I COULDN’T BREATHE. I FELT a stitch in my side as we went sprinting through the forest. Branches were scratching at my face and arms. There was the relieving sound of solid footsteps that told me that Ash was still running alongside me. In the not so far distance, I could also hear the light footsteps of the Awakened behind us. I jumped over a fallen log, a stray branch ripping into my jeans. I winced in pain but continued running. I would worry about it later. I wouldn’t worry about it until I could stop.
Ash made a sharp right in front of me, and I followed him, each step sending another wave of pain through my legs. I needed to stop. I didn’t know how much longer I could last. I listened to the voices behind us, wailing for us, begging for us to stop. I shuddered at the sound. I spotted a tree about twenty feet away, growing so closely to the others. The branches of the trees overlapped and could potentially provide some cover.
“Ash!” I called, running to the tree and starting to find footholds to climb. He switched directions and came toward me, using his hands to lift me into the tree. I leaned down, extending my hand. He took it, and I pulled hard, helping him to reach the first branch. Together, we moved as quickly as we could, up higher in the tree, until the branches were so dense that we couldn’t move any higher.
I pressed my body as close as I could to the trunk, breathing deeply and slowly, trying to calm my heart down, trying to make as little noise as possible. Ash was on the other side of me, his hands close to mine on the trunk. His eyes met mine and then looked down.
The Awakened had just caught up with us. They scattered in different directions, some of them heading further up the hill, and some of them heading east toward the river. A few of them stopped mere feet away from us. They started conversing between themselves but their voices were too low for either of us to hear. I couldn’t believe their ability to communicate and work together. This was a large group, at least twenty. I knew it wouldn’t be long before their heightened emotions got in the way and they started tearing themselves apart. I just hoped it would be long after they’d left us.
They stayed under the tree for a fair amount of time. It felt like hours, but I knew, logically, that it couldn’t have been more than a half an hour, an hour at the most. I couldn’t hear anything they were saying, just their distinctive hoarse and labored breathing. It filled me with terror, but I closed my eyes and focused on my heartbeat, the movement of my chest as it rose and fell with each breath. Finally, they took off, their quick steps soon fading into the distance.
We didn’t drop right away. We waited, our muscles relaxing as the sounds faded and disappeared. After another half an hour, we descended, taking each step carefully. Ash jumped down first and held out his arms for me. I rolled my eyes at him and jumped down myself, landing awkwardly on my injured leg.
“Are you okay?” Ash said, grabbing my arm to hold me up.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, easing myself onto a log. “It’s minor.” I peeled the ripped fabric away from the gash and leaned forward to examine it. It wasn’t that deep, but blood was getting everywhere. “Get the first aid kit.”
Ash sat next to me, digging through his pack to pull out the first aid kit. He pulled out a bandage and the antibiotic ointment. He poured a little bit of water on it and used a cloth to wipe it clean. His hands were gentle as he spread the ointment over it, pausing when I winced. Once it was wrapped, I smiled slightly in thanks. “All better,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said, examining it a bit. It seemed these days that there would always be a spot on my body covered in crusty, bloody gauze. “When did you get so good at this?”
“I guess when you sew someone up, you just get good at the rest of it,” he admitted. His eyes met mine, and I felt a flush go through me, at the ugly scar that was sure to be healing across my face. It was so tender, a constant reminder that it was there. Ash had done the best he could, considering. I would always have a scar across my face, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. I ducked my head anyway. I had never been too overly concerned with my looks, but I had enough vanity and pride to be upset about it.
“Yeah,” I laughed hollowly. “I guess you’re right.” I stood up and started shouldering my pack again.
“Zoey.”
“We should get going,” I said firmly, avoiding eye contact with him. “I know we aren’t that far away from Constance.”
“Zoey...”
“I also think we should get out of this stupid forest before it gets too dark. It’ll be easier to see what’s coming at us once we hit the flats.”
“Zoey, come on.”
“What?” I said, finally looking up at him.
“You still look beautiful,” he said. “Whatever happens, you still look great.”
“Oh. Okay.” I knew this was the furthest from the truth. I was an absolute wreck. It had been days since we had been able to stop and bathe. My hair was greasy and stringy, pulled back into its usual ponytail. I was the dirtiest I had ever been, and I felt completely disgusting. Not to mention the fact that I had a huge gash across my face and several on my arms and legs. I was the furthest thing away from beautiful.