Insanity (Sequel To Madness)

Away From Home

~*Now*~
~*Violets POV*~

Josh latches his hand to mine while we walk far away from District 6, and this time I don't care. I bet he thinks this is romantic, but it's nothing of the sort. It's awful if I'm honest with you. I walk lazily, placing one foot in front of the other like I always do. The only thing that really keeps me going on this path instead of running back towards all my friends is the belief that I will go back to them, and that this is helping Shane to regain his empire and power that he needs. That's the only thought going through my head while I walk next to Josh to who-knows-where.
"Violet, are you okay?" Josh asks me suddenly, breaking my wonderful thoughts and reasons.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" I ask him, almost emotionlessly while I try to recollect my thoughts.
"You just looked really... Tired and focused. Do you need to take a break?" Josh asks me sweetly while he runs his thumb over my hand gently.
"Yeah... Yeah, a break would be good for all of us I think." I say, putting on a smile. Josh smiles back and nods.
"Well, let's take a break here then." Josh calls to his few men that have been walking ahead of us. Josh sits me down on the side of the road and places himself next to me, keeping his hand locked to mine.
"How are you today, Violet? Walking all night can be tiring, and I'm glad that we can break here together." Josh tells me happily. In the corner of my vision I see him staring at me, but I choose to ignore it.
"I'm fine I guess..." I reply in a slightly mumbled tone. I don't mean for it to come out like that, but my mood sometimes leaks to the outside.
"Do you need rest? As in sleep?" Josh asks me sweetly. I shake my head slightly and blink a few times to keep myself awake.
"No, I've gone days without sleep before. I'll be fine doing it for a few more days." I explain, mumbled again by my lack of sleep that actually seems to be getting to me more than I wanted.
"If you need sleep, or anything at all, just tell me and it's done." Josh tells me with a large smile on his face.
"Oh... Thanks, Josh. But I don't need anything right now, I'm perfectly fine." I respond, giving him a glance that I'm sure he was waiting for.
"I'm glad." Josh comments happily as he gives my hand another gentle squeeze.
"Actually..." I say, glancing at him again.
"What is it?" Josh asks me sweetly.
"Just because I agreed to go with you doesn't change our relationship. I'm married to Shane, and I am not ever disloyal. So, if you could let go of my hand, please?" I suggest, attempting to pull my hand back a bit. Josh gives me a puzzled look and then sighs while releasing my hand. I place it in my lap and lace my fingers together lazily.
"I just don't see why you agreed to marrying him." Josh tells me with a heavy sigh.
"I asked him, remember? Shane is a good man, hardworking, caring and has been helping me for months before you did. That's what I see when I look at him. I don't know what you see or what you want to try to show me, but I leave the past there, and look at who he is now." I state, slightly annoyed. Josh shakes his head and sighs again.
"Hardworking? That's new to me. I used to do everything in that household, all he did was make pancakes in the mornings and stay home all day saying that "his work didn't need him," which is ridiculous to say the least." Josh replies with another heavy sigh.
"He does everything now, and I've never seen him miss a day of work. But, he used to make pancakes?" I giggle just at the thought of Shane wearing an apron preparing meals every day.
"Yeah, almost every day. He did it for his, uh... Our, daughter. She liked him more than me, and I knew it, and Shane knew it. So, he acted more as the father, which was fine with me since I didn't ever connect with her as much as Shane did. But, he blamed me for her death, even though I wasn't the one at fault. Shane brought her to the offices and left her outside, and she got bitten." Josh explains in a slightly more hushed voice than he had used before.
"He wouldn't do it without a reason. Shane never does anything without a reason. He told me that he called every doctor he could, and you did nothing except look for me. But at the time, I didn't want to be found, and I was already happy where I was, without you, and with the one true love of my life." I tell him coldly while I squeeze my hands together in a slight anger and nervousness.
"Your true love? Shane wasn't with you when I was looking for you, he didn't even know your name." Josh informs me, but I already know that, I wasn't talking about Shane.
"Shane isn't my true love. My true love died, and I made a promise to him that I would live a long life and tell him about it one day. His name was Sean McLaughlin, but we called him Jack. He was my true love, and I already know that. I married Shane for my own reasons, Josh, and I don't plan on ever having a real relationship with either of you, or anyone, ever." I spit as I stand back up and begin walking down the long road again.
"Violet... You don't really mean that." Josh calls as he jumps up and chases after me. He places his hands on my shoulders and pulls me back towards him.
"Get off me, Josh." I demand as I try to shove myself forward and out of his grasp. Josh catches me again and pulls me back into his chest.
"Let go of me before you get hurt."  I shout at him now and attempt once again to release myself from his grip, but once again I fail. He places a hand over my mouth and pinches my nose so that I am unable to breathe. I try to scream and kick him off me, but he doesn't even budge when I hit him as hard as I can. 
"Shh... Just let it happen, it will be a lot easier that way." Josh whispers. I shake my head and bite down on his hand, hard. Josh releases me to cradle is now bleeding hand. I dash down the road and scream loudly in complete distress. I run as fast and as fiercely as possible down the road, and not long after I start I hear footsteps chase after me and Josh ordering his few men to chase after me as well. I feel a stone under my foot and I slip slightly on it, losing some of my speed.
"Shit." I hiss as I attempt to regain my previous process to escape. I pant heavily, but I keep going, but it isn't at the speed I had hoped. I run along the road, but I can feel myself getting more tired by the second. I have to change something. I only have my two knives, in my breastplate and my boot, so I can not attack them, I would lose. I don't have the strength to run forever, so I can't outrun then. I could try to go back to District 6, but I would have to fight through all of my captures, and I think I would lose that too. I glance around me, and see a thick forest to my right. I could run there. I have lived in the woods before when I was with all the guys at the beginning. We lived there just fine, and I could do it again and trace my way back to District 6. I can hunt, and I'm sure I can find a stream for water if I explore enough. This is my only option. So, I dash into the trees and twigs that cover the forest ground.