"Remember me?"
I squinted through the darkness, and as a moonlit figure made its way into the clearing, I breathed a sigh of relief and brushed my stringy hair out of my face.
The soldier, the same soldier that removed Hayden's chains only a few days before stood before us. A kind smile played along his features, and his eyes shone in the dim light. He held a machine gun in his right hand; still adorned in his soldier uniform.
"You?" Hayden whispered, still lying on the frozen ground.
The soldier chuckled. "I'm Lance Pitcher. I heard gunfire and I came to check it out. Good thing I came along when I did."
"Did...did you leave the door open for us?" Hayden spoke again, a shocked expression on his dirt covered face.
Lance stepped closer. "Yes."
I owed him so much. He was the reason we were still here. We would have been shot with the rest of the prisoners if it hadn't been for him. And we would have all died just now if he hadn't stepped in.
"You...You did save us," Hayden breathed, astonished.
I reached out my hand for Lance to shake. "I'm Tess. And we're all very grateful for what you did," I said. "Here, and back at the camp."
He smiled humbly. "It was the least I could do. I wish I could have done the same for everyone." His smile faltered.
I nodded solemnly, turning to help Hayden off the ground. I cringed when my fingers touched something wet and sticky. "You're bleeding!" I held his arm, looking more closely at the wound.
He yanked his arm back, cradling it to his chest as if I'd burned him. "I guess I am."
I looked around at the rest, checking to see if they were alright. "You guys okay?" I asked.
They all nodded silently as if on cue; except Annette, who still looked terrified. Denis and Heather each held one of her hands.
I stepped away from Hayden and crouched to her level. "The wolves are gone, Annette," I whispered, giving her a small smile. "It's okay now."
She pointed past me. "Who's that man?" She whispered, eyes wide and tiny lips set in a worried frown.
I laughed. "He's a nice man. He saved us," I told her.
She shook her head, stepping back to her mother's side and hiding behind her. "He's a bad man."
She said it with such fear that I looked up to Heather for help, but she only shook her head, clueless.
I stood, turning back to Hayden and Lance. I sighed and rubbed my eyes.
"The sun's about to come up. We should start moving soon," Zack spoke up, going over to his grandfather. It was the first time I'd heard him speak; he was always so quiet.
I walked back to where I had put my things, and picked them up. Annette's words from before were still ringing clearly through my mind. She didn't trust Lance; not by a long shot. Should I have taken that as a warning? Children could sense things in people that others could not.
Sure, Lance had saved our lives twice now, but how did I know I could trust him?Just because he'd saved our lives twice didn't mean it was time to let our guard down just yet.
Footsteps came up behind me, and I turned abruptly. Hayden stood before me, hand covering the wound on his arm.
"Hi," he said. He looked exhausted.
"Hey," I replied quietly. I still felt on edge.
"How goes it?"
I shrugged, returning my attention to the pack I had discarded on the ground before the attack.
"Are you hurt?"
I shook my head. "No. But you are; let me look at that," I muttered, turning to him and grabbing his arm. The cut was slightly deep, and I knew that if it wasn't treated soon it would get infected.
I took part of the blanket I had slept with that night and used my knife to cut off the corner. I began to wrap his wound after I poured water from my canteen over the cloth.
I suddenly felt Hayden's fingers trail over my jaw, and I looked up at him wide-eyed to find him intently staring at my face. "Your cut healed. It's only a scar now," he whispered thoughtfully, fingers lingering a few seconds longer than necessary. I awkwardly turned my face away, acting like I hadn't heard him as I finished my job on his arm.
"There, all better," I announced, stepping away from him with a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. "We should get going now."
Hayden watched me, all emotion wiped from his face. I looked around me and saw that everyone else was ready to go. Lance stood with his machine gun strapped to his shoulder as well, and I made the quick decision to ask him to join us. He accepted with a bit of prodding, and then we were on our way.
As the morning broke, I couldn't help but notice Annette's worried face as she eyed the soldier walking along with us.
Oooooooh HAYDENNN
