Escape - Chapter Seventeen

I'm still in shock from all that has happened. Chris is pulling me through the woods to God knows where. My heart is racing, and I'm running out of air. My legs start to feel like jello as I try to keep up with Chris. Chris is in full panic mode as he pulls me through the woods. I'm gasping for air as my lungs start to burn from the fast pace he has set.  

"Run faster, they are going to catch up to us, stay with me, Emily," he yells at me as he grips my hand tight. 

"Please stop! Chris, I can't do this," I beg as I gasp for air.   

Something grabs my foot, I fall right to the ground making Chris let go of my hand. When I hit the ground, I fall to my hands and knees. I can't hold it in anymore. I start to cry, scolding tears as my world comes crashing down again. 

"Emily, get up! We have to get as far away from here as we can. They are fast, faster than we are. I got to get you out of here," he says with panic. 

I'm lost to my grief, I just want to die. "Chris, leave me here, run and get away from here. If they find me... then they will stop looking for you. You can live a happy life and leave this all behind you. I have nothing left for them to take but my life," I sob.

"Emily, come on! You're not giving up yet, I won't let you. He grabs me by my shoulders to get me off the ground. I'm standing there looking at him as I cry more tears. I know I'm just standing there, I can not will myself to go any further.   

I'm all the sudden take off guard when Chris throws me off his shoulder. "Then I will carry you," he says.

"Just let them kill me, run, and be free. Live a happy life, they want me, not you," I cry out as he continues to carry me. 

"I will not! Do you think for one minute that Dimitri, your parents, or anyone that loved you would let you give up? No, I don't think so," he says as he heads on further into the woods. 

 He's breathing hard, and I can't help him, I'm a total failure to everyone. I don't deserve to live when everyone died today. Exhausted and an emotional wreck, I hang on to Chris with what energy I have left.    

Once we have put some distance between us, Chris puts me down. I crumble to the ground in scalding tears as Chris falls to his knees, burying his face into his hands as he cries for the first time since this has happened.

I surrender to my broken heart as the tears run down my cheeks. When I think I'm all cried out, I'm hit with more gut-wrenching tears.

The stench of all the blood that is not mine hits me hard. I know most of it is Dimitri's, and the thought kills me. I see their faces as they lost their lives. Chyanne as Luke killed her in front of me. I couldn't save her no matter how much I wanted to. My mom was already dead when I got there, and then I had to watch my father die. I didn't even get to say goodbye. My Dimitri, my sweet Dimitri, was killed by my own beloved sister that I thought was dead but had been turned into a nightwalker. Why would she betray her own family like this? She is the one that got everyone killed. 

"Emily, you still with me?" Chris says almost in a whisper as he crawls over to me. I wipe my tears and runny nose on the sleeve of my shirt as he approaches me. 

I can't even speak, I just look utterly lost. I have not one rational thought, I'm an empty shell. Chris pulls me to him as he cradles my head to his chest. "Please be strong, we can do this. This is one hell of a nightmare that I wish me, and you could wake up from. Stay strong, we will find a way out. Just don't shut down on me, please," he begs.

I cry more silent tears. I still have not found my voice. "Emily, you are my best friend, I won't let them have you. Do you hear me? I will protect you," he pleads. I think we stay like this for hours. Neither one of us saying anything. He cries, then I cry. We just cry for hours. 

Daylight has come, and we are in the middle of the woods all alone. I lay there on the damp ground in silence. I have no more tears to cry, I have passed the insane part, and now I'm surrounded by my dark thoughts. 

It's silent as Chris and I are lost in our thoughts as the weight of losing the ones we cared and loved weigh heavy on our minds.

After some time, Chris pulls me up and takes a look at my face. "Is this the only injury you have?" he asks. "I have no idea. I haven't the faintest idea, really," I reply.  He moves around me, looking at every inch of me to find any injuries I might have. He pokes a few spots around my ribs that make me flinch and a nasty bruise on my leg. It looks like a few bruises. I think your ribs are bruised, and your face has some nasty cuts and bruises.  We need to get this cleaned up soon," he tells me. 

It starts to rain, cold rain which gives me more to shake over. Chris pulls me as close to help my shaking. "What are we going to do?" I ask him. "I'm working on it, I think first we need to get some food and then get cleaned up. We need to get moving soon," he replies.

We start to walk and find a garden. I'm not hungry, but I help Chris gather a lot of fruit and vegetables. 

I even find an apple tree. I pull several apples off that I can manage to reach. 

This is a wonderful find, we can eat a few days off this," he says with a little bit of hope in his voice. 

He makes a fire and starts to roast some of the vegetables we picked. I can't help myself but put some distance from it. The smell of food is making me sick to my stomach. "Emily, don't go. You need to eat. You have to keep up your strength," he calls out to me. "I can't, it will only come up again. I'm not ready for food," I reply, hoping he will give me some slack. 

I lay down by the fire and cry a little more. Chris lays down behind me, pulling me to him. He wraps his arms around me. "Sleep, I will keep watch for a while," he tells me. I don't respond. I just stare at his hands. His rough hands that have bloodstains on them. Blood from who I can't even wrap my mind around. I don't want to know. I know if I close my eyes, I will see them all in my dreams. I can't let myself, I don't want this pain. I don't want to relive those horrible moments. I don't want to see Dimitri, my family, my friends all die in front of me again.