Breaker
"Is everything okay?" Ellis asks as he appears out of the darkness. Ava and I quickly stand up, putting some distance between us.
"Everything's fine," Ava replies, her cheeks flushed from our previous conversation. "Look, you’re right. We should keep heading to the safe house, but only if you promise to find out if Beth is okay."
Ellis nods confidently. "You leave it to me. You have my word."
"Thank you," she says, relief evident in her tone.
I can't help but worry. If the PUI has got Beth, there's a good chance they'll make her disappear. But I can't let Ava know or even think that – I must shield her from such thoughts, no matter what.
“Best get movin’ then, full moon rising, don’t want this fella here going all horror movie on us,” Ellis jokes as he takes off up the trail, laughing to himself.
I look at Ava, who is staring at me with concern.
“It doesn’t work like that,” I tell her with a sly grin as I set off behind Ellis, catching him up. “Least not for me,” I call back to her.
“Wait up!” Ava calls out to us.
I smile as I feel Ava quickly catching up with Ellis and me. Ellis makes a howling noise, and Ellis and I chuckle to ourselves.
“Dicks,” Ava says.
As we make our way deeper into the woods, I try to work through strategies for our next move. We will not be able to stay here forever, and I need to start getting one step ahead. Right now, all we are doing is running.
At some point, they’ll catch up. I know the best option is to get to my pack, but disappearing to New York, Seattle, or LA for a while first could work.
Chicago might be too dangerous, but maybe that could work to our advantage.
As we continue down the trail, I feel the weight of the decisions that lie ahead, but I’m strong enough to shoulder them. You don’t choose the path you walk; the path chooses you. Sooner you figure that out, the sooner the shit they throw at you is easier to wipe off.
“Just round this last bend, and paradise awaits,” Ellis tells us.
We collectively push ourselves, and our pace quickens as we turn the bend that reveals the little cabin. I’m sure it would look pretty on a bright summer day, but now it looks like a damp wooden fridge that even the rats would avoid.
Ava and I stop as Ellis walks enthusiastically ahead. We both look at the cabin and are thinking the same thing.
“Paradise lost more like,” Ava says.
“Well, come on in,” Ellis calls from the porch. It’s clear that he sees this place through different eyes. For him, the rotting wood holds the memories of him and his son. But, when you have good memories, you tend not to feel the cold.
Ava and I join Ellis on the porch as he opens the door with a creak. We step inside and look around at the little room, a couple of single chairs and a little fireplace, a small kitchen, and one room at the back, which I’m assuming is the bedroom.
The air is musty, the scent of damp earth mingling with remnants of past fires left to smolder in the hearth. It's far from ideal, but it's safe and better than where I have spent the last five years.
“Make yourselves at home,” Ellis says. “There should be firewood out back unless it’s been stolen, but I doubt that.”
“Thank you, Ellis,” I tell him.
“Oh, and if I’m not getting too forgetful, a bottle of scotch hidden under the sink for emergencies. I’d say this presents itself as such, so help yourself.” Ellis says.
“Appreciate it,” I tell Ellis, who smiles a knowing smile at me.
"I'll return at first light with supplies and any information I find about your sister, Ava."
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