The Glade

Guilt

I find myself in the woods, and I'm gasping for breath, from running or sobbing I don't know. Stopping running brings everything to the forefront of my mind, it brings me to my knees as I cry. For a split second, I wonder if I could go blind from how hard I sob, memories of George play in my head and I wish desperately they wouldn't. I'll never talk to him again, hear him laugh, and it's all my fault, I think I might pass out from how hard it is to breathe. I stay in the woods to cry for as long as I can until I hear the sound of sticks snapping under someone's feet. 

"Anna," I hear Gally call and I attempt to hide myself, covering my mouth to quiet my sobs. "Anna, please," the desperation in his voice makes me croak out a sob pain radiating from my chest. It takes him mere seconds to get to me after that, I can't look at him and I assume he hates me, but instead of yelling he falls to his knees and envelops me in his arms. I'm crushed against his chest as I continue sobbing unable to stop. 

I know he's crying to and I hate it, I hate everything I've done, all I've caused. "I'm sorry! You warned us!" I cry into him gripping his shirt under my palm and Gally shakes his head "You didn't know," but I can't help but feel the guilt eat me up. "It's my fault, it was my idea, I killed George," I tell him and he pulls me back forcing me to meet his red-rimmed eyes. "You didn't kill George whoever put us in here killed George," he tells me before pulling me back in one hand cradling my head against his chest. 

I can't believe his words "You should hate me," I murmur and he tightens his grip "I could never hate you," he whispers against my hair. We stay like that for hours, and no one comes to bother us, although I'm sure there's work to be done. When the sun is down, Gally says nothing but picks me up bridal style and carries me off to our room in the homestead. If people see us, I don't notice, and I certainly don't care. I keep my eyes firmly shut, afraid to see the box, the place that will be a permanent reminder of my worst mistake.

When Gally sets me on our bed I finally notice there's blood on his clothes and a fresh wave of tears falls down my face at the idea of Gally holding onto George's mutilated corpse. Gally takes the shirt off throwing it into the corner of the room in a rage before covering his torso with a clean tank top. Gally comes over to the bed getting in beside me and pulling me into him as he tries to hush me to sleep, but it's a long night. One or both of us in and out of sleep, and nightmares plague our dreams.