Hunt and Hunted

Chapter 5: The Runaway

    The first thing that popped into my mind was to get back inside. The second thing was the fact that we were supposed to runaway. 

"Guess it's time to propose your plan," Gage says to me. 

"Yeah I guess." We ran back inside. Instead of our usual hiding place under the bed, we were in the small closet. We were squished next to each other. I rested my head on the wall trying to figure out how I would say it. 

"We need to make a run for it."  

"We what?" My sister says. 

"We need to make a run for it," I repeated. 

"Where? Why? When?" My mom asked with a desperate look in her face. I was sitting across from her, next to Gage. 

"To a safer village. Because I'm tired of the war here. And after this bombing." 

"You couldn't have given us a warning?" 

"I was to scared you'd refuse. Now, you don't have time to." 

"I'm with Avalon. It'd be safer, and better Rose could have a better place to grow up in." Gage looks my mom dead in the eye. 

"OK, what will we need?"  

"Just some clothes, a bag with our left over medicine." 

"OK, but we're waiting here until this over."

"I know."  

It was an eary quiet that filled the closet. I wasn't really counting the explosions.  

   My head was resting in the wall behind my head. I wasn't exactly tired, but I wasn't exactly awake either. As usual I blacked out. I thought about what life would be like when we ran away. What kind of life we would have. 

    I imagined us waking around in the woods. Looking each way for someone following us. I had a knife in my right hand. A bow in the other. Around my right shoulder was a sheath of a dozen arrows. All of a sudden I threw my knife. Hitting a squirrel running up a tree. But the sound of impact was really Gage snapping in front of my face. 

"Avalon? You still there?"  

"Yeah, sorry. Hey the bombing stopped." 

"Well let's go." My mom got up and let us out. We quickly gathered our things. I had everything I needed. My knife, game bag, boots, clothes, and bow and arrow. In s few minutes we were all gathered at the door. 

"Ready?" Gage asks us all. We all nodd and I lead everyone out the door. What we find was amazing. 

   It looked like it had rained asteroids. There were black rocks, slightly on fire every where. I could find out what it really is later. That's not my problem right now. I led everyone towards the woods directly in front of our house.

   It looked like it had rained asteroids. There were black rocks, slightly on fire every where. I could find out what it really is later. That's not my problem right now. I led everyone towards the woods directly in front of our house. I had no idea what we were doing. Just heading into the great unknown. Great, this would turn out bad.

   We walked east. Soon enough we couldn't even see our house anymore. Tears sprung into my eyes all of a suuden. I grew up there, but I wasn't about to let that stop me. Plus, I don't cry.We walked until Rose could not walk anymore. Eventually, she collapsed.

"Av, I know we want to get away. But please, can we take a break?"

"Yes, I'm tired, too."

"OK, let's make camp." We started to get out the sleeping bags that we had.

"Do you mind sharing a sleeping bag with Gage?" My mom asked me. I almost fainted. And dropped everything in my hand.

"No," I swallowed hard. I immediatly looked down. This was NOT supposed to happen. This was going to be super awkward. It was getting dark and I couldn't help but wonder what Gage was thinking. Oh, what I would give to figure out what was going through his head right now.

  I laid out the sleeping bag that I would have to share with Gage. I went ahead and took off my boots and slid into the sleeping bag and rolled over. I closed my eyes. Thinking. Trying not to panic. I felt a rush of cold air, then quickly replaced by warmth. Gage just got in. Hopefully he would think I was sleeping and wouldn't say anything.

I guess he did think I was asleep because not one word came from his mouth. He probably was asleep. Now it's time to go to sleep. I told my self. Eventully I did. I somewhat felt comforted by this. Could I be falling in love with him?

I woke up to Gage gently shaking my shoulder.

"Avalon, come on. Get up we need to move." I slowly opened my eyes, "There we go. Come on." I sat up looking at our surroundings just remember where we were. It all came back to me. I sighed and sat up. I slowly packed everything then stood up. The pain in my legs was almost unbearable. I knew all of the walking would come back to me in the morning.

"Ugghhh!" I turned around to see Rose propped up against a tree.

"Your legs hurt to?"

"Yes!"

"Well get used to it. I want to go until we reach a town. Then we can get settled in."

"OK," she stood upright and came behind me, "Let's go before I refuse."

"Well c'mon then." We started walking. My legs kept trying to refuse. But I wouldn't let them. We walked. And walked and walked and walked.

"Look it's a town!" Rose pointed to a group of houses. It looked like a ghost town. But we headed there anyway.

   As we came up to the first house I went up and knocked. Empty. I went to the second house and friendly looking man answered.

"Why hello there. You new in town?"

"Yes sir. I was wondering if there was anywhere we could stay."

"Well you can stay with me. I live here by myself, so I'd lke some company."

"Thank you."

"Where you from?" We made our way inside.

"We're from over west."

"Oh. Isn't that the place with all the war?"

"Yes sir."

"OK, let me show you where you can stay." He led us upstairs to 2 rooms,"If you can figure out how to split these 2 rooms. They're all yours." I walked into both rooms, each have two beds, a dresser, and a mirror.

"I guess me and mom can have one. Av, you and Gage can share one." I was the only one that caught the shadow of evil in my little sisters eye. She is so getting it later.

"OK, well I'm going to rest then go hunt a bit," I said walking into one of the rooms and setting my small bag on a bed.

"I'll go hunting with you. Just wake me when your ready," Gage says.

"OK," I laid on my bed. I let sleep pull me under not caring who's house we were in.

   I woke up, I'm pretty sure, about 2 hours later. I felt a little more rested than I did when I got here yesterday. Gage was awake already. He sat upright in his bed,"Ready?"

"I guess." I got my game bag, bow and arrow, and knife, "Hear you can take the knife."

"Doubt it'll be any use to me. I'm not that good with this stuff."

"Guess its time to learn." We walked downstairs and out the door. We headed towards the woods where we came from. I immediatly shot an arrow to my left. It hit a squirrel. I ran over grabbed it and put it in my game bag. I could see the look of exasperation on Gage's face. I just laughed. But that wasn't what he was looking at. His eyes were set on something past me. I turned around.

   I saw a group of men running toward us. I guess I was right, this was already turning out bad.