The Runaways

Chapter Sixty-Three - Back Where I Started

Blake

While Elias went off to go look for Corban I decided to go after Remington. Plus I needed to distance myself from whatever mental breakdown Warren was about to have. So I hurried off in the direction Remington stormed off in walking under the towering oak trees above us. The first set of leaves that had fallen with the most recent cold front signifying autumn creeping around the corner. Autumn was always bad news being the trial run of winter. Worst part was up in the Midwest autumn was the shortest season— or at least seemed like it. Often times the first snowfall would happen in late October, barely enough time to prepare for winter. It was a lot more of a struggle than it used to be before the bombings. Never before was finding warm enough shelter and having enough food to survive on a problem before civilization was nearly completely demolished.

The worst part about winter is how powerful Syndicates become, they partnered with gangs that had control in the south where crops and animals could be hunted year around. Meaning the Syndicates controlled the biggest food distribution in the Midwest for each long and cold winter. This gives the syndicates incredible amounts of control weather it be from making the food ten times more expensive or having a large influx of desperate people willing to join them just to survive he winter. And once you become a syndicate there's no way out. They have a zero tolerance policy on deserters.

After walking for about three minutes I finally stumbled across an angry Remington sulking as he angrily started craving wood off of one of the tree stumps with his pocket knife. His motions were rigid, fast, and aggressive. I was worried he was going to hurt himself with how recklessly he was carving off the layer of bark on that tree.

"What are you carving up that tree for?" I asked as I cautiously approached Remington, he already kicked Warren's ass and now he has a knife I'm not taking any chances.

Remington glared at me as I walked up to him standing a good two meters away as he backed away at the tree bark of the large oak tree, "What are you going to yell at me?"

I shook my head, "You seemed pretty upset, just wanted to see what's up." I muttered calmly.

"Warren's a little bitch that's what's wrong." Remington grumbled as he carved into the tree.

"Did something he said bother you?" I asked trying to figure out what he was thinking, from what I've seen Remington is a very go with the flow kind of guy and anger doesn't seem to be one of his primary responses. It almost feels like it's a different person, when he exposes his emotions or let's them take control his whole cocky and relaxed façade drop drastically.

"Yeah every time he opened his mouth it bothered me."

"Well I just ask because you lashed out when Warren made a remark about your parents and if that's still bothering you I wanted to see if talking about it would help." I suggested.

Remington rolled his eyes, "Yea sure I'm not stupid Blake I know you're trying to pick my brain. Well guess what there's nothing to pick!" He exclaimed as he stopped hacking at the wood and turned to face me, "Have you considered that just maybe I was sick and tired of him blabbering?!"

"Remington you punched him multiple times in the face! Obviously something he said hit a nerve with you!" I retaliated.

"Maybe it's because he's so annoying and has a punchable face. What are you going to do call the police? If I want to punch someone in the face I'll punch someone in the face. There's no conspiracy to it, there is no secret cause, it's because I wanted to." Remington snapped back. "My childhood was normal by the way, now leave me alone."

"Okay if you say so. I'm just trying to be nice and make sure you're okay. It's not normal to last at that physically towards people ya'know."

"Yeah and its not normal for Warren to be such an annoying asshole." Remington muttered back in defense.

I stood there watching him carve into the tree, his knuckles on his right hand were red and irritated with dried blood on them, weather it was Remingtons or Warren's was yet to be determined.

"Is your hand okay?" I asked.

"It's fine."

I stood in silence watching him carve off more bark from the tree angrily. He kept glancing over at me angrily.

"Why are you still here?" He asked bluntly.

"Because you're going to hurt yourself with that knife if you keep being so reckless with it."

"So you care about me or something?" Remington said in a very uncharacteristically flat tone.

"Not much no." I said, "I just figured someone oughta figure out where you are since Corban ran off."

"Corban ran off?" Remington asked.

"Yeah, Elias told me he's probably just like emotional or something, I don't know." I said shrugging.

"Literally nothing happened to him that fight was just me and Warren why is he upset all the sudden?" Remington thought aloud.

"He is a teenager right?" I asked.

"Yeah I—" Remington paused mid sentence and backed up from the tree holding his knife in his hand firmly, "Did you hear that?" He whispered to me.

"Hear what?"

"Someone talking..." He whispered back as we stood still listening. Sure enough after a second or two we both heard the sound of a woman's voice. With that me and Remington both dropped to the ground, I'm surprised he had the same reaction as I did. I'm an assassin I always have to be careful, why is Remington this cautious too?

"Oh fuck me." Remington grumbled under his breath, "do you know where we are?"

"No we've been walking around aimlessly."

"Fuck. I think we're on huntresses land." Remington sighed.

"The deerlady?" I exclaimed in a whisper, "You're fucking kidding me. God we just went in one big circle didn't we."

"Don't look at me like it's my fault."

"Shut up, I never said it your was your fault and we should be quiet." I whispered.

"You implied it." Remington sneered narrowing his eyes at me.

"I did not!—"

A figure suddenly stepped into view moving away the brush next to the tree Remington was carving up. Standing over us was the Huntress with a group of her little minions. We all sat there for a moment staring in shock at each other, I think Huntress was more shocked she stumbled on us than we were.

Unfortunately her shock didn't last long.

"GRAB THEM! THATS REMINGTON PRINCE!"