(ON HOLD/BEING REWRITTEN) De Salute Mea- Safety From The Darkness

Chapter 9

WARNINGS: Blood, gore, language, stabbing

"Alex, tell me you heard that." Steve turned to look at her with a panic-stricken expression. She stood frozen in place. "No, no. No, that's not possible." Her face was pale, and her eyes were huge and terrified. "What's not possible!?" Steve asked. The look on her face was only making him more anxious and frightened.

"It's- Not possible- No way was that-" The scream sounded again, and without hesitation Alex took off running towards the leafless trees, where the scream was emitting from. 

"Alex, wait! Where the hell are you going!?" Steve sprinted after her. "Alex stop, it's not safe! Stop!" He yelled to her, but she just kept running, like her life depended on it.

Or someone else's.   

Steve caught up to her and grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her lower torso. She cried for him to let go of her as tears streamed down her face. "I need- to get- to her!" She tried to wrestle her way out of his hold, and almost made it out before Steve threw the both of them to the ground. She tried to sit up and he pinned her shoulders to the grass beneath them to keep her from doing so. 

"Listen to me!" He shouted furiously. "What the hell do you think your doing!? Do you have some kind of fucking death wish!? We're supposed to be running away from the danger, not towards it!" 

She gave up trying to wriggle herself out of his grasp and relaxed her muscles, giving in to her sobs. "I'm sorry..." She covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry Steve... It- it sounded like- I couldn't save her last time..." Steve's expression softened and relaxed his hold on her shoulders. Only then did he realize what just happened, what position they were just in. "I can't- do anything- why does it sound like Milana?" Alex whispered to herself. "Why?" 

Steve looked back to the trees ahead, which were now aflame, and fear rose inside him as he thought he saw a figure in the fire, staring back at them. Or maybe with their back to them?

"Alex, we need to leave. Now." He said softly, and she nodded. He grabbed her hand, pulling her up and tugging her in the opposite direction of the burning trees. They ran through the brush in silence, which eventually turned into a quick walk. Steve had many questions running through his mind. "Alex, what's the matter? Why'd you run off like that?" He asked. "I- um..." She seemed unable to form words. "I'd... Rather not talk about it." She mumbled quietly, staring at the ground in front of her moving feet. Steve blushed, realizing he probably shouldn't have pressed. "Right, um, sorry." He awkwardly apologized, turning his head back around. 

Leaving Alex to her thoughts gave Steve time to his own thoughts. What exactly was going to happen to them? They had no idea where they were, or where they were headed, or how they even got there in the first place. How did they even get here from his house? And healed of their injuries nonetheless. They were dealing with something he had never imagined would happen to his deprived-of-excitement life. His whole life he just wanted to explore, find adventure. Now he wasn't so sure he wanted it anymore. 

They kept walking, occasionally stealing glances behind their shoulders, to make quite sure there wasn't anyone there, or following them.

"It's getting dark," She said, Alex's voice shattering the silence around them, making Steve jump a little. "We should keep an eye out for a place to stay." Steve nodded in agreement, and the duo  continued on. On and on, through the seemingly endless woods ahead of them. 

Darkness fell, and both of them grew more anxious and agitated the darker their surroundings became. They jumped at small noises and Steve kept tripping over tree roots. Just when he was about to shout in frustration about falling for the fifth time, something made his words catch in his throat.