Children of the Elements: Prey to Him

Chapter Eleven: Into the Mountains

Chapter Eleven: Into the Mountains

Eva kicked a stone across the path like a football as she waited. She’d never been interested in football, but at times like this she would all but love to kick stones and leaves across the floor aggressively and see how far she could get them. Leaning on the car, she was silently standing by herself as she listened expectantly for the other four to join her.

They’d spent the night at a makeshift campsite. After Will had led them through the forest, he’d stolen a car, Nathan and himself alternating as the driver until they reached this abandoned camp with a couple of tents and a burned out fire. There, he’d told them stories of the Mountain People – those hiding from Craig and the PTP for fear of being captured and killed like their family and/or friends had been. That’s where they were heading: the Mountain Pass. Apparently there was a whole town up there living in the caves and man-made housing. They were supposed to be highly skilled in weapons training.

A twig snapped from the other side of the car, and Eva whipped around nervously. She turned back around once she recognised Nathan’s messy curls.

He dawdled up to her with his hands in his pockets, leaning on the car next to her slowly. “You alright?” he asked carefully. “You seem down.”

“Brilliant, genius” she snapped.

“Oh God, what have I done this time? Both of you seem to be going off on me.”

She glanced at him grumpily. “It’s not you. You’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Oh…” There was an awkward pause. “PMS?”

She whacked him viciously and he cowered backwards, squealing in protest. “Fuck’s sake, Nathan!”

“Alright! Alright! Sorry.”

She sighed angrily, returning her gaze to the floor. “It’s just Chris. I think he’s breaking up with me.”

Nathan rubbed his arm a bit before he stood back up properly. “Why?”

“It’s just… we haven’t really been talking much lately what with all the stuff going on, and he thinks I’m attracted to Will and…” she paused briefly, but then gave up protecting herself as a bad job. “And you.”

He sniggered. “Me? Are you serious?”

“Ash seems to have a thing for you, so you can’t be all that bad, can you?”

“Pfft. She really doesn’t.”

Eva made a sceptical face at him before she sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Anyway, Chris is just really paranoid at the moment; I don’t even know why. He just seems to have flipped out about me and you guys together. I don’t get it.”

He leaned against the car next to her again. “Maybe you should talk to him.” Eva was surprised that he was actually trying to be serious.

Still, she shook her head. “He won’t listen to me.”

Nathan kicked at a leaf on the ground whilst he thought. “Then maybe you shouldn’t be together” he mumbled.

“But he’s the first proper boyfriend I’ve ever had, and, you know, I actually like him. I just don’t know how to talk to him: he’s so closed off.” A sudden idea came to her and she turned to Nathan. “Maybe you could -”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You want ME to talk to Chris?”

“Yeah, why not?”

Nathan produced a fake laugh. “Why not? Because the guy hates my guts and would rather kill me than talk to me about your private matters.” In her disappointment, Eva sighed. She felt a hand on her shoulder. “Look, I’m sorry. But you guys should really deal with your problems by yourselves. I’ll just be here for you to moan at, apparently.”