Into the Dark

Chapter 38

Kade didn't walk like he should. He had a minor limp and occasionally pulled his arm over his stomach. He tried to hide everything and although I was supposed to be helping him look for things to burn, I couldn't help but watch the obvious meltdown of his body. When he leaned against a tree for support, I finally broke the silence.

"Kade, maybe you should go back with the others. I can find wood on my own," I said.

"No! I'm fine. I can handle this," he responded as he winced.

"You're obviously sick. You shouldn't be walking around like this!" I mentioned.

"Would you stop worrying about me, Bella?! I told you I'll be alright," he snapped.

"Why would I not worry about you, Kade? Why do you continue to push those who want to help you away?" I pressed.

"I don't want to put pressure on them. I can solve my own problems." He groaned as he sat against the tree and closed his eyes. I sat next to him and stared up at the treetops.

"If someone wants to help you, they won't care about pressure. Don't expect to achieve much if you don't accept the aid of others," I advised quietly. He had no response to that and continued to breathe unevenly.

"Why are you so determined to be with me if you're not happy here?" he eventually whispered. I was sure my heart cracked just a little.

"It's the people you love that make a place special. You guys are the ones I don't wanna leave. But I don't want to just throw my family out of the picture, either. I hate the fact that I can't have both," I said.

"You didn't answer my question," he whispered. "Why me?"

"Well... I could ask you the same thing. If you know I might leave soon then why are you so attached to me?" I asked.

"Because I've never met someone so desperate to be with me, even after they learned what I am," he said.

"Oh, so now I'm desperate?" I teased. He started laughing weakly and opened his eyes.

"More like strong-minded... or stubborn," he answered. I couldn't really argue with him there. I was known to have a fixed attitude sometimes.

He pushed himself off the ground and reached down a hand to me. "Come on. The others are waiting for wood," he said. I accepted his offer and allowed him to pull me up.

"But if you're ill, how will you ever protect little ol' me?" I joked as we continued searching.

"I'm sure I won't have to worry about protecting you," he answered with a smile. I picked up a long stick and broke it into smaller pieces as he did the same with another stick. "I think you've got the whole defense thing under control."

"Eh... maybe a little. But you never know when you'll need backup," I said.

He nodded while picking up a small log. I handed him my sticks and made the arrangement for me to pick up things while he carried them. He went along with it and we went on through the dark forest, blind to whatever was just a few feet ahead of us.

I started clinging closer to Kade without even realizing it until I bumped into his arm and he nearly dropped our load. I was sure it was my buried fear starting to bubble over again but it didn't really change much, I still found sticks like it was my job. Soon, we had enough for a fire and started to head back.

After awhile, though, the feeling of being followed struck me and I stopped. Kade turned to me and looked around at our surroundings. "You sense it too, huh?" he asked. I nodded as my eyes searched for the source of my feelings. I could only see a few feet in front of me, considering it was almost pitch black due to the trees blocking most of the moonlight.