Running With the Devil (SCP Fanfic)

Chapter 24: Birds Departure

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me..." James spoke quietly as he watched the valley passing below from his place on the mountain train. The sun rose over the peak of one of the mountains, gracing the cold valley below with warmth.

He sat on the edge of the train car, his legs dangling off the side, thinking to himself.

"What could I have done differently? I couldn't let her die," The events in the facility gnawed at his mind, "But... she was let go... Malo told me herself. If I had just waited..."

Malo sat with her back against the wall watching James in silence, her own thoughts running through her mind. She felt awkward and out of place, she didn't want to approach him, it felt wrong.

"Is something wrong with me?" She thought, last night still lingered in her mind, "I can't help him, I can't approach him. Why? It feels weird, like maybe he doesn't know me, like I'm different, that he wouldn't like a stranger near him..."

The awkwardness and confusion only grew as an idea formed in her mind, a terrible one, "Maybe it's not me who is different, but him. He's different, something happened in the facility and he's hiding it."

She looked to her side to take a break from thinking as it only made her sad if her thoughts were true. A duffel bag was nearby, the one the people in the village gave them. Her stomach rumbled, and she brought a hand to it.

She bent over from her sitting position and just snagged the bag by one of her claws. She unzipped it and found they had packed food and water for their trip.

She found her way to finally approach James after last night's debacle and walked over to him. She rested the bag next to James and sat beside it.

"You hungry?" She asked.

"I don't have an appetite."

"Well you have to eat, the last meal you had was the one at the village and only one before that. Meals have been few and far in-between, you have to eat."

"What is there?" He looked over to the open bag.

"Let's see, I only just opened it," she widened the opening in the bag and looked inside.

She pulled out a bottled water and after another second she pulled out a square wrapped in brown paper.

"Here," she handed the two items over to James.

James took the water bottle and rested it next to him and unwrapped the paper, inside was a sandwich. He stared at it trying to think about eating, but a sick feeling overpowered it. His stomach grumbled, but still he couldn't bring himself to open his jaw, it wouldn't budge no matter how weak it felt.

"Isn't it nice?"

James looked over to Malo, who was looking at the valley below, "Its beautiful," his jaw seemed to loosen and be free.

She looked over to him and smiled, "Don't look at me, look at the valley! Not much to see anyways."

James smiled and turned to look at the valley, "Its so large, but everything is so small. What do you think of those tall mountains over there?" He looked towards the larger mountains with snowy peaks that bordered the far side of the valley.

Malo looked at them and then over to James, "they're quite handsome, and tall, and... strong."

"Suppose they are..." James looked at the landscape seemingly mesmerized by it.

Malo had her sights still on James. He looked peaceful now, and a slight smile formed on his face. Her heart started to beat faster, and her tail started to limply sway against the floor, "I think this is what I want, to make him happy," she thought.