The Limit [Book 1]

Chapter 7

That night, we camped in the Humvee. Jordan parked the car in a tiny grove of trees about a mile east of the main road. The said man had already made himself comfortable at the wheel, a thin blanket draped over his body and his head resting on the door.

Jace tossed me another blanket and I caught it in one hand. "You can sleep in the backseat. I'll take the front." I nodded, spreading the blanket on top of the seats. I took out the rubber band in my hair and let it unravel and flow down my shoulders. I fingered a dark strand between my index and thumb, distracted as I slipped under the covers.

When did it get so long?

I will have to cut it the next chance I get before it starts to hinder my sight. I felt Jace's gaze on me as I settled into the leather of the car seat and drew the blanket around me tightly.

"What is it, Jace?"

"... it's nothing." I raised an eyebrow in his direction before shrugging it off and turning to face the back of the seats.

"Well, night then."

"... goodnight, Clever."

-

I was the last one to wake up the following morning, small rays of sunlight filtering through the dense leaves above. Jace glanced over at me from where he was rifling through the trunk.

"Wake up, Clever, we have a lot to do today." I laid there and stared up at the forest canopy for a few more minutes before sitting up and stretching. I folded the blanket neatly and got out of the car, placing the blanket with the others in the trunk.

"Let's get moving, Jace." I turned to see Jordan walking out from the trees to the right of the car, a long Remington M40 rifle slung on his back. "The coast is clear for now, we should leave before they call for backup. Take the secondary road and break off onto I - 200."

"Sounds like a plan, let's go." I nodded and threw myself into the backseats, pulling on a thick camo jacket Jace had packed into the trunk. Jordan started the engine and we were off, making our way to the dirt road that seemed endless on both sides.

-

The drive was relatively silent. We had reached the secondary road half an hour ago and there were still no signs of the previous group of military personnel, though that alone was not reassuring. My hand is wrapped tightly around the sleek pistol Jace had given me, having not released even a fraction since that morning.

"We'll reach the safe house by nightfall, keep a sharp lookout until then," Jace advised. I nodded back at him and returned to scanning my eyes over the bleak horizon. The dense forest had long since melted away into a dryer environment and I felt uneasy in the vast clearing without the leafy coverage overhead.

I felt his stares bore into the side of my head as my mind wandered. His stare lasted for a few minutes more until I released an exasperated sigh and turned to look at him.

"What is it you want?" He hefted himself from the passenger seat and stepped into the seat next to me. I watched Jace fish for something in back before he emerged with a brown bag filled with stale bread. He tossed me a piece and I caught it with the hand that was not gripping the pistol.

"You hadn't eaten anything since yesterday." I stared at the bread before responding.

"You guys too. I'm not someone you have to babysit."

"I'm not doing this because I care. We just can't have you dying on us before we reach headquarters. And I know you're hungry, Clever, don't try to hide it." I heaved a sigh before biting into the bread, chewing slowly as to not choke.