When I spotted the cabin Melanie had described, I noticed the light through the crack beneath the door. It was the only light on in the camp, at least in this quadrant. That meant she was awake. Maybe she knew a storm was coming and that was her way of telling me where she was.
I peeked down the row of cabins and saw no one around, so I moved toward the cabin.
Then the front door opened.
“Fuck…” I quickly backed up, hoping the guy wouldn’t see me.
Fortunately, his gaze was on the doorknob where he inserted the key to lock it.
That gave me enough time to duck back for cover.
When he turned around and walked off, I recognized him.
He wore the black bomber jacket on top of a pair of jeans, his face fully exposed to the elements. His boots crunched against the snow from his weight. He moved down the row of cabins until he turned the corner.
I was sick.
Now I knew, without a doubt, that was Melanie’s cabin.
This was bad timing…but also great timing.
I had to put the revelation from my mind because now wasn’t the time to dwell. I didn’t have the luxury of becoming emotional, of having any kind of reaction not based on survival. This was our last night here—it was almost over.
I moved across the snow, and the instant I was exposed, I could feel the wind pick up.
It was going to be a harsh storm.
We had to get moving now.
I got to the door and stuck my tools inside, twisting and turning the locks to get it free.
Melanie’s voice came from the other side. “Raven?”
“Shh.” I looked down the row of cabins to make sure I was still alone. The coast was clear, so I kept messing with the lock, the shaft slipping from time to time. “Come on, don’t be a bastard right now…”
Click.
“Oh, thank god.” I opened the door and pushed inside.
Melanie stepped back, like she couldn’t believe I was in her cabin.
The bed was rumpled like two people had been rolling around in it. There was a lone candle burning, a vase of flowers on the nightstand, a TV in the corner. At least she was given extra things and she wasn’t covered in bruises.
Melanie breathed hard as she looked at me. “Oh my fucking god…”
“We’ve got to go. Got to get a head start before the storm hits.”
“I…” She looked around her cabin, like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to leave.
“I’m not sure if this will make you feel better or not, but I’m scared too.”
Her emotional eyes shifted back and forth as she looked into mine.
I pulled the flashlight out of my pocket and placed it in hers, along with the bottle of water and the plastic bag of nuts. I kept the knife for myself. “We can do this.”
“Did you get a horse?”
I shook my head. “It’s bolted.”
“How far can we get on foot?” She whispered even though no one was around.
“We just have to hide from them. They’ll eventually give up…and we can take our time.”
“Raven, we won’t survive long enough to take our time—”
“I’m going. Are you coming with me or not?”
She hesitated.
“Don’t make me leave you here…but I will.” I wanted to get her out of here, but I couldn’t force her, couldn’t force her to be brave. I wouldn’t stay just to be near her. I would roll the dice and hope for the best out in the wilderness. Just because she wanted to remain a prisoner didn’t mean I had to do the same.
She finally nodded. “Alright.” She put on her boots, pulled on her jacket, and then opened her drawers to stuff her pockets with the extra food she had lying around. She had an extra bottle of water, so she took that too. “Okay, let’s go.”
I looked at my little sister, seeing the same look of terror that she’d had in her gaze when we were growing up. She’d always been scared of the unknown, but that was just how she was. I never judged her for it. Magnus called her weak, but that wasn’t how I saw her. I pulled her in and embraced her, hugged her for the first time since our capture. “We’re gonna make it.”
She clutched me hard and nodded against me.
“Let’s go home.” I walked to the front door, poked my head out to see my surroundings, and then nodded for her to join me. We shut the door behind us and headed for the tree line, the darkness of the forest, the loud creaking sounds haunting.
Melanie stayed at my side and gripped my arm once we stepped into the trees. “I can’t see.”
“It’s fine. Keep going.”
“Can we use the flashlights?”
“Not now. We’re too close to camp.” But we really did step into the pitch-blackness, and our only guide to our surroundings was the wail of the shifting trees. It was the only way to navigate and not strike a tree. There were no stars in the sky because a blanket of clouds covered it, so we couldn’t use the starlight to distinguish through the silhouettes either.
With our hands held together, we moved through the darkness…and escaped.
With our flashlights on, we navigated through the darkness, pointing at the bases of the trees to make sure we didn’t crash into anything. Our feet fell deep into the snow with every step. It was hard to move at a decent pace because we continued to shuffle forward, our legs aching as we pushed through the cold resistance.
“Won’t they see our tracks?” Melanie looked behind her, pointing her flashlight over the streaks in the snow.
“The storm is supposed to hit in a few hours. The wind will cover it.”
“Hope so…”
I kept the lead, not
