espionage [h.s.]

PROLOGUE

/// PROLOGUE ///

He steps out of the van with fierce determination, feeling his boots slightly sinking into the grassy earth that now lies beneath him. Pale, green eyes squinting at the sudden exposure to the light, he brings one hand up to rest against his brow in an attempt to block out the harsh rays beating down from above. The sun won't be visible for much longer, the black, ominous clouds drifting over the stretching hills, threatening to swallow it whole. The overcast weather brings a slight chill, the breeze rippling through his clothes as he walks briskly across the plain. A chill shoots down his spine, but it's not because of the cold.

The hills seem like they stretch on for miles and miles, made up of a patchwork of greens, even more varied by the shadows of passing clouds. He inhales sharply as the cold air begins to take its toll, further paling his skin and reddening the tip of his nose. Everything is so quiet up here, so still, almost like the entirety of civilisation has faded away, leaving only him and his steady, thumping heart.

He used to like this time of year; cloudy skies, falling temperatures. The way nature dulls everything for a while, wiping away its own vibrant colours, replacing them with soft browns, greens and greys, evidence of its own creations slowly withering away and dying. He used to like winter, he used to enjoy the darkness and the silence that it would bring. That was of course, until he met her.

As she begins to flash through his mind again, the visions he's been desperately trying to suppress for days but has always failed, his eyes flicker upwards, and that's when he finally sees her. She's still far away, too far, but he can still recognise her most striking features, having them ingrained in his memory by now. Smooth, caramel skin, dark brown hair which messily cascades down her shoulders, a few curls hanging down to frame her face. Although he can't see them, he remembers her plump, pretty lips that always feel so soft against his own, and those big, brown eyes that were always full of such fire and strength, but could still make him melt with one glance.

His heart flips inside his chest but he doesn't stop walking, in fact he picks up his pace, trekking across the desolate hills with faster strides, his face remaining stolid and blank. He can hear his friends a few feet behind him, struggling to keep up, but he doesn't stop, just needing to get to her as soon as possible. He's surprised that her pace doesn't match his, thinking they'd be running to each other after so long apart, but instead her strides are slow and cautious. He glances up again when he hears the sound of an engine far in the distance, the vehicle that she climbed out of now speeding away, leaving her here.

After what feels like a hundred, agonisingly slow hours, she's finally only a few feet away from him. His eyes scan over her, checking for any evidence of wounds, injuries, or even one tiny mark, because that'd be enough to justify the revenge he's going to get on those who did this, to those who stole her from him. When she's close enough to touch, a deep breath of relief falls from his lips and he immediately reaches out for her, needing her close, needing her back in his arms, where she belongs. But she stops him, holding out both hands to keep him away.

"D-don't come any closer," she warns, her voice uncharacteristically shaky. When he looks down at her hands that are still held up to ward him off, he notices they're shaking too.

His eyebrows furrow in confusion, his gaze flickering up to scan over her face. "What's wrong?" he asks her, voice laced with concern and a feeling of worry stirring in the pit of his stomach. "Baby, you're safe now. You don't need to be scared."

Her lips remain pressed together, no reply coming from them, because she's not sure how she'd even tell him, how to even put it into words. She just blinks up at him, a vacant look in her eyes as slow, shaky breaths fall from her lips. Swallowing heavily, she glances down to the coat she's wearing, a long black trench that's tied up in the front, before bringing her eyes back up to his.