Wish You Were Here

42

I walked in a daze. I kept Grant as a target to follow and would have followed him anywhere. I was paying absolutely no attention to anything other than his back as I robotically followed along. My brain was fried. From head to toe, I ached and was utterly exhausted. But the thing that paralyzed me and had me unable to think clearly was the realization that I had come so close to dying, and more than once. Even a cat with nine lives would be worn thin by now.

My feet shuffled along the dirt, hitting fallen branches and crunching over dried leaves. I didn't know where Grant was leading me; I didn't care. I just wanted to get far away from that cliff.

Grant stopped walking suddenly and crouched down on bended knees, putting his head in his hands. I stood still, waiting. He sighed loudly and rubbed his face aggressively before standing up.

"I have no idea where I'm going " he sighed and threw his arms up in defeat. "I'm sorry, Ryleigh. I should've done more to protect you, to keep you safe, to keep you from Aaron..."

I blinked and watched his mouth move, his words slurring as they hit my ears.

"I believe you, Grant," I muttered.

He walked up and hugged me tightly. When he didn't let go, a wave came over me, jolting me into reality and I clung onto him. I broke into deep sobs. I cried so hard that I barely made a sound. My body convulsed and my head spun. Grant was completely holding me up. If he hadn't held me, I would have fallen to the ground. My body gave up; I couldn't handle any more.

Carefully he helped me sit down where he cradled me in his arms as I cried. I only stopped because I could barely breathe. My lungs were tight as I took quick, short breaths.

"Relax," Grant soothed. "Breathe. You're having a panic attack. Take it easy, I've got you."

I leaned into him and closed my eyes until I could breathe normally again. I don't know how long it took. My eyes stung from crying and my face was swollen.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't be. It's fine," Grant said softly. "I'm so sorry about Aaron."

I looked at him. "I didn't believe him, you know. I don't think you're a spy...like he was."

"Good, because I'm not. He's clearly crazy! I have no idea why he said that."

I shrugged. "I have no idea why any of this is happening, so..."

"I don't either," he agreed.

All I wanted to do was go home. It sounded like a fantasy that would never happen, but I longed for it so much. When I told this to Grant, it motivated us both enough to get up and plan a way back down the hill so we could try to find the others. We shared what little food and water we had, doing our best to keep going.

We had gotten turned around, but after a few wrong turns we finally found the right pathway. Grant said our best bet was to head toward Beth since neither of us thought Will would have left her where she was for very long. Even if Cal was too sickly to go with him, we knew he'd station Cal somewhere and continue on alone. He'd come back for her, but only after he went back for Beth.

It was tougher getting down the hill than it had been getting up it. When we crossed the tents, where we'd found Cal, it looked like we had just missed a war. The tents' stakes were ripped out of the ground and strewn everywhere. All their contents had been thrown about and were mostly broken or destroyed completely.

"Do you think..." my voice trailed off before I could speak Will or Cal's names aloud.

Grant scanned over the area closely before answering me. "If they did come through here, they won."