Obsession With the Lost

A Broken Pawn

Chapter 5

I left him, turning and watching Argus follow me.  He had a triumphant sway in his step, but we were both still cautious.  Each leaf that fell in front of us, caught our eyes.  A light breath leaving us when we saw it was nothing to be concerned about.

 I could only keep moving.  With every step I took, I was getting closer to my goal, even if I didn’t feel that way.  Together, we spent days walking.  I hadn’t thought about food much, I never really felt hungry.  It was like I was starting to freeze in time like everyone else here had.  Sandra hadn’t been around since she was dragged off. Part of me was worried for her, but she was already dead; nothing too bad could happen to her.

The sunlight filtered down through the trees around us and I wondered if it was the same sun that gave light to the living.

My hope hadn’t yet diminished, but everytime I tried to see the bigger picture, I felt like I was looking through a tunnel.  I was only allowed to see what was in front of me and right now I realized, it was a boy.  Or I suppose I should say a man.

He laid there, not waiting for anything, not seeming to have anywhere to be. Like he had been roaming around and decided to stop for a while.  His chest rose easily, but I couldn’t see his face.  An arm covered his eyes from the sun, while the other rested it’s hand behind his head.

When he arm fell behind him I saw his young face.  He looked as if he could only be a little older than myself.  Part of me was relieved it wasn’t my kidnapper playing another psychotic game, trying to show up in front of me after what had happened earlier today.  I gripped the hem of my shirt with my sweaty hands.  The sky was already turning a darker orange and I knew it would set in a couple hours; leaving me once again in the dark.

He must be dead.  I thought to myself.  A ghost.

I had pinned my body against a tree, to try and slip past him.  I didn’t need anyone noticing me.

Argus gave me a strange look and before I could return one, his ears perked up and he fled.  I blinked quickly, tryint to process what was happening. My stomach clenched and I struggled not to cry out for him, but I had to stay silent and he only continued running.   Faster than I imagined he could, he left me there; but not alone.

Argus had left my side once before this, but it wasn’t long before he had come back. I still didn’t know what he left for.

The breeze blew past me and I took a deep breath, preparing to move to the next tree.  I took careful steps, watching where my weight shifted and how I stepped; but it wasn’t enough.

“Whistling would be less discrete than your loud steps.”  He spoke loudly, chuckling to himself. His voice was lighthearted, but it came from deep in his chest and I froze where I stood.

I could hear him getting up, moving closer to me, every step taken almost silently with ease.  He soon met the side of my hiding spot, but I was unsure how he had seen me behind the wide tree.  His hearing couldn’t have pinpointed the spot. 

His body heat warmed my arm as he stood next to me, while I still leaned against the tree’s trunk.  My fingertips digging lightly into the bark.

“Pretty nice tree, huh?”  He said it with a seriousness that told me he truly appreciated it, and I wasn’t about to tell him that I hadn’t looked at him very closely.  I wasn’t about to speak to him at all.

He looked at me after admiring the rough wood for a few seconds, and crossed his arms.  He worn a dark tshirt and jeans, I wondered where he had gotten those clothes.  Casting my eyes down I recognized the black shorts and red dress top that I had put on a few mornings ago.