Safe Haven

Chapter Fifteen - Cameron

I didn't want to seem insensitive by not letting Matilda cry against me for as long as she needed, but we needed to get out. Fast.

"Can you multitask?" I asked, releasing my arms from around her back. I totally understood that her entire world was crashing down behind her, especially considering it kinda was for me too, but I also understood that if we stood around for much longer, someone else was soon to find us.

"What?" She asked, voice whiny.

"Can you cry and walk at the same time?" I gripped her wrist and began to pull her down the wide path, eyes finding Ben's for an awkward moment in which I read a bit of anger or jealousy. It wasn't my fault he upset Matilda and I was the first person she ran to.

So, Matilda did just as I asked. We walked along at a relatively quick speed for a while, and all the while, she was sniffling and crying. I wondered at some point if she even had any tears left. Finally, I sighed and gave her a look.

"You're going to get dehydrated," I told her. It sounded cold, but I was really just worried for her.

"Hey, she can cry if she wants to!" The previously silent man, whose name I hadn't yet come to know spoke up against me. All I knew, was that I didn't like him much. His voice annoyed me, and I worried he'd hold us up in some way. Then, softer, he spoke to Matilda once more. "I'm Oliver. Are you okay, Matilda?"

"Not really," she whimpered. "It's really dark."

By now, we'd made it far enough away from wall that the light from the other side of it was not visible through the trees, so it was pitch black. My eyes had adjusted slightly, but it didn't help much. All I could do was pay attention to the ground under my feet to make sure I stayed on the path.

"Yeah, do you think we might be able to stop for the rest of the night?" Oliver asked. I scoffed.

"Sure, let's stop two miles from the wall, so it's incredibly easy for them to find us," I snipped sarcastically. Seriously, how dumb could he be?

"Sorry," he griped back.

We delved into a period of silence; the only sound was that of the crunch of gravel under our feet. Matilda didn't seem to be crying anymore, but she did seem a little sniffly now. I felt terrible for her. She'd left her only home for some random guy that she seemed mad at, or worse, scared of. I wasn't sure I understood the entire issue, but it couldn't help that I'd just revealed the "hero" of Matilda's life was actually a murderer planning to kill her. I mean, it was news to me too.

Finally, the darkness began to lighten, and I could see rays of the sunrise peeking through the breaks between the leaves of the forest. Behind me, Oliver and Matilda had begun mumbling things I couldn't catch. I ignored them, paying more attention to moving slightly offset to the path so that we wouldn't be completely visible to anyone driving down the path.

"Well, I'm actually a veterinarian for large animals back at home," I heard Oliver say once we got adjusted on our new "path." The rest of the group didn't seem to care about, or perhaps even notice, the change in terrain.

"Large animals?" Matilda asked. I myself wondered what kinds of large animals this moron was licensed to operate on but let Matilda's questioning be the only one Oliver had to answer. Less I had to hear him talk.

"Oh, you know, lions and tigers and bears–"

"Oh my!" I gasped in mock interest and surprise.

Ignoring me, Oliver continued, "Gorillas... Once a giraffe, which was seriously difficult, and I dream of treating an elephant at one point."

"Actually, bonehead, it's clear she doesn't know," I said.

"Yeah... I'm actually not sure what any of those animals are..." Matilda stated, sounding embarrassed.