42nd Country Road

Excuse Me?

I woke up shivering. My breath was hitting the air like cigar smoke. I breathed in and looked across the ground for my shirt, or any shirt. I shifted and grabbed Mark's shirt, which was closest to the cot. I put it on. Mark shifted over and wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in the crook of my neck.

"Is this my shirt?" He sleepily said. I put my hands on his and turned my head so my lips were on his cheek.

"You got a problem with me wearing your clothes?" I asked quietly in return.

"Not at all," He replied, "You always looked better in my clothes anyway," He said letting out a long breath. I smiled and closed my eyes. I started to think about Aaron's 'game'. 48 Hours. I sat up and ran out of the tent. I heard Mark call after me. I ran down the rows of tents in Mark's shirt, and my torn jeans. I saw a women sitting next to a fire.

"Excuse me!" I called.

"What can I help you with, dear?" She replied.

"Where can I find Bridgit?" I asked

"She's in the larger tent just down the way," She said

" Thank you so much," I replied, then jogged off. I unzipped the door to Bridget's tent. She sat up from her cot confused.

"Evelina, what are you..." She started.

"48 hours," I interrupted, "Aaron gave us 48 hours, and then what happens? I die. My blood gets used to save a pointless race," The dark started to rise up in me. Bridgit picked up a walkie-talkie.

"You put that damn thing down, right now," I said, stepping in one thousand places, like a drunk man.

"Listen, you need to calm down, Aaron played the same game with all of us down here," She said.

"I'm a more valuable target," I said, my voice slipping in and out of darkness, "Won't they look a little harder for me?"

I suddenly felt a strong arm wrap around my abdomen. A hand grabbed my hair and yanked it back, exposing my neck. I felt a needle go into my skin. The arm let go. I turned around to see Jake.

"Jake?" I questioned. The drunkenness heightened, "You trader!" I screamed, "You left us out there to die!"

"It was an accident, I swear," Jake said.

"An accident?" I laughed, drunkenly, "Death is not an accident! Cowardness is an accident,"

My legs went limp and I fell to the concrete ground.

"I didn't leave you to die, I saved you," He said kneeling down to me.

"You're a liar, you're a liar and you know it," I said.

"You keep dreaming, Ev," Jake said. I then felt something hit the back of my head. I fell to the ground unconscious.

I woke up to a loud ringing in my ears. Voices were surrounding me, with faint 'is she dead?'. The voices got louder and I pulled air into my lungs. I looked up to see people surrounding me. Where was Mark? Where was Jack? I slowly sat up.

"Ev," A voice rang. I looked around the blurred crowd. I felt hands grab my abdomen. I tried clumsily to get away, but the hands pulled me off the ground. I felt my arm go around the stranger's shoulder as they helped me walk.

"Who...are...you?" I asked as we cleared the crowd.

"The man who knocked you out," The voice said. I knew it was Jake.

"Where's my boyfriend?" I asked, my feet dragging behind me.

"You'll see him soon enough," Jake said. I tried to get away from him, but he only pulled me back. He shoved me into a tent and zipped it shut. I laid on the ground, arms outstretched from my body, blankly staring up into the seams of the tent. I heard Mark and Jack's voice from outside.

"Is she okay?" I heard Mark say out of concern.

"Ya, she's fine, Aaron has given up looking for her," Jake said.

"What did she do?" Jack asked.

"She just started to go a little crazy and get violent so, we put her to sleep," Jake replied.

"Gotcha," Jack said. I heard the tent unzip. I slowly turn my head over to face Mark, my eyes fluttering.

"Ev, what did they do to you?" Mark said crawling into the tent and cradling my limp body. I looked up at him.

"I'm okay Mark," I said drunkenly,

"Jake, what the hell did you do?!" Mark said, angrily.

"It's just some strong sleeping meds, they'll wear off in a few hours," Jake said. Mark looked back to me.

"Get the hell out," Jack said.

"What?" Jake said.

"I said, get the hell out, you're no use to us for being here," Jack said. Jake left and Jack zipped the tent.

"We are leaving," Jack said