the brave ones // h.s.

the drive - iv

Will hadn't been exaggerating when he said James River was a bit of a way's away, though he may have been understating the distance with his "around two hours" comment.

Eden drives for well more than two hours, closer to three honestly, keeping her eyes trained on the license plate of Will's black truck until she has the sequence memorized: NBH 509. Underneath the printed numbers are small words bearing the phrase "Virginia is for lovers".

Her gaze briefly falls to Harry, who's been dozing on and off in the passenger seat for the last hour of the drive. His loose curls hang around his jaw, brushing against his skin in rhythm with his tempoed breathing. Not that she could consider him a lover in any sense of the word, but any sense of vulnerability she'd felt toward him is beginning to shrink back.

How had he known about the cliff-diving?

It seems inconsequential; maybe Harry's just a really good guesser. But something in Eden knows it must be because of a more sinister reason, one she hadn't bothered to worry about before but now can't stop thinking about.

Did Harry read her list?

Her precious list, which she kept close to her person at all times and watched vigilantly as though it were her child; could he have breached her privacy and her trust to read it?

As an act of instinct, she reaches down into her left pocket and brushes her fingertips against the worn paper. Still there, faithful and encouraging as ever.

Why would he do such a thing? Furthermore, when would he have had the opportunity? She's been with him nearly 24/7 for upwards of a week now.

Stop thinking about it, the small voice in the back of her mind whispers firmly. You'll drive yourself mad.

Her hands twist anxiously around the hard steeling wheel, fingers flexing and curling as she struggles to regain her composure. Her question from earlier had surely sparked curiosity within Harry, alerted him that she was suspicious of him, but she doesn't want to provoke that spark. She doesn't want to recognize her greatest fear about bringing Harry along with her on her roadtrip - that bad blood should form between them and she'll end up alone and bitter.

So when Harry begins to stir next to her as she drives past a sign reading "James River Appalachian Park, Next Exit", Eden flashes him a warm smile before offering her coat to him as a blanket (not to mention as a mental peace offering). If she doesn't act any differently, he won't suspect her like she suspects him.

He takes her jacket, mumbling a tired thanks before curling up underneath it and falling asleep once more. Taylor's blue car flashes in the lights of the highway as he turns down the exit ramp; Will's truck comes bearing down after Taylor, with Eden closely bringing up the rear. The darkness expands around them at a frightening rate as the highway winds further and further away, leaving the tight one-lane road encroached on either side by dark, spindly trees. Branches curve overhead like eerie sentinels, shrouding out any sense of starlight. Eden has half an urge to wake Harry up for good, just so she isn't driving alone through such a terrifying forest.

Breathe, she tells herself. It's just trees. Will is right ahead of you, and Harry right beside you. Everything is okay.

No sooner has she finished telling herself that then does something small and black dart out from the forest, sprinting across the road between Will's truck and the front bumper of her car. She slams on her brake and swerves just to avoid said creature, sending her heart into a marathon-winning pace in her chest.

His name slips from her lips before she can stop herself, an automatic cry for help from the nearest source of safety.

If her yelping hadn't woken him up then surely her erratic braking had. Harry inhales deeply, trying to stretch himself awake while Eden scours her rear view mirror for a glimpse of what just ran across the road. While likely just a bunny, the dark has her mind in a strange place and pictures of an innocent rabbit are drowned out by harrowing images of demonic creatures running across the road on all fours.

"You alright?" he asks, his raspy voice catching her off guard. She jolts in place, clamping onto the steering wheel again. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Don't joke about that," she says in a deathly whisper, her eyes wide. She glances over to see him watching her in bewilderment. "Something ran in front of my car and I don't know what it was. I almost hit it."

A warm, slightly calloused hand settles on her forearm; she does her best not to flinch away from his touch. "Are you okay? Do you want me to drive?"

She shakes her head fervently, lips pursed tightly and fully aware that she'll drive herself into a full panic attack if she doesn't reign in the dramatics. He squeezes her arm with gentle fingers and she exhales shakily. "Driving at night always freaks me out, especially driving in the woods. Trees are creepy."

They look like skeletons, her mind murmurs. Watching, stretching, waiting to snatch me up.

"I'm right here, Eden."

She nods, now unsure of how much comfort that truly brings her.

***

The unsettled feeling in her stomach only grows as she follows Taylor and Will to an empty parking lot a few miles within the confines of the state park. It's a designated camping ground and the nearest clearing is directly across from the well-lit parking lot, but her skin continues to crawl. Her shaking fingers turn the key in the ignition, cutting off the engine and the radio and plunging her car into a deep silence. He sits patiently and she knows he's waiting to hear the words burning her tongue.

"Harry," she says aloud, not willing to sit in the quiet while her thoughts fester. At least for tonight, she'll have to trust him wholly to get around the sick feeling in her veins.

"Yes, Eden, I'm here."

She turns to look at him, willing herself not to cry out of sheer fear. Her buzz is long gone, sucked away by the paranoia caused by the woods, and she's left questioning the rationale behind her latest string of choices. "I'm starting to regret this."

He leans in towards her, turning in the seat and unbuckling his seatbelt so he can face her better. His eyes slant down in concern - she hopes it's genuine. "Why? Talk to me."

"The woods scare me," she answers honestly. "We're going to have to set up camp in the dark, with a bunch of strangers, and sleep here all night." The inflection in her voice grows as panic begins to seep in once more. "I didn't think this through at all but now all I can think about how stupid this was and-"

He reaches out to catch her hands, which she hadn't noticed were beginning to jerk around nervously, and holds them tightly. "Eden," he says, not patronizingly and not unkindly. "Take a deep breath, please. I will keep you safe, but I promise we have nothing to worry about. The woods are harmless and these people are too."

She nods hesitantly, not sure if she believes him.

A crooked grin tugs at the ends of his lips, threatening to bring his dimple to light. "Besides, you're Brave Eden now, right? Everything that lives in the woods is afraid of you, not the other way around."

"I'm still scared, Harry," she admits timidly.

He nods small; kind green eyes catch the dim nearby light and holding her gaze captive. "It's okay to be scared because fear is what makes us brave. You just have to push through it. Fear doesn't own you, Eden. It never has."

~~
be kind, it's unedited! also i know it's another bit of a filler chapter but there's more coming soon i promise. how is everyone's week so far?? almost the weekend again!

late-night update for you since i can't sleep and felt the itch to write some more.

xx