CAINE'S P.O.V
I was fucked.
What the hell was I thinking when I decided to grab her? I should have let the guard slit her throat, it would have been a whole lot easier than this mess that we were in.
All guards were taught the protocol. It was drilled into our heads from the first day we stepped into training. It was barbaric, sure, but it was a better death than those monsters offered. We were told it would never happen, that it was just in case of emergencies but I knew.
Ever since that day at the planetarium, I knew we were on borrowed time. That creature couldn't have gotten in unless the defenses were weak and the general knew that too. Why he didn't tell the people, I didn't know, but the soldiers- we planned for an escape. We had a plan and I threw it all to shit by saving her.
I looked down at her, her eyes wide with fear. I could almost feel her heart pounding through her clothes, perhaps it was mine, I wasn't sure. I had been doing this since the virus first broke out but it hadn't gotten any less terrifying.
"Where are-" she began but I clamped my hand over my mouth to shut her up.
She had an inquisitive streak and while it was not as annoying as I initially thought, it was terribly inconvenient. Those monsters had sensitive hearing, I was almost sure they would hear our hearts beating through our chests on a good day but the sirens were loud enough to distract and I had conveniently pulled us into the storage room. Hopefully there would be enough things here to mask our scents.
We waited for what felt like hours, neither of us speaking. The growls grew louder until I could swear they were right outside our door. I pressed my hand harder over her mouth, I couldn't risk her saying anything and jeopardizing our location.
I had come face to face with the monsters only two times and it wasn't something I wanted to repeat. The mere memory of them was enough to send shivers down my spine. It was hard enough protecting myself, but protecting her too- fuck.
I had thought her father and the general would take her. The general seemed to have developed a liking for her. I wasn't sure why but that was the only reason I could think of as to why he didn't toss her out for a day like he did with me. For some reason, he kept her safe, it didn't make sense that he would leave her to die here.
I waited until the growling was nothing but an echo in the wind before slowly pushing the door open. The hall was empty and for both our sakes, I hoped that we didn't encounter any other monsters because I was fresh out of weapons.
"Come with me," I told her. "And don't say a single word."
To her credit, she listened to me and let me lead her down the storage halls towards where I kept my stash. I had planned to escape today, to leave and not turn back. There was nothing for me here anyway.
I had half a mind to leave her back. It would be easier for me, I was faster on my own and it was clear she wouldn't survive a day on her own outside. Maybe it would be mercy to let the monsters have her. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I couldn't do it, especially not when she was clinging to my arm like I was her only support.
I led her to the escape hatch. Thankfully, my pack was still there. There was enough food to last me two weeks, with her, maybe a week.
"You've been planning this for a while," she deduced. "Were you even going to say goodbye."
"I thought I asked you to stay silent," I hissed before looking around to be sure we were alone. "We have a few seconds to get out of here. The moment we step out, you're going to fucking run."
"What do you mean by step out? We can't leave. It isn't safe out there."
"In case you haven't noticed, princess, it isn't safe in here. I'll take my chances with the elements over the animals that'll rip me open. You can stay here if you want."
"You can't just ask me to leave my life and everything I-"
I grabbed her upper arm and tugged her towards me. "Listen to me clearly, there is nothing here. Everyone with half a brain is leaving and the others will be dead. We don't have much time before the monsters come back. Ae you coming with me or not?'
She pursed her lips for a moment before nodding. It was barely noticeable but it was there. She jerked her hand out of my grip and wrapped it around herself, almost as if she was trying to make herself look smaller.
I punched in the code and the top split open, revealing a small door with a hatch. I had done this a million times and yet, my palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding in my chest.
"Are you ready?" I asked and she nodded slowly.
I turned the hatch and dragged myself out.
I couldn't remember the last time I was out during the day. The first sign that everything was fine were the birds. I had come to learn that whenever the birds were silent, it was because something was near. The fact that they chirped loud enough to be considered annoying meant we were safe, for now.
