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"So what's your name anyway?" Evan asked. "I feel kind of bad not knowing after all the time we've spent together."
I glanced over at him as we walked quietly through the thicket of bare trees.
Evan and I hadn't spent much time talking about personal things; we'd been too stuck on what our next plan was to worry ourselves with those kind of things. I suppose the change of subject was meant to distract us from the fact that we'd just strangled a girl.
"Canary," I said.
Evan nodded slowly. "The name they gave you at the base," he stated. We walked a little farther, the thick layer of snow crunching beneath our feet as we wound around trees and ducked under fallen logs.
"Why Canary?" He asked after a little while.
"I sing. Or did." I said flatly. Mentioning something as stupid as a hobby seemed completely irrelevant at this point. "Reznik," I paused, shaking my head softly. "One of the officers at Wright Patterson, thought it fit me well."
"And how about you? Do you think it fits you well?"
I took a moment to think about it. "No," I said finally. "Not anymore at least."
I honestly didn't want to even think about my time at the base. It only made me remember all the people I'd lost. Oompa wasn't with us anymore and I was miles, maybe even states away, from the rest of the squad.
"So what do you want me to call you then?" he said.
I shrugged. "I don't really think it matters anymore."
I expected Evan to say something, but he just nodded. The silence was interrupted shortly after by a gunshot splitting the air.
"Is that-" I started.
"Yes," Evan said quietly. "Run."
He grabbed onto my wrist and yanked me along with him; he was much faster than me, even with his injury, and his extra speed seemed to propel me through the forest.
Trees whipped past us and snow flew out from underneath our boots as we ran
I finally found enough air to manage the question that burned on my tongue. "How did Grace surv-"
"I don't know," Evan said.
A brief wave of uncertainty passed over me. Both him and Grace were Others. Maybe this was all part of their plan. Maybe they were working together and the whole chokehold was just a move in their game.
I glanced over at him as he shook his head in disbelief.
No. There was no way. Evan was just as surprised as I was.
We ran out from within the cluster of trees and crossed over a highway overpass.
I looked over my shoulder, but couldn't see anything of Grace. She was nowhere to be seen- but we knew better. She was there. Somewhere from within the straggled trees, amidst the snow and brush, she was there- monitoring our every move, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
