The Nemesis Syndrome

34. Leo

Leo stared at Eliza, before shaking his head with a sigh. "That's not funny, Eliza. I know you're upset and you don't trust me, but don't say stuff like that just because I told you –"

"I'm not lying, Leo."

Leo's stomach dropped, felt her pity. Hot tears pricked his eyes and he slipped his arm from Eliza's grasp as he turned, resting his palm on the bark of a tree for support. "You're sure?"

Eliza nodded, "Yes."

Leo closed his eyes, forced back the tears. A hand fell on his shoulder and Leo let his head drop for a moment as he allowed her comfort before lifting his head.

"Forget what I just said," Leo spoke, turning his head towards her, letting her drop her hand before turning completely, "we're going back."

"No," Eliza shook her head, "The security will be on alert now, they won't shoot to injure if they see us, they'll shoot to kill."

Leo stared at her, knowing she had a point. He let it drop, instead looking away from her for a moment and he sighed, "Okay, let's keep moving."

Eliza sighed, stepped back and Leo led the way once more, the moonlight blanketing their swift bodies.

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"There." Leo pointed to a small, broken shack. "We can rest there for a couple hours, when the sun comes up, you'll keep moving."

"Where are we going?" Eliza asked as Leo placed on his brass knuckles.

Leo glanced at her, she seemed tired. "As far as possible." He paused, "Stay here. I'll check if the place is empty and safe." He pulled his backpack down, reaching in and grabbing the knife before pushing it into her hand.

"Why can't I go with you?"

"You need to live, Eliza, one of us needs to live."

She looked at him, and he felt her anger brush the surface before retreating as she nodded.

Leo took that as a cue to dart to the shack. He glanced in through the dirty window, seeing nothing but blurs of furniture. Leo pressed his hand to the door and pushed lightly. It moved slightly and Leo shoved it open with a grunt, stepping in quickly and moving out of the way. The door shut with a loud groan and Leo winced. Great.

He coughed as the air that fell in with him disturbed the layer of dust that settled in this house. Leo took another step, tilting his head as he listened for any sounds of human activity, there was nothing but the odd groan and whistle as air slipped through the small gaps of the walls. He thought better of pulling out his flashlight and waited until his eyes adjusted to the abnormal dark of the house. Then he made his way around, there was only one floor, the door being the only entrance to what had once been a living room, only the sofas were dirty, and moth-bitten. An odd, large black screen hung on the wall and Leo stared at it curiously before shaking his head and moving on, the next room was the kitchen, then the bathroom and finally, a single bedroom. The house was not very big, it was enough for two people to live in, and that was what was needed.

As he walked back to the front door, Leo noticed the spiders scurrying along the walls and ceiling. He shuddered slightly before opening the door and peeking his head out, "Eliza," He called softly, "It's clear."

He watched for movement behind the treeline, sighing in relief when he saw her emerge, knife catching the light. She moved swiftly, Leo noticed, that was good – it would help keep her alive. He watched the forest behind her, ready to dart towards her and defend her if he needed. He opened the door wider for her to slip in, before closing it shut.