Cold Devotion | ✔️

Chapter Thirty-Two

My arm is writhing in pain, so much that I am finding it difficult to breathe. The floor is wet and sticky against me, the mud clinging to my exposed skin. "We need to keep going," I strain. I can't imagine the pain that Colton must be in. I glance at the cuts covering his torso and have to bite down a wince at the sight of the torn skin.

A small droplet hits my face and I curse at the world for deciding to rain. "You can rest for a second, we're hidden," Colton says and looks around, confirming his words.

Yes no one is here... yet.

"They saw us... they'll be scouting the area," I counter and he sighs, running his hand over his face. They were shooting at us, they will no doubt be searching everywhere. "They would have seen us go into the forest, we need to keep moving," I say and move to get up.

Another shot fires and I don't think I have ever moved so fast in my life. I launch back onto the floor and Colton covers my body with his. Both of our breathing is strangled and panicked as we try to keep hidden.

I cover my ears as more shots fire. Colton places his hands over mine and whispers "You're okay... it's okay," and I focus on his words and not the several gun shots sounding around us.

The rain falls heavily, wetting the ground even more, smearing the forest floor all over our clothes. It's okay. I repeat Colton's words and breathe deeply. In and out. More and more shots. How have they not found us?

I have heard enough gun shots today to last me several life times. The images push their way forward... here it comes, back to haunt me. I knew I'd have to deal with the people I had killed today but now is not the time I was willing for it to happen.

If I hadn't of killed them, then they would have killed me. If I hadn't of killed them, I wouldn't have Colton beside me right now. If I hadn't of killed them, I wouldn't have escaped.

I repeat and repeat.

I'm seventeen, this shouldn't be what my life is like. I shouldn't be haunted by the memory of all of the people that I have killed. I shouldn't even have to think about laying a finger on someone, let alone driving a knife through them. I shouldn't have to worry about being killed by a rogue group of rebels or them taking the one person that I love.

This isn't right, none of this is right.

But this is my life and the quicker I accept it, the better.

The gun shots stop but we still stay in our spot, not daring to move even an inch. I hold my breath and hope that they have moved to look somewhere else. "I think they're gone," Colton whispers and I lift my head. I can't help but be suspicious about why they stopped so abruptly.

I reach for him when he moves, stopping him. "Not yet," I shake my head and he stops. We need to wait this out, for how long I do not know, but we can't move, not right now.

My heart thrums in a steady rhythm and my breathing evens as we wait amidst the silence. It's quiet, too quiet. I move and wince at the shock that runs along my arm. The burning sensation is almost unbearable. I bite down on my lip to suppress a groan as the pain only intensifies. My eyes burn with tears and I have to swallow the bile rising in my throat.

The amount of rain has only magnified and we are both drenched, head to toe. A shiver runs down my spine from the bitter cold and I practically cling to Colton, from both fear and the sense of safety I feel when close to him. As if nothing in the world can touch me when he is near.

"Are you okay?" I ask. Colton basically flung himself over me when the gunshots had started, it must have hurt.

"I'm fine but you're not... we need to go," he says but I shake my head. I can wait this out. I'm not risking our lives because I'm in pain, that's a definite no.