Keep on Fighting (The 5th Wave)

Part THREE

We leave the next morning, and last night, thankfully, my dream was non-existent. I guess Evan's company makes me feel safe, like it always has.

Hand in hand, rifles in our other hands, ready for attack, we each have rucksacks on our backs. This journey can't be too bad, as long as we're together - Evan's all I need.

Knowing that he has the agility of an Other and the mind of a human, maybe that is part of what makes me know he'll protect me; he says so many times that he is grateful for how I freed him from the Silencer inside him, and that his humanity being restored was the best thing that ever happened to him. Why wouldn't I believe him? He's so cheerful when he speaks of it.

He's an honest man, and he's so thoughtful too. That's probably one of the reasons I love him.

Especially with everything that's happened lately, it's almost insane how he managed to hold himself together better than I did; maybe he did everything he did for me. That sounds like the most selfish thing I've ever thought. After all, I'm not the only person who was saved from the others at Wright Patterson. But, we probably have a better chance of saving those other kids from them, too. We just have to find the new base - they could have travelled anywhere, with planes and helicopters and a million miles of free land and other military bases scattered across America: they could have even travelled to another country. Their options are unlimited, but ours aren't.

Whatever we do, we should know that there's not much hope for us, but we can't lose the hope that we have; we just have to multiply it. But what are we supposed to do?

Evan loses his grip on my hand and raises his hand to his gun, his eyes searching for something nearby, or someone. He pushes me behind him, and continues to aim his gun directly in front of him - he obviously knows that there's someone nearby, but how? If he can't see or hear them, does he have a sixth sense as a feature of being a Silencer? Maybe. It's almost as if he senses an unwanted presence, and he's protecting me from something whether he's sure it's a threat or not.

By now, I should be certain that there are Others filling the woods, but until we are spotted, I barely feel vulnerable. I should. Why don't I? The Others are something to be feared. Why don't I fear them as much as I should? I know why. With Evan Walker by my side, I feel protected, and there's nothing I can do to help it.

Then, I see him, except he's not an Other... it's Ben. And he's not alone - following behind him I see Ringer, and Poundcake, and Teacup, and Dumbo... and Sam. What are they all doing here?

My mouth hangs open.

"What are you doing here?! And how could you put Sam in danger by leading him through the woods?! You all could've been killed! And how did you find me?" Evan, who still stands beside me, lowers his gun and lets out a short sigh of relief.

"You really think that once everyone realised you were missing we wouldn't come out looking for you? How selfish do you think we are?" Ringer speaks up, "Ben told us what happened. You really didn't need to isolate yourself, Cass. We're your friends, and we want to help."

"Help? You left the camp, which we were already on our way to, which was actually the safest place we've made shelter, to help me? This isn't exactly helping." I say.

"So, that's Evan Walker?" Dumbo asks and I simply nod my head as Evan raises his hand to wave. Yes, that's Evan Walker.

- - -

Evan just looks over each of them, as I see Sammy staring hopefully up at me. Gesturing for him to come, I throw my arms around his tiny shoulders and he squeezes back lightly.

Once he pulls away, he asks so innocently, "Where did you go, Cassie"? His face looks almost saddened as he has a reminder of waking up to a missing sister. I almost can't imagine it.

Speaking into his small, sweet eyes, I tell him, "I had to do something; something important". I'm not lying, but it's not the entire truth - basically, I couldn't confess my undying love for Evan to my six-year-old brother.

"What do we do now?" Poundcake wonders, expecting a fast reply, but everyone goes quiet. Obviously, none of us know the answer.

"We should find shelter" I finally decide, and all those around me nod there heads in agreement.

After some time, we begin to search for shelter before dark, hoping that it wouldn't be too difficult. Just as the sunlight starts to fade, and the darkness closes in on us, we find a small village that seems completely empty. Under the circumstances, I consider whether the Others have decided to leave us alone for a while, but it still seems unlikely.

Unfortunately, the locks on the doors and windows of the houses all seem to be damaged, which removes a lot of security, but we deal with it. We just have to be hopeful that there will be no others searching these streets any time soon.

We each find beds and couches and such to sleep on in a house on the corner of the street, and, as a result of how tired we are already, everyone falls asleep fairly quickly... except me. Evan is sleeping on the other side of the lounge, which, I guess, must have seemed better decorated before the waves.

He opens his eyes, and I notice immediately as his eyes sparkle in the dim candlelight filling the majority of the room. All of us are in one room to ensure our safety, so that, if an Other was to find us, no one would be isolated, and vulnerable. Although, there probably aren't any Others nearby. But, we still need to be cautious.

Evan sits up unexpectedly, looking around the room.
'What is it?" I whisper across the room, already knowing what his answer would be from the skeptical look on his face.
"There's someone here..."

I stood up from my bed and walked over to him, then placing my hand on his arm and clutching to him.
"If you're leaving this room, I'm coming with you." I demand, waiting for him to disagree, but he knows me too well. He is aware that he won't be able to stop me.

Still clinging onto him, almost like a child, I follow him through the other rooms towards the stairs. Then, there was a quiet creak in the upstairs floorboards which would only be heard in the silence we are surrounded by, and Evan pushes me behind him, protectively as a tall, dark figure appears at the top of the stairs.