AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Those people fucked him up.
I’ll do whatever it takes to bring the old Ronan back to me. It may take time, but I can be patient. Anything for my brother. Anything.
Wild is being nice.
Weird.
He’s extra nice to Sadie, which has me fighting a smile. Maybe he won’t be such an asshole if he dates a nice girl—a friend—rather than all the dumb-sounding girlfriends he brags about all the time. Sadie has been to hell and back and has a brain inside her skull.
And she killed for me and my family.
She’ll always be cool in my book.
We’ve been walking for days. It’s tiresome and stressful, but we’re all doing okay. Dakota has gone back to being his usual mouthy self. I even threatened to whip him with my belt a handful of times. I’ll never admit it aloud, but I’m happy to see him behaving like usual. Maybe Michael and his group won’t have traumatized him too badly.
Declan is another story.
My baby brother won’t go to Wild or Sadie. He clings to me every second of every day. I can’t even go to pee without him throwing a screaming fit. Considering we’re trying to be quiet, it’s not exactly helpful to have him hollering, which is why I now can’t even take a bathroom break alone.
Luckily, this new, nice Wild helped me make a harness to carry Declan in. My arms can be free while I tote him around like a backpack.
“Holy shit,” Sadie says from up ahead. “They fucked up your truck.”
Wild pretends to cry as we approach his truck that’s smashed between some trees. It’s all scratched up and looks terrible, something I failed to notice when we abandoned it. Knowing how much he loves that big metal beast, I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.
Sadie cracks up, laughing and making fun of Wild. This has me and the boys also joining in. So much for feeling bad for him.
“I still can’t believe those assholes did this,” Wild grumbles, kicking one of the flat tires. “I love this truck and it’s ruined.” He sighs heavily and shakes his head. “At least we’re getting closer. The road is just up ahead. Another few hours maybe and we’ll be there.”
Knowing home is within reach, I blink back sudden tears of happiness. Mom, Dad, and Dawson are alive. Soon, I’ll see all three of them. God, I miss them so much.
We stop a bit later, after we’re on the road, for a quick snack of eating our fill of blackberries growing wild. Declan’s face is stained purple, but he’s smiling and not crying, which is a relief.
“Are we there yet?” Dakota asks for the millionth time since we got onto the road.
Wild tousles his hair and laughs. “Dude. Does it look like we’re there yet?”
As we continue to walk, the sun begins to dip in the sky. I’m not sure exactly how far from home we are, but I hope we can make it by nightfall. I do not want to spend another night in a tent with Declan glued to my chest. Everything aches, especially my feet, but I’ll walk until morning if that means avoiding another campout.
I just want to be home.
What home?
Every time I close my eyes, I see the memory of the flames. They set our house on fire. There’s no telling what things will look like when we get back. I don’t have the heart to ask Wild.
We continue our trek even after the sun completely sets and night closes around us like a fist. It’s chilly and every sound makes us jump, but we keep going.
“Come on, Kota,” Wild grunts. “Up you go.”
He lifts Dakota into his arms and we keep moving. One foot after the other. Hour after hour.
A low growling sound has all three of us stopping short. Sadie swings the shotgun in her hands toward the sound. I ready myself to run Declan to safety if need be and hope Wild will do the same for Dakota.
A dark figure darts toward us. Sadie fumbles with the shotgun, trying to aim it at the animal, but she’s not quick enough. It pounces on me, knocking me to my ass. A shriek of terror rips from my lips until the creature starts licking my face.
Wait.
“Mage?” I say in surprise. “It’s Mage!”
