I wait for the better part of thirty minutes before moving again. My legs burn and I wish I would’ve spent more time working on cardio while I was in prison awaiting my sentencing. But how was I supposed to know I’d be in my current predicament?
The silence out here is somehow worse than the screams were.
At least I knew which direction to not go toward then. Now, every direction is a gamble. It’s eerie not being able to hear anything. I keep heading south and try to remain as quiet as I can. Each twig and clump of ice that breaks beneath my boots threatens to give away my position.
I know Cameron is out there watching me. I can feel his eyes on the back of my neck. It’s unsettling. Part of me thought he’d be tailing me closer so I knew his whereabouts, or even shouldering the terrain by my side, but it’s disturbing to know that he’s this good at concealing his presence.
Would I know Cameron if I ran into him out here by his characteristics alone? While moving and not speaking? Our masks are different on the front from everyone else’s, but frombehind we could be anyone. I’m not so certain I’d be able to tell him apart from the rest.
Would he try to kill me?I scoff at myself. Of course, he would. His eyes on the train looked straight through me. I wasn’t a person. I wasn’t Emery to him. Or maybe I was, and he didn’t care.
The cowl of my undershirt pulls tightly against my throat as someone grips the back of my collar. My eyes flash wide, and before I can let out a shriek of surprise a cold glove clamps over my lips. I screw my eyelids closed and wait for the finishing slash across my throat.
It doesn’t come.
The person guides my head toward them, forcing me to step back. A crumbling sound pulls my eyes down to where a cliffside cuts off just one more stride away. Perspiration collects over my lips as the soldier continues to guide me away from the edge.
After we’re a few feet away, they finally release me. I turn, ready to unsheathe my blade in case this soldier is intending to fight. But as my fingers graze the hilt and my eyes lift to his, I freeze, recognizing the lovely shade of green before I process his mask.
“Cameron.”
He has a gruff expression that only his brows lowering and drawing together give away. Those cold eyes keep his thoughts a mystery to me.
I take him in, confused and trying to decide whether or not he’s sane right now. My hand still lingers over my sheathed knife.
Cameron narrows his eyes like I’ve offended him before curtly looking away. “Were you expecting someone else to save your arse?” he growls. I smile at his accent and let the small reprieve of his familiar presence wash over me.
No matter how long I spend in this man’s gravity, I can’t seem to get a read on him. I sort of like that about Cameron.
A sigh leaves my lips. “I guess not. Have you been stalking me this entire time?” I follow him when he turns and walks silently along the edge of the cliffside toward the eastern side of the forest.
Why is he being so quiet? My brow perks up.
He pulls down the black fabric of his mask, retrieving his Zippo lighter and a cigarette from his pocket before sparking it on the first strike. The top skull shield of his mask remains in place, and he looks like the fucking grim reaper. A puff of smoke rolls from his lips as he mutters, “Of course.”
I already knew he was, but how he was able to sneak up on me and save me in the same breath is beyond me. “After all our early mornings, I still wasn’t able to hear you approaching me.” My voice is low, but I’m past caring about my pride tonight.
Cameron chuckles and blows out a plume of smoke. “It’s not like you can out master me, but you’re also in your head too much. You need to stay focused. What if I had been out to kill you?” He turns his head enough to side-eye me. My cheeks warm at the taunting cruelty that lives in his gaze.
He means it. But there’s something else there that burns into me. Something filled with misery.
I swallow my hesitation. “Then I’m counting myself lucky you at least like me enough to not slit my throat.” My words must hit a chord within him because he flinches and looks away. We both know he came close to it in the libraryandon the train.
“Yeah, lucky you.” He sounds defeated as he resumes walking, dropping his cigarette hand to his side.
We walk in silence for a while beneath the stars that peek through the treetops. I stare up at them, wondering where I would be right now if I hadn’t killed people in my life before this one. It’s not like I really had a choice in the matter, but I alsodidn’t really mind doing it either. You reap what you sow, as they say.
Oof.I walk straight into Cameron’s back.
He ignores it and nods to a ditch. “That’s a good place to hide for a bit,” he says as his challenging gaze shifts back to mine.
I stare at the ditch, and all I can picture is it being my grave. Would anyone even be able to find me if I was left at the bottom? Reed would be ashamed if I ended up in one.
My teeth grit. “I’m not hiding.”
He grins. “No?”
“No.”
