Immortals

Chapter Ten // Mia

Parker was right about two things. The first was that we would end up in Woodsveil, and the second was that we didn't belong there.

We didn't even need to test our luck with the locals to know just how hostile the setting we were in was. It was more comfortable to camp out in our stolen van and take turns keeping watch than to take a gamble with acceptance.

And so there we were, Emery and I on patrol while Ashe and Parker took some time to sleep. By some miracle, Emery and I had gotten them to calm down and not want to kill each other while we were gone,

At least, this is what it seemed. Maybe one of them did kill the other in their sleep, I didn't know.

"Do you think they're still both alive in there?" Emery asked, the musings that were on my mind seemingly pressing on his as well as he glanced over at the silent van.

Or The Kidnapper, as Parker had deemed its legal name to be.

"I'm hoping so. I don't think we're going to be able to afford anymore losses. Even if it's not because of the government."

Although, if one were to think about it critically, maybe this type of murder would indirectly be related to the government as well, as it would be a murder resulting from their policies and behaviors.

"Do you think Shane's still alright?"

Emery's question was one that had been pressing on my mind, and likely Ashe and Parker's as well, since he was doomed to his fate. A fate that he had more than likely succumbed to while we fought over the possibility of rescuing him and pulled at feeble strings to make it work.

All we got out of it were some documents we didn't get a chance to become familiar with and an ex-girlfriend that was out for my blood.

That same ex-girlfriend who I was sure would do anything to keep Shane in the government clutches. Especially considering that she was the one who stole Shane from us.

From me.

Now that I had thwarted her, Shane was most likely gone forever.

I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.

"Mia, hey, don't cry. Please don't."

Funnily enough, I was too deep into my thoughts to even realize that I was crying. I could feel the tears creeping their way down my cheeks when Emery mentioned it, however.

"Please don't do that."

I knew Emery meant well, but he was genuinely awful at comforting people. He tried his best, and I knew when he was trying, but when it came to emotions he tended to be more of a rational person than a nurturing one.

In my mind, it was not the time for his rationale.

"Emery, shut up! Shane's probably gone forever, and it's because of us. We got on Salem's radar and that's fucking dangerous! We tried to figure shit out, we fucked up, and now he's one of them! This is all our fault, Emery! We did this to-"

"Mia, calm down. Breathe. Stop yelling, you're going to get us in trouble," Emery said, gripping my shoulders and bringing my explosion back down to earth.

"Don't tell me to calm down."

"You need to or you're going to get us in even more trouble than we already are."

Emery did have a point. Blowing up like I had would cause the citizens of Woodsveil to turn their attention to us, and this was not something any of us wanted to handle.

"We need to keep calm and weigh our options. Freaking out won't help us. What are our options?"

And so, I considered the options we had, how few and shitty all of them were. We couldn't go back to the Land of Escapees, even if, by some miracle, it still existed. It was certainly overrun by guards, the Unfavorables that couldn't escape becoming their prey. These predators were likely looking for us, specifically, and would not rest until we were found.