Did I trip? The dissociative haze had made a nest within my head, everything swirling into a confusing blur. I knew I had been walking, but my legs felt like lead weights, dragging me down.
“I think I just fell. From exhaustion.”
Caiden huffed, and I couldn’t help but wonder how he was still standing, still going.
Mentally, I had given up hours ago. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. When I thought about returning to civilization, I envisioned myself in a body bag, buried beneath the ground.
“Yeah, I’m exhausted too. We really need to find food,” he said, frustration lacing his words.
I pulled my dirt-covered face up to peer at him, and the sight of his hollow expression sent a shiver down my spine. His brown eyes, usually warm, now appeared deadened.
Golden hues eclipsed by dread.
“Good luck with that.” I murmured tiredly, letting my head fallback against the cool earth. A steep heaviness weighed down my eyelids, and I closed my eyes, welcoming the darkness.
“Dammit,” he whispered angrily to himself. “You stay here. I’ll find something edible.”
I didn’t bother responding; I wasn’t planning to go anywhere. I lay there, completely limp, as time stood still beneath the canopy of trees.
A few times, I thought I heard my name. A distant rumble of footsteps sprinting toward me. When I lifted my head to see if Caiden had returned, I found the surroundings empty, leaving me enveloped in solitude.
The silence was terrifying.
If I listened closely, I could hear the blood rushing through my veins, the air shifting in my lungs with every shaky breath. I could hear the pulsating beat of my heart, echoing like a drum in the stillness.
While lying there, I imagined sinister shadow figures creeping toward me. Their faces twisted and ghastly, long black arms reaching out to pull me into the beyond. Whispers in the wind called to me, coaxing me to follow and wander deeper into the abyss.
I wanted to follow. Almost.
Each hour that passed, the hunger in my stomach dissolved. There was no pang anymore, only a suffocating numbness.
The hope of Caiden’s return slowly scattered, and I wondered how many more days it would take until I rotted into the ground.
I turned over onto my back and stared at the dense shade of trees above, a glimpse of sky barely visible through the leaves. Once peaceful, the solitude now felt like a menacing presence, embracing me like a ravenous demon.
“Amelia.”
A voice emerged, almost like a devious growl.
My head barely rolled to the side, and I saw Caiden’s blurry form approaching. He’d come back?
Before I could speak, he suddenly kneeled next to me. A poisonous look painted over his dark orbs. If he were a creature, it would have appeared he was snarling at me.
“You’re so useless. Just lying here while I try and feed us.”
“What?” I croaked, taken aback by hissudden fury.
“Poor, sad Amelia. Always so helpless. It should’ve been you that died. Not your sister.”
There weren’t any words that left my mouth. All I could do was stare. My heart pounding as if it were galloping in a race.
“You’re not going to say anything, huh? Fine. Maybe I’ll finally get some peace without having to hear the sound of your annoying voice. I should just leave you here, let you waste away and be eaten by the wild animals, you never mattered while being alive, so your death won’t either.”
His words poured out like thunder, surrounding me like a snake curled around prey.
I didn’t even realize I was screaming.
“Stop it! Just leave me alone. Please!” My hands were clawing at my skin while tears gushed down my face, mixing with the dirt that coated my face. Screams rushed out, deafening and terrified.
