There's Light at the End of the Tunnel

Chapter 3

"Gon' have ta spray paint ya crossbow or somethin'. We gon get 'em mixed up sooner or later" The man carrying me says, trying to make me feel better.

After walking for about a half hour we stop.

"Can ya get on ma back?" He stands me up easy.

I nod, put both of our crossbows on my back and get on his. I hold onto him, his grip on me ain't too tight nor too loose.

"Ya heavier than ya look" He says, teasing me.

"Funny" I say resting my head on his shoulder.

No I don't like him. I just can't see where we're going.

We stop once more and he goes back to carrying me in his arms again. I really didn't mind, the less I was off my feet, the better my stitches would be.

We end up on a farm. When we get to the tents and an RV, automatic suspicion fills the air.

"Who is this" A paranoid woman says to the sheriff.

"She's fine. She saved her" He says comforting her, I'm guessing she is his wife.

The man carrying me leads me away from everyone and puts me in a tent.

"Ya stay here aight?" He says to me.

"Why... Why are ya doin' this?" I really want to know.

He pauses for a second, trying not to give a book answer.

"'Cause it's the right thing ta do" He hangs up my crossbow and quiver and hands me my bag.

"Why'd ya bring me here 'steada to the doctor"

"Ya said ya don't need one but if ya wanna see 'em I'll take ya" He sits outside the tent, which is obviously his.

"Maybe tomorra"

"Ya ain't goin' anywhere" He looks me in the eyes.

"Y'all ready made that clear" Acting like a smartass.

"Smartass huh? 'Mind me of ma brother" He stands up.

"Leavin' me ta die huh?" We both knew I wasn't going to die but he knew what I was talking about.

"Just gonna get ya some water n food"

"Ya ain't gotta feed me or nurse me, I'm fine" I say taking the canteen out of my bag.

"Just stay 'ere" He goes back to everyone else.

Later that night, when the sun went down, the whole group, except me, was gathered around a fire having a good time. I can understand why they left me here, but I thought this was a family.

"What's the matter" The man with the vest says, standing behind me.

"Nothin'"

"Somethin's on ya mind" He sits on the log next to me, lighting our own fire.

"Thought y'all just left me over 'ere by maself cause ya don't trust me 'round ya people"

"We don't think that. He just don't know where ta put ya"

"But I don't need ya tent. That's yours, not mine" I caught him by surprise there.

"You need it more than I do right now. Ya hurt, ya need somethin' comfier than the ground" He says looking into my eyes.

"A tree branch is perfectly fine by me"

He chuckles, I smile.

"Ya somethin' else girl"

"Yeah, used ta get that a lot" I look into the fire.

He doesn't ask for what happened before, he knows how dark and scary people's pasts can be, you could tell by the look on his face.

"How long ya been on ya own"

"Pretty much since the beginnin'" Minus the month I was with my group.

"Guess ya could say I was too"

"But ya here, with a group"

"I'm always on the sideline. They don't look at me like they see everyone else. Was 'bout a month of just me n my brother into this before we came 'cross these people"

"Ya different from the rest of 'em that's why" I say trying to comfort him, so he wouldn't be so hard on himself.

"I know but every time I go near 'em most of the time, they look at me like I just slaughtered somebody"

Sure I wasn't sure what to think of him when I first saw him, but I didn't even look at him like that.

"Come on, ya need some rest" He puts me in the tent.

"Ya know this is a four person tent" I say to him, trying to tell him there's enough room for both of us with enough space in between.

"Yeah?" He says looking inside.

"Yeah it is. There's more than enough room for both of us with space in between"

He climbs in and lays behind me, leaving me by the doorway.

"Ya right" He says laying down.

"I know I am" Being a smartass is the best.

He chuckles, "Get some sleep ya need it"

"So do ya" I lay on my side and close my eyes.

I wake up in the middle of the night with a start. I sit up rather quickly, and slightly groan in pain. I try not to make too much noise, I don't want to wake him.

"Y'all right?" His voice raspier than before.

"Yeah, just had a bad dream" I slowly lay back down.

"Need pain killers?"

"Ya got some ta spare?"

"I got the best of the best" He gets out of the tent and hands me a prescription bottle of a high dose of amoxicillin and another bottle of high dose pain meds.

"How the hell do ya have these?" I sit up some.