War of Peace

Chapter Nineteen

Simon

Camden finds a bunch of loaded guns on a shelf in the garage. He throws them into the car, climbing into a back seat with everyone else. I'm in the middle of the car while Camden is in the back next to Kyle, who's groaning. Gianna is the last to get in. I guess she's the driver.

"Silas, where's Maddie and Cooper?" She asks, shutting the door.

"Cooper said to leave without us, they can handle themselves. We don't have any time to wait," he replies quickly.

I hope they'll be ok, but he's right, we should leave. I watch the garage door slowly open. I try to stay calm as Gianna backs out onto the drive. She speeds quickly away from the house, but we're not on the road.

"Slow down a bit, we could crash into a tree, not to mention blow a tire on a twig," he puffs out, gripping his seat.

"We need to find a road!" Gianna replies, trying to keep her eyes on the trees.

I feel really queasy every few seconds she's about to hit a different tree. She slows down and I'm relieved.

I look out the window as a distraction from the front. I need to keep my focus from all the trees and shrubs she's about to run into. I notice a little girl hiding behind a tree cocking her head out at the car. Her hair is silky white and her pale skin glows in the sun. She doesn't look afraid, but I'm worried about her. What is a little girl doing out in the woods alone?

"Stop the car!" I shout suddenly.

"Simon what the hell!" She screams, practically slamming on the brakes.

"There's a little girl out there. She looks lost. We can't just leave her out here all alone," I trail off.

"You made Gianna stop over a little girl? I need water for this sickness," Kyle groans.

I roll my eyes and get out of the door, slamming it shut. I see the white haired girl staring at me across the forest. She looks intrigued and amused. I hear a car door slam shut behind me and next thing I know Gianna's by my side. She follows me towards the little girl.

"Simon, maybe this isn't a good idea. I have a bad feeling about this, can we please just leave?" she scoffs quietly.

"And leave a girl out here all by herself?"

I keep walking and I'm almost in an arm's reach distance from her when a voice calls out her name in the distance.

A woman appears with the same white hair. The hair is long and healthy and sits in waves all the way down her back. She's got heavy equipment strapped around her shoulders and waist. Her eyes are an icy blue and her brows are elegant, slightly darker than the silky hair that drapes down her back.

"Get away from my daughter!" The white haired woman shouts fiercely.

She doesn't look old enough to have a child. She looks twenty at the most. She has a sort of intimidating beauty to her.

"We were just on our way. Sorry for bothering you ma'am," Gianna speaks with a diligence I've never heard before. She speaks with such concentration I've never heard anyone use before.

She turns around and gestures to me to follow.

"I recognize that license plate, you're working for the government!" She scowls, "You aren't going anywhere just yet."

She pulls out a bow that was strapped around her shoulder and shoots an arrow right in between Gianna and I. Gianna screams, jumping out of the way. I freeze in place, as I usually do in high pressure situations. She charges after us, throwing Gianna to the side. She hits a tree and blood reddens her blonde hair as it trickles from the side of her head. This woman is stronger than she looks. I definitely can't take her on. She's wearing brown leather and her hair is frizzy with dirt clearly visible and gives off a Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones-type of vibe.