So I crawl toward Wreck on my hands and knees. He stares at me, his eyes wide and glossy.
“It’s me, Kora,” I say shakily. “You’re safe. It’s all in your head.”
He sits unmoving, his expression frantic. He still holds the switchblade in front of him.
“They’ve killed everyone,” he says in a hollow voice.
“There’s nobody there. Just calm down, please.”
I move closer, wondering what the hell I’m doing. I know he’s in some sort of blackout and could easily cut me. I fight the urge to run outside, which is probably the most sensible action I could take in this situation. But I can’t leave him, can’t turn my back on him after his spending hours soothing me in my grief.
“It’s all right,” I whisper, reaching for his hand. “Easy now, you’re safe.”
I slowly remove his fingers wrapped around the knife handle and set it aside. I kneel beside him, carefully touching his shoulder. Wreck holds his head in his hands, shuddering and whispering something incoherent. My heart aches for him. I feel tears stinging my eyes, but can’t allow myself to fall apart right now. At least one of us must remain stable.
“Let’s go outside,” I say in a steady voice. “Some fresh air might help.”
I try to pull him to his feet, but he roughly grabs my wrists, stopping me. “No! They’re out there waiting for us.”
“Kris, we’re completely alone here.”
He shakes his head, “I can see them.”
“You’re hallucinating. Come with me. You’re safe.”
“No!” He shivers, shuffling away. “I can’t go outside. Please don’t make me.”
“All right. We’re staying right here then. Just relax.”
I gently touch his face and run my fingers through his short hair. He gazes into my eyes, his expression tortured.
“It’s not real,” I say. “It’s all in your mind.”
“What’s real and what’s not?” he whispers.
“I’m real, Kris. And I’m here to help you.”
He wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer, pressing me into his chest. His hold is so strong that it almost hurts. I feel his body trembling.
“Please, don’t leave me,” he pleads. “They’re out there.”
“I’m not leaving,” I say, patting his back. “I’ll protect you.”
He pulls me down to the floor, still holding me tightly. We lie motionless, looking into each other’s eyes, and I realize how dangerous this situation really is. I know I can’t break his hold, can’t fight him off and there’s no clue what he has on his mind. He’s a mental case right now. Yet somehow, I don’t feel frightened. I feel sorry for him instead.
“Just relax,” I whisper. “Morning is coming. It’ll all be over soon.”
“Don’t leave me, Violet. They’ll kill us both if you go outside.”
I caress his face, letting my fingertips linger for a moment on his scar. “Just sleep. I’ll watch over you. Nobody will hurt you. I promise.”
Wreck closes his eyes, and I feel his body start to relax. His breathing normalizes and he soon drifts off to sleep. I remain still for several minutes more, just watching him, then slowly remove his arms from around me. I stand and walk over to my pillow. I pick up my switchblade, shoving it into my pocket and walk outside, mind racing.
What’s wrong with him? What caused his sickness? Who is Violet? Is she the girl he lost? What was he talking about?
Outside, I extract Gabriel’s knife from the tree trunk and turn it in my hand. I’m too wired to sleep so I head toward the river. A few rangers stagger toward me, carrying flasks, and I can immediately tell they’re drunk. I tense up, slowing my pace and readying myself. They walk past, minding their own business, and only nod slightly upon seeing me. I nod back.
I approach the river and plop down on the wet sand, watching the dark water. I can’t stop thinking about Wreck. I don’t know where my obsession came from, but realize I must learn the truth about him. I must find out what he’s been hiding from me. What’s his secret? Why did he once try to kill himself? Why is he helping me?
The scratches on my arm begin to hurt and my head grows dizzy. I stay at the river until sunrise.
***
“Hey Kora, want to throw knives?” Wreck asks when I approach him in the morning. He’s outside, tossing knives into a tree in front of his shack, his expression carefree.
“Wreck, may I talk to you?”
He grins, turning to face me. “What’s on your mind?”
I look him over, my eyes lingering on the switchblade in his hand. My mind is foggy. The scratches on my arm burn and my throat feels sore.
“Do you remember last night?” I ask carefully.
“What are you talking about?”
“You know what I mean.”
His grin widens. “You mean, something happened between us last night?” He laughs, giving me a dirty look. “Well… did you enjoy it? Was I good?”
“Stop it!” I frown, folding my arms across my chest. “Don’t even act like you don’t remember. You had some sort of panic attack last night. You scared the hell out of me. I know you remember.”
“Oh c’mon. Do I really look like somebody who would have a panic attack? You must have had a bad dream.”
“No, I didn’t! Stop denying it!”
His smile vanishes. “Don’t yell at me, Kora. I’m not gonna put up with that.”
“What’s wrong with you? Who is Violet?”
He doesn’t answer, his eyes dark and angry.
“Talk to me!” I exclaim. “Is she the girl you lost? What happened?”
“It’s
