Opposing Sides

Chapter 20: Enemy Discussion

     The next day, Cine slowly pushes herself off of the tree and on her feet. There are trees everywhere but she does not see Vlam. She smells the air and she finds her brother's scent. He is nearby. She jumps onto the branch of a tree, the tree she was leaning on a few minutes before, and she leaps onto tree branches while concurrently moving towards Vlam. When she gets close to him, she sits on the tree and observes what he is doing. It seems like he is rifling through a backpack. Just as she bends her knees to jump off the tree, a guy with black hair runs up to Vlam with a makeshift spear. The rugged wood and the broken glass attached to its tip were connected with heavy duty packing tape.

            "Put the bag down," the guy said with a stern voice. He stopped walking just behind Vlam and the bottom of the spear sat on the dirt floor. Vlam turns around and looks at the guy. The male turned twenty-one years old a few weeks ago. "Why should I?" Vlam asks defiantly. The male grins and his brown eyes momentarily look to the side. "You stole my property and I want it back," the male says.

"Why should I give it back? If I found it I can keep it. You should protect your belongings better."

"You are right. Let us make a deal. You get what you want from it and leave the rest of the materials with me."

            Vlam grabs the bag's strap and jumps on the tree branch next to Cine. He notices her presence immediately and is astonished for a brief moment. She looks at him and he tells her to follow him with a swift hand gesture. They leap through the trees. A spear is thrown through the leaves of the branches between Vlam and Cine. Cine jumps back to avoid being pierced by the primitive projectile and loses her balance. She falls from the tree and lands on the ground near the male. He walks up to her and grabs her arm. "Who are you?" He asks. She stomps on his left foot and he tightens his hold on her arm. Vlam jumps down from a tree close to them.

            Cine knees the guy in the stomach and he falls backwards to the ground. She falls with him and his other hand reaches for her throat. Vlam tries to separate them but the guy is holding Cine very firmly. His hand wraps around her throat Vlam gasps with wide eyes. "Let her go. I will give you the backpack." Vlam says. The hand holding Cine's arm releases its grip and holds an open palm to receive the bag. Vlam gives him the bag and he weighs Cine's legs down with one of his own. "I want to make another deal with you," he says with a loose hold on Cine's neck.

"What is it?"

"I want you both to help me find some more food and bags like this one. If we all forage we can find more food in a timely manner."

"Okay we will do that. Just let her go."

"You think I am stupid. She will get up when I get up and if she tries to hurt me again I will slit her throat with a blade that I have in my possession."

The guy is bluffing. He lost the only blade he had last week. Vlam did not trust the guy and he had no intention of actually doing anything he agreed to. He just wanted to ensure Cine's safety. "What is your name?" The guy asked. "Jean," Vlam replied curtly.

"What is her name?"

"What is your name?"

"My name is June. Now, I will ask you again! What is her name?"

"Her name is Cynthia."

"Okay, well you are going to follow us until I tell you to stop, Jean."

     Vlam nods his head and the guy stands up with Cine. Conflicting thoughts swirl in Cine's mind. She does not want to be the victim anymore. This is not what leaders do. I must be independent! She says to herself. She throws her head from side to side and her hair whips June's face. He loosens his hold on her. She relaxes her body till it becomes a deadweight. June's thin arms shake as he tries to hold Cine. Vlam runs to the side of June and wraps his hands around the guy's throat. He begins to squeeze. June completely releases Cine but Vlam inadvertently grabbed a few strands of hair in the process of attacking June. Her left elbow hits June in the torso as she tries to pull away. June relaxes his body and closes his eyes. Vlam lets him go. Cine's hair is free and she runs a few feet away from them before she turns around. Vlam runs past her and says ", Follow me."

Somewhere in Oklahoma

            Janz and Night are few miles ahead of Cole. The girl does not have duct tape on her mouth. Cole left the bag with all of his materials in the abandoned home that he left. He does not care about it because he thinks that he can find all of the materials he left behind in another hunter's bag. Although, lately he does not want to harm any hunters because he does not have enough time to attack them and he has to protect the human girl he is walking next to. He got tired of carrying her but he still has a firm hold on the ties that keep her arms together. She leans her head on Cole's shoulder and whispers ", Can I wash my face?" She asks. Cole says ", you may have to wait a while."

"Can I use the bathroom?"

"Okay."

He walks her to a tree and releases his grip on her ties. "Do I have to always ask you to turn away when I do this?" She asks. "I am not looking at you," Cole says.

"What if...?"

"Finish the question."

"Never mind I will just do what I must. Do not peek!"

"If I did that my eyes would bleed."

"I am serious."

"I am serious as well."

            She releases the liquid that was held in her bladder for a few hours. Swiftly, she pulls her panties and her pants back on. Cole sees the color of her body change and is curious as to why and how her body does that. He has been holding these questions deep within his thoughts but he really wants the answers to those questions. "Why do you change your mood so frequently?" He inquires. "I do not change my moods often!" She exclaims.

"I just have a way of knowing when moods change and yours change within a few seconds. What are you thinking about?"

"Why am I being questioned by my captor? What have I ever done wrong to be put in this situation?" He has not given me any chance to run away from him. The best part of being away from my family is that I do not have to be compared to my cousins, which has always been a losing battle! They could not see me as anything more than a burden and a weak person that happened to survive a wolf attack. My mother was not so lucky. She died that day. I was twelve years old but I could not push myself to do anything. I just sat there and the big wolf ripped my mother to pieces before my eyes! My mother was teaching me how to hunt. The oddest part about it is that the wolf's light brown eyes looked directly in mine. Then the wolf walked away. I went back to the house my family stayed in for that day. Uncle Cheever and Aunt Greta yelled at me and went out to find the remains of the body, but they said they could not find her. For some reason, not finding the body made them angrier. Late at night, I would hear them talk about my mother. They thought she left me with them and ran away, but I saw her die! I did! She leaves her thoughts for few seconds to focus on Cole.  He throws her over his shoulder and tries to catch up with his father and brother. She is a bit shocked by the action.