Kindred Souls

Chapter 19 - Cabin in the woods

Soren leads us to his car, parked in a dark, inconspicuous spot outside the dorms. The engine purrs to life, and before I know it, we're speeding down empty roads, heading to God knows where.

I glance at him as he drives, his hands gripping the steering wheel tight, his jaw clenched. The air between us feels heavy with unspoken tension, like there's something on the tip of his tongue he's been holding back. But for now, neither of us says a word.

Finally, I break the silence. "Where are we going?"

"My safe house," he answers simply, eyes focused ahead.

"And after that?"

He glances at me, just for a second, before turning back to the road. "I don't know. But I'm not letting them get to you again."

The weight of his words sinks in. He's serious. Deadly serious. And something tells me this is only the beginning.

The car hums steadily as we speed down the dark highway, leaving behind the dorms and whatever fragile sense of normalcy I had left. I'm clutching my bag as my mind racing to catch up with everything that's happened. Soren's focus is razor-sharp on the road, the tension in his body palpable.

I shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable despite the growing sense of unease. "You're really not going to tell me where this safe house is, are you?"

He smirks, just a quick flash of amusement. "You'll see when we get there."

I roll my eyes, feeling a strange mix of frustration and relief. It's not that I don't trust him—it's that I don't know what to trust anymore. There's so much he hasn't told me, so much I need to understand about him, about why my life has become such a target since he showed up.

After a long stretch of silence, I ask, "How did you know they were coming?"

"It was only a matter of time. They weren't the first to show up on campus," he begins.

"You mean, there's been more?" This entire time I had thought everything was going normally.

"Since the first attack there were two other incidents," he says, eyes still trained ahead. He leaves it at that.

I want to ask him why he never told me about the danger. Why he's here in my life at all. But something holds me back. Maybe it's because, deep down, I know I'm not ready for all the answers yet.

After what feels like hours, we pull off the highway onto a barely visible dirt road. The trees close in around us as we drive deeper into the forest. I can't help but grip the edge of my seat, the isolation pressing in on me.

"Are we close?" I ask, trying to break the tension.

"Almost."

The road twists and turns until we finally arrive at a small, nondescript cabin hidden deep in the woods. It's not much—a simple, one-story structure surrounded by dense forest—but it feels secluded, safe.

Soren parks the car and gets out, moving around to grab our things. I follow, the cool night air hitting my skin as I step out. It smells like pine and earth, a far cry from the city.

Inside, the cabin is spartan—bare walls, minimal furniture, just the essentials. Soren drops our bags by the door and turns to face me, his expression unreadable.

"This is it?" I ask, trying to sound more confident than I feel. "This is where we're hiding out?"

"It may not be a life of luxury, but it shall do." His words almost seem mocking as if he knows I've lived a comfortable life, but his expression shows I am reading too much into it. He is saying it matter of factly.