I dragged myself out of the hatch, ignoring the sunlight that beat down on my skin. Once I was safely on the grass, I stretched out a hand to Nadine. She hesitated for a split second before grabbing my hand. Her grip was soft, her fingers dainty and small. My palm dwarfed hers completely and I ignored the way she shivered as I held onto her.
I tugged her out easily before shutting the hatch behind us and then we ran.
I didn't give her a chance to breathe before grabbing her by the arm and tugging her with me. I wasn't sure how long we had until they smelled us but I was determined to get to safety before then.
If Nadine had trouble keeping up, she didn't say, she just let me drag her as we weaved through trees. I had a hideout not too far from here, I just needed to get to it.
"Caine, slow down," I heard her mumble but I ignored her. "Please-"
"Unless you want to get eaten, keep fucking running."
She muttered a curse under her breath but kept going. I needed to put as much distance between us and them as possible. The further away we got, the harder it would be for them to track us.
It should have taken us fifteen minutes to get to the hideout but it took us longer because I slowed down. It wasn't even twenty-four hours and she was already slowing me down.
As soon as we stopped, she fell to her knees, struggling to catch her breath. I took out a bottle and handed it to her. "Don't drink too much or you'll find it hard to move."
Thankfully, she listened to me and only took a sip. "Thank you. You could have slowed down."
"No, I couldn't have. We have to get behind the water fall."
It was at that moment she looked up and her eyes widened. I had the same reaction when I first saw it. It was a small waterfall but that didn't make it any less beautiful. The true beauty however was the save that it hid. It was a good hideaway because the sound ensured that we weren't heard and as far as we knew, the monsters didn't quite like water.
"Wow," she breathed looking around her. "I didn't think the world was this beautiful anymore."
"That depends on your definition of beauty."
She turned to me with a frown. "Why are you so mean?"
"I just saved your life, even when I didn't need to. I don't think that makes me mean, princess. I hope you know how to swim."
I gestured for her to come with me as I jumped into the water. I made a deliberate effort to keep the backpack over the water as I swam into the cave. I heard Nadine jump into the water behind me, all while muttering expletives under her breath.
The cave wasn't as pretty as the other side, it was damp and smelled weird. There were rocks everywhere and it made for a very difficult place to sleep but it was safe and that was all that mattered.
I dragged myself out of the water before stripping out of my clothes until I was in my boxers.
"Fuck!" Nadine exclaimed and I turned to see her facing away from me, her ears pink. "You could have given me a warning."
I snorted. "We're going to see each other naked until we can find another place to hole up. I suggest you stop acting so prissy and get changed or you'll catch a cold."
She mumbled something incoherent under her breath but I saw her reach for her shirt. "Are we going to sleep here?"
"Do you have any other ideas?"
"You don't have to be mean, you know," she mumbled. "I'm glad that you saved me, grateful even, but I'm scared and you're the only person I have right now. You saved me and we are stuck together so we could at least try to get along."
I said nothing, just changed into a clean pair of clothes and left mine out to dry. I waited a few minutes until I heard her stop moving before turning to her. Her hair was wet but she had braided it over her shoulder and she was smart enough to pick out long sleeves and a pair of pants. The bugs out here were not friendly.
"You can dry your clothes next to mine," I said simply as I took a seat on the ground.
She rolled her eyes but said nothing as she did as I asked. She was right, I knew that much, we were stuck together for better or for worse and it would do me a lot of good if we were on the same side.
"We're going to be here for the next two days," I told her. "Whenever we go out as guards, we camp here first. Someone may come here, so we wait in case someone is hurt."
"Then what?"
"We got to the next stop, it's a bit further and it's a two day walk. We'll have to sleep in little caves and eat whatever we can forage because I didn't pack enough for two."
"What do I need to know? What can't I do?"
"Just don't run away, don't be loud and for fucks sake, do not light a fire unless it is inside of a cave like this. Their sense of smell is insane, they'll smell it and they'll see it."
"Okay," she nodded slowly, she was terrified but she tried to hide it. "You seem to know everything and I know nothing. My life is practically in your hands and I don't even know your name."
"It's Rowan, but don't ever call me that."
"Why not?"
"Just don't," I turned away from her. "You should get some rest, it has been a long day."