By the late afternoon I was ready to give up. Evan walks at a sprinter's pace and waits for no one. I was itchy from the bites I had received from the insect population, some in places I don't care to mention. My calves ached and I was sweating like nobody's business. Sometimes I felt like I was trying to run underwater. I knew I was moving quickly but I wasn't going anywhere. He'd look back every now and then, shake his head and keep trudging through the woods. This neck of the woods was much different from where I had been hiding earlier that morning. The trees had been spaced very far apart...as in at least three or four yards apart and the ground was gray like the sky before a storm, but smooth. Now, we were trudging through thick green and brown undergrowth, waking the bugs and other little animals that had lay undisturbed and the trees were so close together it was like a maze.
"Hey," I panted.
He turned to look at me without stopping. I was waiting for him to run into a tree.
"What?" He barked at me.
"Where exactly are we heading? I did not walk nearly this much to get to my hiding place from Apple Creek and Apple Creek was not that far from the Pearl." He stopped in his tracks and turned to face me.
"This is the safest way through the woods. Would you like to come face to face with your little gun and knife wielding friends again?" I was silent. What was I supposed to say? Yes, I'd love to have the opportunity to see them again? I think not. Though, it was odd how he brought this up. I hadn't even told him yet.
"I didn't think so. Let's go." Before I could even get the breath to respond, he was off.
By the time the sun had begun to set, the terrain was semi-normal again. The dirt was now a rich, warm brown instead of the deathly gray it had been at my tree. The trees were emerald green and I could see the sun's last rays trying to penetrate the cover their leaves provided. A breeze whispered through the trees like a special secret and I stood for a moment and closed my eyes as I let the wind play with my hair. I knew we'd be to the Pearl soon. I could just feel it, Evan had been right. I don't know why I doubted him. Slowly, I lifted my head and began to walk forward as I opened my eyes, but before I could take a step I walked right into Evan. The impact knocked me on my ass, I knew that was going to smart in the morning. But Even hadn't even noticed. His back was to me and...was he...sniffing? I knew the guy was strange, but this was definitely weird.
"What's going on?" I asked. He held up a hand and turned his head the other way. This was not going to work. I know he told me I had to listen to whatever he tells me to do -- yeah, I get it -- but he couldn't just keep me in the dark.
"Um...excuse me there, bud. But in case you forgot, we're traveling together. That means, you don't get to keep me in the dark, so," I stood up and brushed myself off, "I would appreciate it if you--" Evan whipped his head around.
"Shut. Up." He snarled. I froze, eyes wide. At that moment, it took me all I could not to scream. In the last couple weeks I had seen a lot of strange things but this, this was too much. When he turned around, Evan's eyes had gone completely silver. Silver! His face was distorted. Dark. He had web like black veins that ran under his eyes and over his cheek bones and he now had...fangs. Yes, fangs. What was going on? This could not be happening! These things weren't real. This is something that belonged in a children's story, not in real life. As if on cue he turned to me again.
"Elena, I need you to listen to me. Remember what I said about needing to do exactly as I say?" His face was still distorted and his voice was all wrong. It was no longer the smooth, deep voice from earlier. It was deeper, husky, scary. All I could manage was a nod.
"Okay, I need you to walk in front of me. Can you do that?" It was beginning to annoy me that he was treating me like a fricken little kid. I glared at him.
