MY IMMORTAL

Found

"No, no, no, no, no.  Not again." I was instantly crying and curled up into a ball. I tried desperately to compose myself and stop the pathetic whimpering while he poured a bucket of sand over the fire instantly extinguishing it. He crawled to the opening of the cavern and peered over the edge down into the gully below.

"We have visitors." He whispered. "They are not my kind." This seemed to have him perplexed.

"Who are they?" I was winning my internal battle for control using the techniques he taught me. Even in the vulnerable shattered state, I was currently in, the techniques were able to work.

"They seem familiar but too far off for me to identify." He watched silently for what seemed to be an eternity. "They are tracking us!" He was so shocked by this he said it audibly and not in a whisper.  The sound carried.  How far it would travel I couldn't imagine but the shape of the cavern seemed like it was designed for amplifying and projecting sound.

"We have to move.  I don't wish to injure them. They can not know what they are walking into." While he whispered this he moved so quickly and quietly with purpose gathering everything and packing it into two backpacks. My backpack. When did he grab that? Did he get it before we left my Dad? I didn't want to think about that any longer or I would soon be seeing the scene again. I looked around the cavern trying to find a distraction. It would be a shame to leave this little cavern.  It was nicely situated and quite well equipped. I could have comfortably stayed here except that it is now associated with some of my worst memories. I hadn't even begun to process any of it yet and I'd just found out my mother's death was as a result of saving me just as my father's death was.

"I know of other such places Cassie, and much nicer." I noticed he had reverted to calling me Cassie again.

"Well, you told me I couldn't call you Ms. McLaughlin anymore either.  I'm not that creative you know so you will have to instruct me on how I am to address you each time you tire of your name." Frustrated he threw the backpack over his shoulder and held the obviously half packed one out for me to carry.  Oh, nice.  He knew that I would argue unless he let me carry something so to appease me he gave me essentially an empty pack while the other one was clearly bursting at the seams.

"Oh give me a break will you." His frustration was not lost in the whispered tone.

"Hey did I say anything? This is no picnic for me either you know.  If you don't like what you hear stay the hell out of my head. I didn't choose for you to hear that."

"Let's just move. Please." He wrapped his fingers around my wrist and we slipped out of the cavern. We climbed up over the crest and began then to move at a pace they would not be able to keep up with.  Soon the nauseous feeling faded. The immediate risk had passed.

"Can we stop for a second please?" His pace was seriously unnatural. I was not finding it difficult to believe the whole three hundred-year-old supernatural stories right now.

"Let me carry you for a while." I couldn't be sure if it was a question or a direction.  Then he lifted me over his shoulder again and incredibly his pace doubled.

"You are not normal?"

"No.  This is not my natural pace.  I think going any faster might irritate your shoulder or ankle."

"You're saying you normally go faster than this?"

"Yes.  I am only going fast enough to put some distance between us.  Then I will double back and ensure our tracks are completely covered." I watched his feet for a bit and he was only stepping on rocks.  When he lifted his feet there was no trace left behind.  Only a dog would find us now.  Maybe my old squad could find us if they were looking.  But it would take them days to follow this kind of trail and all it would take would be one good rainfall to wash it away.