The Runaways

Chapter 4

“I’m so sorry, Ally,” my mother cried. “I never meant to drive you away. I thought that living with Stephen was the best way for us to make it, even if he was a little abusive.”

“I love you mom. But when will you realize that he was more than a little abusive?” I asked.

“He doesn’t mean it, Ally. Everyone gets a little angry sometimes, right?” my mother asked.

“You haven’t left him, have you?” I concluded. “I knew I shouldn’t have come back! I won’t be here for long unless you get rid of him, mother,” I threatened.

“No, please! I’ll leave him at once! Just never leave me again, Ally! I love you don’t ever leave!” she pleaded.

Blackness.

“Wake up, Ally,” Cory said, shaking me out of my dream. I guess I missed my mother too bad. I had dreampt of her.

I opened my eyes. My head was resting on Cory’s shoulder. I quickly sat up. He didn’t need a reason to think that I liked him back.

The rain was no longer coming down as hard as it had been before. A few drops here and there came down. The clouds still hung overhead, as a warning that they could burst again any minute. I was cold, but not as cold as I had been the night before. The wind had died down as well. The morning was much more peaceful than the night before.

“Did you sleep well?” Cory asked. He hadn’t asked that the entire time we had been gone. Maybe it was too late. Maybe he already thought we had a thing.

I tossed that thought out. I didn’t need to be worrying about that now. What I did need to be worried about was the grumbling that seemed to echo in my stomach.

“I slept okay. Look, we need something to eat. I’m starving. I feel like I haven’t eaten in ages,” I said.

“I agree. I’ll be back in a while. Can you start a fire?” he asked.

“Yep. Just try to hurry back with as much as you can. I feel a bit faint,” I joked.

“Okay,” he smiled.

He grabbed his bow and arrows and left. I was left to start a fire with wood that was wet. I found a few dry logs at the base of a tree. When I got the fire going, I set out a few logs around it, hoping that the warmth would leach the water and wet out. It seemed to be working. The logs were steaming and I was able to throw them on the fire after a little while.

After what seemed like an age and a half, Cory returned with the biggest kill he had made-ever. A small, yet plump turkey was slung over his shoulder. He came and sat next to me. “It’s going to take a while to clean it, but it will be worth it, I promise,” he said.

It did, indeed take him forever to clean it. He made a spit and roasted it. When it was finished, it took all my will to wait for Cory to tell me it was cooled enough.

The meat was juicy, and warm, and wonderful. We ate like we would never eat something so wonderful again. We washed it all down with a gallon of water each. We were so full at the end, that all we wanted to do was take a nap.

I let Cory take his nap while I sat in my sleeping bag, hoping sleep would not come. I may have slept the night before, but the dream had left me more tired than I had been before I went to sleep. I was able to stay awake, though, and I let Cory sleep as long as he could.

“We should probably move on, don’t you think?” Cory suggested when he was all rested up.

“Sure,” I yawned sarcastically.