𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐀 ✔︎ (ongoing)

22| struggle for survival

Sara's wheezing doesn't stop but after five minutes it becomes steadier.

"We need to find someone that'll help us go home," I suggest.

"We can't," Sam wails. "As you said, we're in the middle of nowhere."

He's right. There are no cars, no people, no shops and no buildings. Apart from the building we had just escaped from.

"I don't know what to do," I mutter.

"We can walk," Marina suggests. "I mean, walk until we find someone that can at least help Sara."

Poor Sara is coughing now, gasping for breath.

"I don't know. We could be walking for a very long time." I sigh, feeling hopeless at the lack of options.

Despite our closeness, neither of us meets the other's eyes, lost in our own thoughts. The quiet moment lingers, a sense of unspoken tension settling between us.

At least Sara's now relieved from the asthma attack.

I freeze as the peaceful silence is shattered by the distant barking of dogs.

"Help is here." Sam stands up hesitantly.

Nervous anticipation fills me as I contemplate the possibility of encountering only dogs and no people. The thought of only canines living around here sends a shiver down my spine.

What if it's just us and the furry companions, outnumbered and uncertain of what lies ahead?

Panic begins to rise within me as a familiar voice catches my attention.

Charles.

"Where can they be?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they couldn't have gone too far."

Sam sits up straight at the voice of the other man.

"It's Rowan," Sam hisses. "The guy in charge of me."

"The other one's Charles. The one in charge of me. He was the one with the gun, the one that's going to marry Jenny." My brows furrow as I stand up. "We need to run. Quick, before they catch us."

Sam stands up after me. "Come on Marina. Sara?"

"I can't," Sara mumbles. "I don't want to die."

"We'll die anyways, if we're caught," I shout. "Hurry up, the dogs are sniffing us out."

"There's no point," says Marina.

My mouth hangs open. "You're both giving up just like that?"

Sara slumps further onto the pavement "I wish I could run but I'd die. My asthma–"

"You're being dramatic."

"I'm not. Believe me." Tears well up in her eyes. "You can go. But I'll have to stay here."

A sigh leaves my lips. "It's no use if we can't be together."

"There they are!" A shout from the distance awakes me back to my senses.

I look up to see Charles holding the gun he had before and the other guy, Rowan, running towards us with two German shepherds barking their heads off.

"We're caught. I knew we would be." Sara's voice catches in her throat and she bursts out crying.

I turn to Sam. "Sam. Marina and Sara don't want to run off but it's fine because they get taken care of. We get to suffer and we're locked up in cells. Let's run."

Sam shakes his head. "You just said yourself it's no use if we can't be together. Our group can't just split up like that."

"I know but now I realised that we're the only ones that got mistreated there. We're the only ones that got locked up in cells. Sam, please."