Evolution

Chapter Twenty Two: Demons

I couldn't control my thoughts, my mind was racing, along with my heart as I crawled through the vent towards the surface. I wanted to forget what had happened, not because it was bad, or because I didn't enjoy it, but because I did enjoy it, because it wasn't bad. I hadn't kissed another man since I'd chosen my boyfriend over my brother. My love for him, had cost me both of their lives because of these very emotions that had been reopened. I was extremely overwhelmed and my mind scrambled to pick up the pieces of my past. I didn't want to be this person, I didn't want to have these emotions.

After a short minute of climbing, I reached the surface. The cold air swooped across my face, giving me a fresh much needed breathe of air.
Jesse stood at the top of the grate waiting for me. I avoided looking towards his face at all costs. Ronan was standing beside him, also waiting. My surroundings were quiet, everything was calm, now we were free.
I squeezed myself out of the hole and waited as Jesse placed the grate lid back over the drain. I dusted off myself and readjusted my bow and arrows which had twisted around my body through the short space crawl. My elbow stung, but I ignored the pain I assumed to be from breaking the glass in the prison Lab. I was going to push through whatever needed to reach a safety point. I knew that as soon as Shaun noticed such a large group was missing, he would accumulate his brothers and search for us. He would be full of rage, even his close brother Max had defied him and left. We needed to keep low, we needed to keep away from main roads and eyesight.

Jesse, Ronan and I walked for about five minutes through the woods where Jaxon had left a trail of rocks neatly placed in the middle of the dirt. Everything was silent, but it wasn't the kind of silence that I had been hoping for. It was awkward silence, silence I wanted to escape from.

Thankfully, we finally reached the others. They were deep in the woods, an easy thirty of them. I quickly caught sight of a few familiar faces, faces that I was suddenly glad to see. I moved forward until I was greeted by Keira, Coby, and Abbie – who held on tightly to an improving Nora – Jaxon, Max, Mason, and surprisingly Sinda. These were the people I knew better than it seemed I knew myself. I was glad that these people were here, I was glad they were safe

I blew out a sigh of relief as Keira and Coby embraced me.

"How did you manage out?" Max asked the two men behind me

I kept silent. I sure as hell wasn't going to be explaining it.

"So Arrow, where to next?" Keira asked me as she pulled a stray piece of hair from my face

It was then I became aware that I was being stared at by almost everyone in view of me. Max, Jaxon, Ronan and Jesse included. They were waiting for my response.

Arden was not there to guide them, what did that mean for me?
I couldn't form words; I was now under pressure that mounted on top of my already existing emotional problems. I didn't know where we were supposed to go next. I wasn't the leader they were seeking. Peter stepped forward beside me

"We will go through the woods; we should come out through the other side and find the edge of the highway. We will follow the highway and make our way to Canada" he spoke up, taking the lead from me, for me.

I wanted to tell Peter that we needed to avoid the highways, that Shaun would be looking for us there, but I wasn't going to do that in front of everyone, I didn't want to take leadership from Peter as he confidently took that place from me. I was already struggling.

No one questioned Peter. Why would they? He was perfect for the job.

Peter went on to explain his rules, rules that were very much the same as what Arden had when he had been the 'leader'. Everyone understood those rules, they were only for our protection.