In Between Seasons

Chapter 50

The forest darted past us as we ran away from our chains, but the weight of them stayed in my chest. I knew they would never leave, and now I understood Hunter. I swallowed as Hunter began to slow. He stopped and put his hand up for me to as well. I did as he instructed and watched as he placed a finger to his lips and moved forward slowly. That's when I saw it, the menacing wall that kept us in. It was the same as the wall we entered through so many months ago; gray, weathered, covered in moss and tipped with rusted orange barbed wire. The area where the wall opened hung ajar, and I rammed into Hunter as he froze in his steps.

"What the fuck?" he whispered, and I stood on my toes with my heart pounding as I looked around for what caused him to curse. There was nothing—no dead bodies, no sign of anything.

"We need to go! Now!" Hunter's calm immediately left him as he grabbed my arm and lunged into a full sprint.

We rushed through the open doors, and Hunter dropped my arm to allow us to move even faster. I pushed harder and harder as Hunter's pace continued to quicken. My legs screamed to slow—to stop, but I refused. Hunter was scared, truly and utterly petrified as he moved forward with his eyes darting to me every thirty seconds to make sure I was beside him. I was counting them—the seconds—as I tried to keep calm and not absolutely lose my head. I had a feeling if I stopped now he would just scoop me into his arms and keep going until he collapsed.

But why? Why was he running?

Finally, my legs gave in. "I need to stop!" I gasped as my legs folded beneath me. "Can we stop?"

Hunter glanced over his shoulder as his own chest heaved rapidly.

"I think we've gone far enough for now," he replied as he sat beside me.

"Why—" I began as Hunter rubbed my legs to stop my muscles from cramping. "Did you freak like that?"

Hunter concentrated on my legs without answering, and I finally gave in and grabbed his wrists. "Hunter, please answer me!"

His eyes locked on my wrists before moving up to my face. "There was no sign of forced entry."

"So?"

"So!" Hunter shot back up to standing position and began to pace. He stopped and glared down at me. "Someone let them in!"

I swallowed. "Let them in?"

Hunter nodded, and his hands rammed into his hair as he squeezed his eyes shut. "They're working together now. That's how badly they want us dead!"

"I thought they just wanted me dead?" I muttered, unable to stare at his angry frame anymore and instead, staring at my hands uselessly propped on my trembling knees. I wasn't shaking from fear, or I didn't think I was, my muscles were trembling from the fact they stopped so suddenly.

Hunter scoffed. "Not now that they know I lo—" He stopped mid-word, and my eyes met his. My heart stopped as I prayed for him to say it; to admit why his life was worth being ruined because of me.

He turned his back on me before speaking again, "It doesn't matter! They want me dead, too. It's pretty obvious I'm working with you, and now they both think we're toxic to whatever bullshit they're building up."

My heart started back up, pounding painfully hard in my chest as I put my head on my knees and squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe he didn't anymore, though. Not after this...not after seeing me... My whole body shuddered, and my hands grasped my ankles. I reared back, looking down at my hands in disgust as Hunter paced without noticing. I didn't want my hands anywhere near me, but they were attached.

I could never rid myself of the things they had done, not when they were attached to me. My breathing picked up as my vision narrowed in on them. The only thing that brought me out was Hunter's soft voice.