Regeneration

Chapter 38 - Just Two Strangers

A billion thoughts raced through my mind at a hundred miles per hour. There was a point in time when kissing Lucas was a dream, but now that it happened I wasn't sure how to feel.

"Lucas, I..." I began, "I have to go."

His shoulders slowly dropped at my words.

My brain felt foggy as I rose from the stream and moved towards the camp.

Lucas grabbed my hand, halting me in my tracks, "What's wrong?"

"I just- it's nothing," I said not looking at him directly.

"I'm sorry," he stood, looking down at me. Tiny droplets of water dripped from the tips of his wet hair. "Please don't go."

"It's getting late," I turned and started towards the camp again.

Lucas stayed where he was, watching me go.

The evening glow was now fading, and the lights around the camp were coming on. I shivered a bit when a frigid wind blew against my wet skin. My heart dropped when I saw a familiar silhouette standing near the garden beds Lucas and I had dug earlier.

Did he see? The thought kept repeating in my mind as I approached him. I felt as nervous to speak to him as the night we met. Why was I nervous? Romero and I had never determined what our relationship was, yet, I couldn't help the guilty feeling that settled in the pit of my stomach.

"You're back," I said stopping in front of him.

"Bawden said I would find you here," he said flatly, his eyes still trained on the stream behind me.

"When did you get back?" I asked.

"We just offloaded and I wanted you to know I was okay," his eyes met mine, "Didn't want you to worry for too long." His unchanging expression sent a chill through me.

"I appreciate it."

Not sure of what to say next, I looked down at the grass, hoping I could pull a thought out of the clustered green blades.

"You should get out of those wet clothes," he did it for me before walking away.

The ground held me in place, a wave of emotions washed over me as I watched him walk away.

I looked over to the wooden shed where Lucas was packing away our tools. He stole a glance at me as he shut the door.

Letting out a tired sigh, I forced myself out of the green zone and towards the cabin. I just wanted to escape the moment, change into some warm clothes and think of anything else.

. . .

How did this happen? I couldn't run away from the inevitable thoughts that swirled around in my head as I laid in bed that night. Romero made himself busy and I could tell that it was just to avoid me. Lucas was quieter than usual and I didn't blame him, I wouldn't know what to say to me either if I were him. In a way, I was glad, I just wanted to be alone to think.

I could feel the hours passing. It was quiet with only the sound of night music, the camp had gone to sleep.

I threw the sheets off of myself. It was no use, I knew I wouldn't get any sleep tonight. I needed some air. I cracked the door open to the front porch and was confronted with the very thing I was trying to get away from. Too late to retreat now.

"Romero, oh." He was leaned against the veranda. "I thought I was the only one up," I spoke softly.

"Did you want to be alone?" He looked back at me, his eyes masking any trace of emotion.

I moved from the doorway, going to stand next to him.

"No." I folded my arms as the cool air wrapped around me. A moment passed and neither of us said another word.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked. I was not sure I wanted to know the answer to that.

His eyes shifted towards me in silence. I was about to give up on this and return to my room when he spoke.

"The night of my mission, when we discovered the hunters," he watched forward again, "I'm thinking back to the man we found, why would he create the hunters, why would he want this? It just doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe it's not supposed to make sense, maybe he was just evil," I said somberly, "Sometimes people do bad things for no reason."

"Not in my line of work," he shook his head.

"But, why come after you like that in Spain?" I thought back to the night he got shot, "Is the device that important."

Romero scanned around us before reaching into his pocket and retrieving what I recognized to be the device he was holding the night the men stormed Marco's house, except it didn't emit a blue glow like the night I first saw it.

"Bawden gave it back to you?" my eyebrows pulled together.

"No, I swiped it from the weapons room before we left for the run," he answered, "I'm not sure what it is or what it does but I feel that it's safer in my hands." He pushed it back into his pocket and we fell into silence again.

"About earlier," I began, "I know you saw Lucas and-"

"Hailey," he said my name softly to stop me from saying anything else.

I looked at him, the moonlight accentuating his features.

"You don't owe me an explanation," he said, "We're just two strangers that met and helped each other survive."

It felt as though his words reached into my chest and clenched my heart in a  fist. My breaths became shallower, and I hoped that he didn't notice.

"You know that's not true."

He gave me a look that was unreadable, "Goodnight, Hailey."

~~~Author's Note~~~

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