Wanted

Chapter 17

     Before I could blink Crawford was lying on the ground limp. I look at Sam as he puts his gun back into his holster.

"Let's go." He says. He grabs my arm and pulls me out of the house.

"Wait." He stops and looks at me.

"What?" He looks annoyed.

"Why are you here? How did you find me? Where are we going?"

He stops for a second as he finds answers. "I'm here cause I want to protect you, I figured you would be down this road, and we are going somewhere safe. Now come on." He starts to pull me down the cement road.

     I stop again and try to process all of this new information. "You want to protect me?" I laugh a bit.

     Sam looks to the ground. "Ya, of course I do. I got you into this mess, anyways."

     "Well, to be fair, if you hadn't of gotten me into this mess I would be dead. So, thanks... I guess." I smile at him and he looks at me with soft eyes. He smiles back and continues to pull my wrist down the cement road.

     We've been walking for an hour, only exchanging a few words. "You know you don't have to keep holding onto my wrist," I tell him. He immediately let's go.

     "Sorry."

     "Where are we going anyways?" I should've asked him that question a long time ago. I still don't fully trust him.

     "Um I think I know this place that'll take us in for a few nights." I'm still walking a few feet behind him. He never turns his head when he talks to me.

     "And after that? Where am I gonna go?" I know I can't stay with Sam forever. I know I have to find somewhere safe to live. Maybe with my friend, Keston. He's always been there for me and he's probably wondering where I am. If only he knew.

     "I dunno, Ella. Enough with all the questions."

     "If you don't even know where to put me, why are you wasting your time with me? I'm pretty sure there are still some evil teenagers back there that need some guarding."

     He finally turns around to look at me. "I'd much rather be here with you than back there with those murderers." He stops for a second, then proceeds. "One almost killed you! Why are you so calm about that?"

     I take a deep breath. "I guess I just have nothing else to live for."

     He looks me in the eyes. His angered expression fades into a compassionate one. "C'mon, Ella, don't say that. I'm here now. I'll get you outta here. I'll make sure you're safe."

     We continue to talk about ourselves, our pasts, our families, our dreams, silly stuff like that. What I've learned is that Sam was born in Boston and lived there until recently. He has a twelve-year-old sister named Paris and a fifteen-year-old brother named Austin. His parents would always fight and his mother left when he was ten. Once Sam turned twenty, the age he is now, his father sent him to Oklahoma City to become a Guard. I feel bad for Sam and how he was sent away. I don't know how I would be able to live with being away from my family. I guess now I have to try.

     The sun has just set and we've taken shelter under a broken building. I believe it was a restaurant before it was destroyed-- probably by a tornado or something. We lay down on the dusty, hard ground and try to fall asleep. Of course with our luck, it starts to rain... hard. We both immediately sit up and push ourselves back as far as we can under the building.

     "Well, this is a surprise," Sam says as he searches for his backpack. He finds it and pulls it onto his lap. "Beef jerky?" He holds the food out for me to grab.

     "Nah, I'm good." I give him a small smile. He rips open the package and eats it himself.

     "When's the last time you ate something?"

     I can't even remember. Yesterday, I think it was. "Yesterday, I'm pretty sure." I haven't been hungry lately. Except for that time when I wanted an apple, but besides that, I really am not hungry.

     "El, you gotta eat." He starts rummaging through his pack, I assume for more beef jerky. El? Who gave him the right to call me that? I already told him that name is reserved for my family and friends. Although I guess I have neither at the moment. "Dammit!" He punches his backpack. "I'm all out." He looks at me with sad eyes. I wrap my hands around my knees.

     "It's fine Sam. Really," I assure him.

     He doesn't take it. "No, Ella, it's not fine!" He stands up. I stand up two seconds later. "You need to eat. Food is what keeps people alive. I didn't come all this way for you to die of starvation!" He throws his backpack over his shoulder and walks out into the rain.

     "Where are you going?" I yell to him. Is he really stupid enough to go out in the middle of a storm?

     "To get you food!" He yells back to me. I can't let him do that. At least not in these conditions. I jog out in the rain to catch up to him.

     "Go back." He looks at me, furrowing his brows.

     "Not unless you go back with me. Can you not see the lightning? You're outside in a storm. It isn't safe."

     "Don't worry about me," he pushes. "Go back, now." He raises his voice, obviously becoming irritated.

     "Not until you go back with me! Please," I plead.

     "You need food, I'm willing to get you food. What's the issue?" Can he not hear me?!

     "The issue is you could get hurt!"

     "No! The issue is that you could get hurt! Now go!" His voice is at a yell.

     "If you don't want me hurt, I suggest you turn around because I'm not leaving."

     He stares into my eyes angrily. Soon, he realizes this is not a battle he could win. He shrugs and starts walking back towards the old restaurant. I'm pretty proud of myself for persuading him. I guess he doesn't want to see me get hurt.