I mumbled in frustration as I continued to collect firewood to try and set up a temporary base. I felt like bursting out in a rage, forgetting about the bit of sanity I had left, and hunting down every last Dodger that ever lived, but I reasoned with the fact that I would probably need way more arrows and weapons to bring that many people down. So the problem wasn't the number of Dodgers - it was definitely my equipment.
Trevor watched me from a distance, nervousness on his furred face. His brown eyes stared at the circle of rocks I put into place and the bits of firewood I had already planted there. He was probably wondering whether I would calm down, or if the fire would actually work. Maybe he was wondering about both.
After half an hour, I finally got the fire going and sat next to it, with Trevor's head on my lap. He looked just as depressed as I felt. He knew exactly what had happened; We lost our home, and the bit of food we had to some inconsiderate, thieving, Dodgers.
My golden and ember eyes reflected off the fire's flames and seemed to burn with hatred. This wasn't the first time I had been cheated out by Dodgers, but I was sick of them getting away with it. No matter what they did or who they hurt, it would never seem to make them feel bad. Did they not have hearts? Of course they did, but it wasn't working properly. It was made with metal and iron, pumping blood, but never feeling the emotions I still held within me.
All of a sudden, something across the fire moved closer, into my field of vision. To my surprise, it was Angeli. She seemed frightened and I had no idea why. That's when I realized that the fire against my eyes was probably freaky-looking. I growled in annoyance and she jumped back a little. I honestly was going to blame her for all of this. Who did she think she was, showing up around here when she knew her "people" were the ones who caused this?
"Mathias, please, listen," She started, but I stood up abruptly, scaring Trevor out of my lap.
"There's nothing to listen to! You probably knew all along that this was going to happen, and you were stalling me just so they got the chance to steal from me!" I screamed and she stared at me, fear in her blue eyes. She had her arms up to her chest, almost as if trying to shield herself. My anger had been held in long enough. It was time to find out what this anger could really do.
"N-no! I had nothing to do with it! I only expected them to go out into the woods for berries, not apparently tear your home apart!" I scowled, unable to believe what she was saying. I mean, how could I? She was playing me from the start! Angeli slowly walked over to the other side of the fire - where I stood - and looked up at me timidly. I stared down at her, hatred still burning in my heart, and I did the unthinkable.
"Your sister was killed by my brother, right? Well, I bet he had a good reason, if she was anything like you." Her scared face turned into a face full of surprise. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. She was shaking from head to toe, and I admit, I felt bad. No matter how angry I was, her sister and my brother had nothing to do with this. This was my deal, not theirs.
"A-Angeli, I-I didn't mean-" She slapped me across the face before I could finish. A burning sensation erupted from my cheek and I stared at her in shock.
Tears streamed down her face and she practically screamed at me, "Don't you ever talk that way about my sister, Lankie! You have no idea what she went through until your stupid brother came along and killed her in front of me! He left me there, practically abandoned when he did it, and I won't stand here and let some dirty-mouthed guy tell me that your brother did it for a good reason!"
I watched as she slumped to the ground and sobbed uncontrollably, staring at the fire. A stabbing pain in my heart urged me to kneel down beside her. As I did, I glanced over at Trevor. He had a questioning look on his face. He most likely didn't expect me to do what I was going to do next.
I leaned over and hung my arm over her shoulders, pulling her close to me. She tensed slightly, almost as if expecting me to hit her. Her shoulders shook with her sobs, and I only squeezed her tighter. She was so close to me, that I could feel her warm breath as she cried in broken gasps. All I could do was watch what I caused.
"Angeli, I'm so sorry... I really didn't know what was running through my mind when I said that, and I definitely didn't mean it." I rubbed her back gently, in an attempt to calm her. I liked to think that it did, because she slowly stopped crying until she finally looked up at me.
"I never wanted to become a Dodger. I just didn't have a choice, if I wanted to survive. They were my only chance, and I had to... to..." She looked away again, but still lay against me. I felt a bit awkward - mostly because I wasn't much for the romantic type - especially because she was a Dodger, but what she said next completely threw me off track.
"Would you consider letting me be here, with you? I really won't be of much help to you, but you would to me. I just... don't want to go back to them."
