Subject #013 | ✓

Chapter 22

The moment the blizzard dies out, we're hitting the road. Alix's leg is still a work in progress, so he's a bit hesitant to go, but I'm done sitting around.

"Do I have to?" Alix whines.

"For God's sake, are you three?" I retort in a vain attempt to keep a straight face.

"Do I look three?"

"You sure act like it."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Yes, it does. You just don't have the brain capacity to understand."

"Hey! That's my line."

"Ha! Mine now."

"But-"

"Ladies, ladies. Chill the hell down before you wake up the jungle." Liz says, but the corner of her mouth is twitching upwards.

"But...but she's bullying me." Alix says in an annoying nasally voice.

"If that's what you call bullying, get thicker skin."

When the three of us woke up, Alix was, I admit, quite surprised to see that Liz and I were on good terms once again. But he also had this prideful air about him. Well, he always seems prideful, but more so than normal. He's smart, I'll give him that. He probably was exhausted last night, but he left us alone together on purpose. How long has he been at this kind of business?

We've cleared up camp as well as we can, but the tree that fell down during the blizzard has proven nearly impossible to move with only two people and a cripple. Liz and I do our best to spread out the ashes near where the fire was and scatter the pine needles cluttering around the trunk, but after the damage done last night, I doubt there's really much more we can do.

I shoulder Alix's backpack, and Liz gathers the sleeping bags and tents. Alix is lying, completely useless, against a tree. I have to rest my leg as long as possible before working them, he told me.

W-h-a-t-e-v-e-r, Alix. But finally, we're ready to go back to the spot my brain has wanted to visit every second of every minute of every slowly passing day. The tracks in the snow. The tracks that would lead to my parents. Hopefully. It's the only thing I've seen lately that fills me with even a little hope, and I need to hold on to that. I refuse to freak out like before. I feel my throat closing up just thinking about what happened with the Wanted sign, and I stop to take deep, long breaths.

"Alright, sleepy-pants. Get up." I say once I've caught my breath, looking down at Alix with a smirk. It will be difficult to get through the forest, but the cities neighboring Silverton can't be that far away. I've hardly traveled out of the little town, but I have taken geography classes.

To my surprise, Alix doesn't argue. He simply puts his hands firmly on the ground, and pushes himself up with his good leg. At first, it seems as if he is going to successfully stand, but when he's halfway up, he falls over.

I abruptly hold out my arm in attempt to grab his arm, but I get his hand instead. And not before he falls all the way down to the ground.

"Ouch." He says, brow furrowed in concentration. My smirk mutates into a grin.

"Try again. I've got you this time." Adjusting my grip on his hand, I meet his eyes. You can get up now. I 've got you. He reads my message and tries again, this time with one less hand, but more strength. We eventually manage to get him on his feet, his injured leg held aloft in the air, the other one searching for traction.

Reality hits me like a hard brick to the face. We can't travel like this. I rack my brain for ways to transport Alix without carrying him and the supplies. My mind brushes over something.