The Longest Escape ((on hold))

I Remember You!

Night came fast. We probably made it about 25 miles before the sun began to sink. With no troubles or any signs of any other person along the way, I think we were all a little bit relieved as well as concerned.

"Alright guys. Let's set up camp for the night. We should all get some rest, but I think at least one of us should keep watch for a while. Who knows if there are more of those bearwolves lurking around out there. We can take shifts, about an hour each. I can take first watch." I instruct. Melissa lets out a sigh of relief as she drops her backpack onto the ground.

"I can take second watch if you want." Thomas volunteers. I smile and nod.

"Thanks Thomas, sounds fine to me. I'll wake you up when it's your turn. Cooper, do you mind taking third watch?" I turn to see Cooper setting up his sleeping area, with no indication that he had even heard a word that just escaped my mouth. I let out a sigh and raise my voice. "Cooper!" He jumps a little and looks over at me with a confused look on his face. "You're taking third watch. Thomas will wake you up when it's your turn." I repeat myself, this time not giving him a choice in the matter. He nods in understanding before returning to whatever he was doing before.

An hour later, everyone seems settled in for the night. Thomas and Zak had managed to build a small yet effective fire, with everyone's set sleeping areas resting around it. Melissa had easily fallen asleep, her backpack gently holding her head up, acting as her pillow. Thomas and Zak sit side by side, across from where Melissa lay, quietly engulfed in a conversation.

I sit about 20 feet away, with my back resting against the trunk of a tree. A small flashlight rests beside me, it's beam of light illuminating to ground a few feet in front of me. All of a sudden, a figure steps up beside me and sits down at my side. I jump slightly and look over to see Cooper sitting beside me. I let out a deep breath that I didn't know I was holding in.

"You startled me." I say softly, returning my gaze back to the forest in front of me.

"Funny, you don't strike me as the 'easily scared' type of girl." He replies. I roll my eyes and I can feel his eyes resting on me. And I don't need to turn around to know that he has a huge smirk on his face.

"Yeah, well, you don't know me."

"Well, then why don't you tell me a little about yourself? What's your story?" I turn to look at him to meet his icy blue expectant gaze. When I don't say anything, he smiles and shakes his head, looking away.

"Come on. Every single one of us has a story of our lives before we all got sucked into this governmental mess. Besides, if we are going to be traveling together for who knows how long, why not get-"'

"My parents were killed in a car crash four years ago." I cut him off. He turns to look at me. I meet his slightly widened gaze and he opens his mouth to say something, but he closes his mouth again and looks down.

"I'm sorry." He says softly.

"Nearly my whole life, my family has been on the run. Moving from one place to another nearly once every year, sometimes twice. We were on the road again, moving to another home in another state. We had just gotten back on the road after stopping for lunch, and we were on the freeway." I begin telling him my story. As I do so, the memories flood my mind. I can feel my eyes start to water as I continue.

"My dad was driving, my mom was in the passenger seat. My younger brother Oliver and I were both in the back seats. We were in the carpool lane and all of a sudden, another car came flying over the cement guardrail. It had been a drunk driver who had swerved and hit the guardrail. His car flipped and crashed into our car." I pause to take a deep breath, the tears now flowing down my cheeks. Cooper looks over at me and gently places his hand on top of mine.