I finally noticed three deep slashes on her right cheek. Through my fury, I couldn't see what was clearly standing in front of me. I took her chin and slowly lifted her head to face me. "They did this to you?" She nodded sadly and I sighed exasperatedly. I searched her eyes for some sort of hint that she was lying to me, or that she was trying to take this moment to her advantage, but all I could find was the sadness and loss that was destroying her on the inside.
"I'll consider it, but I can't say I can trust you just yet. When I can trust you, I promise, I'll try to do what I can. Until then, I suggest you stay with them and be careful. I know what to expect if they've already hurt you like this." She nodded silently, but didn't seem to have the energy to argue back. It was clear to me that as long as she wouldn't come back to them at some point, she would be perfectly fine with it.
"I promise." I spoke gently, a complete change from my previous voice. At first, angry, but now calm.
"Thanks." She replied back, taking one last look at me before standing up and looking down at the fire again. "Where will you sleep?"
"Here, I guess. There's not many places I can go to." I glanced back at Trevor, who looked up at us with a curious gaze in his gleaming eyes. "But we'll be fine until then." She seemed to want to say something more, but remained quiet. She contemplated over something for a while, but soon gave up.
"I... Just, thank you. I was starting to lose faith in humanity, but you might have just sparked up a bit of hope in me. I'll see you around. I hope you won't have to sleep like this for long." She stuffed her hands into her shirt pockets and stared down at me with an apologetic look on her face.
"Yeah, so do I." I replied, rubbing the space between Trevor's ears on his head. He liked it when I pet him, and he sure needed the extra comfort. Angeli smiled softly, turning away from me and heading off towards the place she appeared from. I stared after her, wondering whether I would keep that promise or not.
That night, I couldn't sleep at all. I only sat and stared at the fire. Trevor hadn't noticed me awake when he fell asleep. Honestly, I felt bad for him. He was used to our RV and the hard ground would be a drastic change.
It was something about the horrified look in Angeli's eyes that tore me apart. We both had lost something we knew we'd never be able to recover and were trapped in a place we didn't want to be in. It would have been a matter of time until I lost absolutely everything I had, except for Dog Trevor and whatever was still left of me.
And so, the next morning, I was a mess. I completely dozed off when I tried to go do something and my feet dragged behind me like stone bricks when I attempted to walk. It all resulted in failure. I just didn't have enough energy to keep me going. That's when the advantage was taken.
Trevor was watching me carefully, as if waiting for me to drop down and pass out. I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going and bumped into something, or rather, someone. I looked up and immediately recognized them - Chester. He stared at me all wide-eyed and I stared back while squinting my eyes a little.
"Chester? What are-" A girl stood near Chester, but when she spotted me, she quickly stopped talking. I wasn't sure what she was thinking of me at the moment, but I bet she hadn't expected someone like me to come around.
She whistled sharply so it pierced my eardrums in a death-like tone. Then, six more people emerged, surrounding me in a tight circle. Their voices echoed in my mind, but my brain was too used up to attempt and decipher what they were saying. Soon enough, I did pass out. Pain circulated my head as I crashed down to the ground with a low thud. My entire brain seemed to be playing a game of ding-dong-ditch with my cranium, knocking and leaving, only to repeat the cycle over and over again. A bark on my right had signaled that I didn't pass out from lack of energy, strangely enough. I had been knocked out by someone.
When I awoke, it was in a cave. My shadow stretched among the cave walls in such a way, that I had finally understood why some people were afraid of their own shadows. It loomed over the area, creating a distant and eerie aura. Footsteps echoed around me and I looked up to see another woman, who I vaguely recognized. It was the same one who had noticed the berries had gone missing and had sent a party, including herself, to my RV.
She smiled down at me, making the smile as fake as she possibly could. "Look what the cat dragged in. It's a very vulnerable little rat."
I glared at her and she only laughed. "What do you want with me?" I growled.
"Nothing much. Just your services as part of our clan of Lankies. If you refuse, well..." Her snake-like eyes stared at me with an intensity that resembled the bite of the snake itself.
My eyes shifted in the darkness, fighting their tiredness. What else could I do? I let my eyes rest for a few moments as I spoke, "F-fine. Just... can I have a proper place to sleep?" Even though I had passed out, my eyes were still lusting sleep, or a nap at the very least.
She smiled again. This time, the smile of victory. "My pleasure." She helped me up and held my arms behind me, in case I tried to escape. She was stupid to think that I would. The way I was literally bobbing my head trying to keep myself awake would be a good reason as to why trying to escape wouldn't work.
