Isolated

Chapter 62

Chapter 62

You know it's bad when I secretly wished for something to attack us. Day after day of trudging through the uneven terrain was taking its toll. Each day, it drained us – physically and mentally. How much more did our poor feet need to endure? How much longer until we freak out in panic from not finding it yet?

We were sluggish when home. Forcing ourselves to hold a fast pace in the forest made up for it. However, no matter how fast we covered ground, it didn't give us any results. A few more times of searching the land, desperation persuaded us to allow something risky. The more ground, the better. Instead of insisting on always being with someone during a search, Francis started going by himself and so did Luke to cover more area. I didn't agree with it – mainly because Luke refused to allow me to go alone most of the time. The one time I convinced him to let me, he nearly had a heart attack. That wouldn't stop me from going alone though if we get even more desperate.

It worked like shifts. Luke and I would go for most of the day; Francis would search a separate area on his own. Or it would be me and Francis with Luke searching alone. Sometimes, before dawn even reached the sky, Luke would get up to explore by himself. It was concerning how obsessively he was searching.

The sweet man he was, he continuously reassured me. "Look at it this way. I'm just going for my daily jog. The only difference is I'm doing it out in the woods where I also will be making progress," he would say with a smile.

"Alright," was my usual sleepy reply from where I would be under the covers. I tried convincing him going by himself was dangerous enough; now, he was over doing it. But he was persistent. Each time, it led to me wishing him well and telling him to be safe.

His point of it being like his daily jog made sense. That still didn't hide the fact that Luke had permanent bags under his eyes. I couldn't imagine how shitty he felt. Francis and I didn't do as much as him and we were unbelievably exhausted. Bags of our own rested under our eyes; we grew numb to the soreness of constant walking. It caused us to wake up every day already exhausted.

If you can believe it, there was one good thing that came out of being drained and tired. Most nights, I slept so hard that my nightmares wouldn't interrupt. And trust me, they would if I wasn't overly tired and exhausted. Those dreams with Jackson were back and fierce, but falling into a deep sleep each night held them off most times.

It was a chore tearing myself away from the bed each morning. However, the days Luke got up at dawn to drive up to the land, my worry over him woke me up enough. One day, it was especially hard allowing him to leave. After telling him sluggishly from under the covers to be careful, I couldn't help but stress it again.

Hearing his footsteps retreat towards the door triggered a painful twitch in my gut. "Please, please be careful," I repeated through the wall of sleep I fought, forcing my eyes to open. On my stomach with my cheek resting against the pillow, my strained gaze reached him. Luke was half way to the bedroom door. I instinctively flung my arm towards him, reaching for him.

My words stopped the man. He turned back around to me. His green eyes and the darkened skin around them found mine. Unlike when he said goodbye a moment ago, his eyes were alert with love, brows dipping in concern. "You have no reason to worry, baby," he said, moving back towards the bed.

Swallowing and closing my heavy eyes for a tempting moment, I felt the bed dip from what I knew was his weight. His hand snatched up my outstretched one hanging off the edge of the bed. His other caressed my cheek, swaying me back towards sleep.... No, not yet. Forcing my eyes open, I squeezed his palm in mine. "Please," I mumbled, struggling to stay awake. "Or why can't you just wait until we go later?" We would go later anyway, like we planned. It would also mean he wouldn't be alone.