ve put more distance between us and the bodies we left behind.
For the first couple of hours as we walk, Rowdy takes the lead with a catatonic Destiny in his arms. Ronan and Kristen walk in the middle while I bring up the rear. Though he tries to keep it discreet, I don’t miss the way Ronan frequently glances over his shoulder, scanning the woods for any would-be followers.
One day, we’ll be far away from this mess and these memories. Then, I can make sure Ronan is happy and feels safe.
He turns around once more and nearly stumbles over the brush underfoot. I reach out, snagging his arm, and hold him steady. His dark eyes meet mine, troubled and haunted.
“You’re safe,” I murmur, reminding him. Tugging him to me, I press a quick peck to his cheek near his mouth before resting my forehead on his and meeting his eyes. “I’ve got your back. I always do.”
His shoulders relax and he gives me a small smile before pulling away. “I know you do, Ry. Thank you.”
Despite my words, he doesn’t believe me. He continues to scan the area, jumps at anything that moves, and trembles when he doesn’t think anyone is looking.
