The Nemesis Syndrome

36. Leo

Leo said nothing. What was there to say? His family had been killed, his life ripped from him.

Eliza said nothing. For that he was grateful. Moments passed, a few minutes, maybe an hour. He wasn't sure.

"I told you not to come back." He finally said, voice hoarse.

"Yeah, well, I did anyway."

Leo's jaw clenched, "How did you find me?"

"It was on the news. This," she gestured to the chaos, "I mean."

Leo nodded briefly. Of course it was. She inhaled sharply as if to say more, but then she shut her mouth, turning her head and looking forward.

Leo glanced at her but then decided it must not have been important.

'Make them pay.' She had said.

For what?

Burning his sister down?

Killing his family?

Killing Eliza's family?

Killing their own workers?

Hadn't they already paid by burning their work? Their experiments?

Leo sighed, dropped his head between his knees. The firemen working, the police scouring the grounds... did they know? Were they an act? A façade to cover the work the government had done, to cover the crimes they committed?

"Leo..."

Leo was tired. He was tired of fighting. Of running. Of being someone else's lab rat. Being someone else's puppet. Everything he had done: fighting Eliza, nearly killing her, breaking out of the facility, going back to it...

Was the world against him? Or, rather, was he just incapable of keeping anyone around him alive?

He heard his name again. Incessant. Worried, perhaps... if he deluded himself.

"Leo."

Leo clenched his jaw. His cheeks felt stiff, and his nose cold. The sun had set, but the fire raged on. There were still some firemen, trying to put out the blaze. If they were covering up for the government, they had their work cut out for them, at least.

A hand fell on his arm, shook it. Leo felt urgency build in his chest and he finally moved, turning his head to look at Eliza.

She looked clean, and her lips were moving frantically, but it took Leo a while before he registered what he was saying.

"We need to go, Leo, now."

"Why?"

Frustration built, and Leo turned his head to look at where Eliza's eyes kept darting.

A man was beginning to climb the hill – not from the direction of the workers, but from where he had climbed.

Leo slowly got up into a crouch. He glanced at Eliza, who showed something akin to relief as she glanced back him. She led the way into the cover of the trees, and Leo followed.

Once safely behind cover, Leo turned to watch the man. Something about him, the way the man crouched, the way he slowly knelt to the ground and pulled something out to look at the wreckage... he wasn't an enemy.

"Leo, we need to go."

Leo nodded with a sigh, and turned, vanishing into the night.

___________

Leo walked silently, holding branches up for Eliza to walk under before following.

"Where are we going?" Eliza asked, shoving her hands in her pockets. The chill had begun to creep in, the cold accompanying the night.

"I don't know." Leo replied, shrugging.

"We can't go to the village."

Leo paused, glanced at her. "Why not?"

"We were on the news. They blamed the fire on us," she sighed, Leo noticed now that she seemed tired, "blamed everyone's death on us. We're wanted people now."

Leo closed his eyes, "Of course they did, how better to look for us than to put our pictures up for everyone to see."

"Okay," he glanced around, "I think we should take a break for the night."

"What? Here?" She glanced around warily.

"Yes, here, Eliza." Leo looked at her.

"But it's -"

"I'm sorry I can't get you a five-star hotel room, Eliza." Leo snapped, "We're on the run now, where did you think we were going to sleep?"

Eliza's shock melted into a cold stare as she looked at him before she stalked over to a tree and slumped on the ground, resting her back against the rough bark.

Leo clenched his jaw and let out an angry sigh before slumping in front of a tree in front of her.

Leo removed his backpack, dropping it to the ground before rummaging through it. He pulled out two small protein bars, and a bottle of water.

"Here, eat." Leo threw the water and food to her.

He glanced back inside the backpack. There was only enough food for another day, maybe two if he cut down on his own.

"No - it's okay, I have my -" Leo glanced up to see Eliza pull her hands out of her pockets with a sigh, "It's back at the Bed and Breakfast."

Leo shrugged, "We'll have to go into town to get food."

"But, we can't! They'll see us - we'll be captured."

Leo stared at her blankly, "No, they won't. We'll be fine."

Eliza stared at him, a surge of worry, then a flash of something hot in his chest before it melted and she dropped the subject matter.

Leo dropped his gaze, biting into the bar  and eating half before putting the other half away. Eliza placed the wrapper into her pocket and took a sip of water before settling back into the tree.

"I'll take the first watch," Eliza offered.

Leo immediately shook his head, "No, I'll do it."

"Leo,"

"No." Leo said forcefully, "I'll take it."

Eliza stared at him silently again, then nodded. The flash of frustration again, "Alright, if you're sure."

"I am." Leo nodded.

Eliza sighed before letting her eyes slide shut, and Leo finally let out a sigh a while later, his shoulders dropping as he brought his knees close to his chest.

His family was dead.

His sister.

Rommy.

He was meant to be there for her, protect her as an older brother should. Now, he wouldn't be able to even bury her.