Perilous

Chapter Eight

"I remember,"

I stood up abruptly and left the passage, walking past the markings on the wall and out of the cell.

"Hey- wait!" Zach struggled to keep up with my fast-paced stride as I moved through the halls and up the stairs.

"Where are you going!?" He called, running after me.

"The car- we need to take this stuff with us!" I yelled, never turning back.

The metal doors slid open with a metallic creak, allowing me to pass.

Mice and bugs scurried out of sight as I strode past and out of the door, ignoring the fact that it was practically eroding.

"Cammie! Cammie, wait!"

"Keys, keys...where are the goddamn keys!?" I slammed my hands on the car door.

"Hey! Easy on the door! I have the keys. This is my car, remember?" Zach held up the keys in his hand, jogging the rest of the way to me.

"Give me the keys, now." When he didn't hand them over, I snatched them from his grasp and slid it into the keyhole. I crawled across the driver's seat to see into the back.

"Dammit, Cammie, what are you do-"

"Where the hell is your go-bag?" I asked.

He sighed. "In the trunk, why?"

I rolled my eyes, mumbling. "What type of spy keeps their fucking go-bag in the most difficult place to access..."

Climbing out of the car, I shoved Zach out of the way and made my way to the trunk.

"Cammie, chill out, what's up with y-"

"Shut the hell up, Zach! I'm trying to find something!"

Zach froze, watching expressionlessly as pushed aside different weapons and tools trying to find the backpack.

"Finally," I growled, picking up the bag and dumping out the contents.

Zach seemed to regain his senses and said, "Cammie, stop."

"No, Zach. We have to take this stuff with us."

"Cammie, no we don't. We can come back for this later."

At first, I ignored him, beginning to walk back toward the building. But he grabbed my waist in his hands and pulled me backward, turning me to face him.

"Stop, Cam." Zach took my hands in his and pulled me closer to him. "What happened?"

I didn't answer and instead kept my eyes trained to the ground.

"Cammie, you said 'I remember.' What did you remember?"

He used a finger to lift my chin and I was forced to look at him, failing to hide the tears forming in my eyes. "Cam...I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought you here."

Zach pushed my hair from my face and pulled me into him. I let out a sob as I cried into his shoulder.

I would curse myself for it later, but at that moment, I didn't care. I just wrapped my arms around him and let him hold me. I let myself be vulnerable for probably the first time in my life.

I wanted my memories back and even though I had suspected most of them weren't pretty, I hadn't been prepared for the worst.

But Zach was there for me. He pulled me out of my 5 minutes of insanity and let me cry.

The comforting words he whispered in my ear made me feel safe. His arms as he held me tight made me feel safe. His warmth and the steady beat of his heart in my ear made me feel safe. He made me feel safe.