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The men moved and picked up Eli’s body, one man carrying him by the shoulders and another carrying his feet. They watched as they disappeared into the woods and out of sight.
Nik held her in his arms while she shivered. He was afraid to speak, afraid to move. If he disrupted this delicate balance, she might have a full breakdown. For now, she was safe in his arms.
He saw that look in her eyes as she stood in the river. It was the look of someone who had given up. He’d looked into her eyes and only saw hollowness and it rattled him to his core. He’d seen many dreadful things in his life and none had terrified him more than that empty chasm.
A spark lit just as she decided to step out of the water.
Over time, her breathing steadied and he could no longer hear the sniffles or feel the shuddering of her cries.
“We should keep moving,” he whispered against her hair. She squeezed his waist and sobbed again. “I know it’s hard right now. It’s going to be hard for a while. Let’s take it one day at a time. You can do this.”
She rolled her head back and looked into his eyes. Her own were red and splotchy and she looked exhausted from the emotional toll she had endured. She nodded her head, ready to continue on.
He pulled his backpack around and took out a water bottle. He forced her to take a sip and then took a few himself before replacing it and slinging his bag back over his shoulders.
“We should try to find the others. They won’t survive out here on their own. I know they headed north so we can follow the river that way and scope it out. We’ll have to be careful. I’m not sure how many of the Coyotes are in these woods. Stay close.”
They could’ve left, just the two of them. That was their initial plan. Except Eli was now gone and a dozen or so others had accompanied them out of Rysburg. It wouldn’t sit right with his conscience to leave them on their own.
He walked into the woods, out of sight, and Ali followed, holding his hand. Her silence worried him but given the circumstances it seemed normal. She was grieving and in shock. He wasn’t sure how to cut the tension. All he wanted to do was take her away from here and let her fall apart but they couldn’t do that yet. There was still work to be done. He squeezed her hand instinctively, a signal of comfort.
The rain finally let up but his wet clothes clung to his body uncomfortably. He longed for his bed and dry blankets but distracted himself with the treacherous trail. Because they weren’t taking a typical pathway, their trek was filled with fallen tree trunks, overgrown weeds and mud pits.
After some distance he found the landmark he was looking for. A cement wall stretched across the river and water slowly trickled over. An old dam that had survived the test of time. If they crossed on the low side they’d be better hidden from enemies.
He led Ali down to the water’s edge. She carefully hopped down the large rocks with his help. Once again, they found themselves moving through freezing water, although this side of the stream only came up to their knees.
“How are you doing?” he called behind him as the water surged around his legs.
“Fine.” She didn’t sound fine but the fact that she was speaking again was a good sign.
They reached the other side and wrung the water from their pants to the best of their abilities.
“We’re far enough north now, we can double back and approach from the opposite side. I’m not sure how far they would’ve gotten. They probably don’t have any idea of where to go.”
A knot in the pit of his stomach formed when he considered how slow and lost the others probably were. If they hadn’t moved far, the Coyotes probably would’ve gotten to them already. Still, he had to be sure.
They snaked through the trees, scrutinizing any sound or movement around them. It was slow moving work but at last he saw a flicker of a flame.
They approached it with stealth. As they got closer, he realized it was the remnants of a fight. Eli’s bomb wasn’t the only thing that left the woods scorched and burning. They’d left a blaze in their wake as they crossed through the woods, killing everything in their path. Now, blackened tree trunks stood in a lake of smoldering brush.
Nik put a hand to his forehead. This felt hopeless. There hadn’t been any sign of the other refugees. They seemed long gone. Completely out of his reach.
Ali only stood in the light of the fire; her eyes glazed over. She still hadn’t spoken other than the one word she’d uttered in the river. It broke what little fight he had left in him. He hated giving up on the others but he needed to fight for her first and foremost. He couldn’t search forever. It was time to move on.
“Come on,” he said softly, placing a hand on her elbow.
He started to retrace their steps. They would move past the river and further away from Rysburg. The fact that the Coyotes hadn’t followed across the river let him know that they were headed in the opposite direction so it was safe to go that way. They could stick to their original plan and start making their way south.
They only took a few steps when a muffled groan let out from a couple feet away. Nik looked around for the source of the noise. A handful of bodies covered the ground but all had appeared lifeless.
Another groan.
He scanned the ground and stepped through the field of people, carefully searching for movement, waiting for another sound to steer him in the right direction.
An arm lifted and pointed in his direction. He immediately recognized the face.
“Sam!”
