Reluctant

Chapter 3

Though I was annoyed by the boy's presence, it was a sad sight to see. An older brother having to watch his little brother die helplessly. Carter keeps wiping Kobe's hair off of his forehead and leans down to kiss it lovingly. He pulls back slightly and looks at his now silent brother. Silent tears spill down his face and I can't help but watch.

Carter flicks his eyes to mine. For a second, he looks lost, and for the first time, scared. He looks like a child who had watched his family get murdered. Like a child who had been through so much trauma. A child, like me.

A tear slides down my cheek as I recall the memory. The government had barged through the door. My mum had known they were coming and hid me in our secret cellar. As I hid in the dark, musty room, I heard several gunshots with screams and loud thumps.

Several hours later, I emerged from that horrid room. I ran over to my mother and father's lifeless bodies. Next, my little brother Alex's small, pale body. His eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping. I cradled his tiny head in my lap and wept, knowing he was never coming back. The last thing I remember was singing softly to him.

The memory slips away as I curl in on myself in a sobbing mess. Carter gently sets Kobe's head onto the and makes his way over to me. Kneeling down, he gently squeezes my shoulder. "I'm okay, just memories." I say. Carter nods understandingly and stands up. He offers his hand with a sympathetic smile and I take it. He pulls me up and drops my hand. I wipe my tears away and pick up the backpack I didn't notice I'd dropped.

We make our way through the woods and to a small clearing. Across it we see mountains with small caves that would work for a small resting place. Carter and I make our way through the clearing and up to the nearest cave. The cave was small and cramped, but it would have to do. After all, we didn't have many choices. Carter grips my hips and pushes me up to the opening, following closely behind.

He surveys the small area and walks to the left side of the opening and plops down, his arm resting on his left knee. He turns to face me and smiles. "I'll take first watch. Lay down and sleep." he says. "You're sure?" I ask. He nods his head. I smile gratefully and lay my head on my backpack. The smile was almost comforting as I drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep.

. . . . . .

I wake with a start and gasp for air. Carter sits up straighter and runs over to me. His light, hazel eyes gaze into my blue ones as I start to calm down. I take a few more deep breaths before my heart rate decreases slightly. Carter stares a few seconds longer before walking to an enormous buck on the other side of the the small cave. He takes his knife and continues to skin it. His eyes focus on his knife as he slices through the skin.

"What you starin' at?" Carter asked; his gaze still on the deer. I blush slightly and smirk, "Nothing all that special." He looks up and smiles. Shaking his head a few times, he continues his previous activity. Once he's finished with the deer he gets up and brushes himself off. He shakes his head again, though his smile had disappeared.

"Hey Jess?" he says looking at me. I flick my eyes to his and raise my eyebrow. "I'm gonna go get some firewood. Wrap up most of the meat?" I nod once and stretch out my arms and legs. Reluctantly getting up, I walk over and retrieve my dagger. Carter walks out as I start to slice into the giant buck. I lay out a piece of cloth to put the meat on. I continue to cut pieces off until Carter returns with three or four logs in his arms.

He throws them against the wall of the cave and grabs two of them. One of the slips through his fingers and lands on his foot. Carter swears loudly and grips foot; swearing again. I try to contain my laughter but fail completely. He looks at me and gasps mockingly. In the gayest voice I've ever heard, he says, "Girl. You best not be laughing me." With that said, he snaps and shakes his head. I laugh uncontrollably and fall to the floor clutching my stomach. He chuckles slightly and shakes his head again.

Carter picks up the logs again and arranges them all for the fire. He takes a pack of matches out of his pocket and scrapes one on the bottom of his shoe; lighting it. I watch as Carter takes a steel plate out from his pack and lays it over the fire. He lays a piece of meat on the silver platter and it begins to sear loudly. I look up and smile at him. All of a sudden, something clicks in my mind.