Til Death Do Us Part (Spy Series #2)

Chapter Eight

Night fell eventually and we'd already made a new campsite before the cold could come. I'd helped Mackenzie start a fire while also enduring her constant bickering about how terrible I was at getting a spark from two sticks. The only thing that had actually managed to get me to start the fire was picturing throwing her into the flames.

The conversation was even lighter that night than usual. We were all worn out and tired from an eventful day of walking and didn't seem to have the energy for it. I'd spent the past two hours lying in silence and looking up at the stars. For some reason, there was something really entrancing about the night sky tonight. There seemed to be more stars out than usual and I was finding comfort in looking at them.

"I'm going to get more firewood," Eric announced as he stood up off the ground.

I sat up in an instant. "I'll come with you," I spoke as I hopped up. I didn't exactly want to go on a walk for a bunch of tree bark but I really wanted a moment to speak with Eric alone. I wanted to speak about our situation more without any interruptions or remarks from Mackenzie.

He nodded in agreement, waiting for me to catch up with him before we walked off. I took one last glance behind me at Mackenzie who was too busy staring into the flames to notice our disappearance.

We walked cautiously through the forest. Without the sunlight to guide us, it would become a whole heap easier to trip on something. There were branches, fallen trees, and rocks scattered all over the ground. However, another daunting thought crossed my mind that I might step on a snake or something dangerous. A nervous feeling swirled in my stomach and I had the sudden urge to reach out and grab Eric's hand - yet I knew that wasn't appropriate so I withheld.

Minutes later, we came across another clearing where there were plenty of pieces of wood near an old tree. The moonlight seemed to be shining directly at the spot, thankfully giving us enough light. I stood back as I watched Eric inspect the wood before picking up a piece of the ground.

"Is it damp or anything?" I asked in order to end the awkward silence that we'd endured on the walk over here.

"How are you?" Eric asked abruptly.

His spontaneous question caught me off guard. I wanted to lie and respond 'fine' or 'good' in order to appear strong, but looking into his eyes, I knew I couldn't do that.

I sighed. "As good as a person can be in this kind of situation."

He nodded in understanding.

"Do you remember last year when I was complaining to you about how hard the Kennedy High case was?" I asked.

He grinned in memory. "Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"I want to go back in time and slap my seventeen-year-old self in the face."

He chuckled lightly. "I guess it sheds a new light on the situation."

"This is hard," I admitted honestly. "Sometimes I start to think we won't make it out of this."

"Hey," he stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We're going to get through this," he said firmly.

I bit my lip. I wanted to believe him more than anything, but it was hard to during a time like this.

"This is so messed up," I complained. "This entire thing is just one huge mess."

He sighed, releasing a deep breath. "Yeah," he muttered quietly.

"We're supposed to be working a case in Russia but instead we're stuck on an island in the middle of God knows where without even the reassurance that someone's out there looking for us." I angrily spoke. "I feel like I'm in a fucking episode of Lost."