I trekked along with her and she whispered something into my ear. "The name's Karla, Lankie. You'll meet the rest of us after you get some rest. If it weren't for me, you probably would have died of exhaustion back there." Her tone had changed towards me. She was using a more friendly and joking tone. I guess that's how it was gonna be if I became a Dodger. Oh, and I definitely did just make a deal with the devil himself.
Karla told me I had slept through the whole morning that afternoon. When I came out of the tent, I knew it was true. The Sun was high in the sky, surrounded by its usual murky grayness from the pollution of the Earth's atmosphere.
"You must have been real tired. Don't you sleep?" She asked. I kept my gaze steady at the Sun. It was safe to stare at it directly now. The rays didn't hit the Earth as strongly as they used to. The atmosphere of the Earth had changed, and so had the way the Sun affected the Earth. We didn't have winter anymore. It was a constant spring-summer now. How I yearned to see and feel the snow I did, when I was a little boy.
I remembered the cold numbness on my fingertips and the soft yet stinging of its feel. The way it swirled down in unique snowflakes made it look all magical. Sometimes they were ice crystals, if it was cold enough. My gloves were damp with cold water from holding onto the melting snow clutched in my hands. I remembered it all. But it was so long ago, and I desired for the memories to relive themselves. I yearned for the way things used to be.
"I have never been able to sleep well. Even now, I feel restless. Ever since the Earth crumbled in destruction, I've never been able to sleep well enough." I responded calmly.
She stared at me, and I stared at the sky. I was right, and she knew it. Things would never be the same, if the Earth wasn't restored. She cleared her throat. "Not an answer I expected, but I see where you're coming from. Earth really has become the second Hell. But right now, let me introduce you to everybody, okay?"
I nodded reluctantly and followed her until we reached the biggest tent in the clearing. When I entered, the commotion subsided and I felt multiple pairs of eyes turn to me. The thing I noticed first was that Angeli wasn't here. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen her during their little ambush either or in the clearing, when I arrived. Was she not here at all? It would have been dangerous to ask Karla, since she'd become very suspicious about how I knew who she was. So, I kept my mouth shut.
"Alright, guys! This here, is uh..." She started and then looked at me so I could introduce myself.
"Mathias. I'm Mathias." I said. The gang of Dodgers seemed to immediately recognize who I was and gave me welcoming smiles and grins. "Do... do you already know who I am?"
Karla chuckled. "We sure do, kid! There's been rumors all about you! Dodgers have had some trouble trying to steal from you, but see who did! Us! And don't worry, what was all left there really wasn't the RV. It was just a decoy. And you fell for it!" I finally noticed a southern accent hidden within her voice and cocked an eyebrow at her. The rest of them laughed and I stared, not very surprised.
They grew curious, as I hadn't reacted the way they hoped I would. "I see. So, Dodgers know about me? And my brother?"
Karla nodded. "Yeah. We know about Trevor Redwood. A hero, that man is."
I scowled angrily and she narrowed her eyes. "He's no hero. He was a murderer even before he was a Dodger. The murderer of his own parents. I don't know if it's some sort of sin, but I do know that it's not heroism." I spat out in flustered words. The Dodgers looked at me, with disbelief. They hadn't known, then?
"That's besides the point, Mathias. Ok, let's start with you knowing everyone's names." She walked over to the group and they formed a line. Karla stood in front of them and pointed at them as she said their names and age. "Amelia 16, William 16, Derrick 23, Roderick 30, Felicia 19, Henrietta 20, Gerald 21, Chester 20, and I'm 29. "
Chester winked at me. I remembered him exactly. I had never noticed that he had sparkly yellow-orange hair with matching fiery-colored eyes. He seemed tall to me, but not very muscular.
Felicia was the prettiest of the girls here. And since she was 19, she was fairly young. She had long black hair tied into a side braid that reached down to her mid-back. Her eyes were the common brown, but nonetheless complemented her slightly tan complexion. I was guessing she was Hispanic.
Williams's arm draped over Amelia's shoulders, which made me know that they were either together, or they were siblings. Judging by how they resembled each other, they were most likely siblings. They both had blond, layered hair, and green-blue eyes. They were twins, as far as I could tell.
Roderick was the buff man I remembered who had answered to Karla when she had complained about not having those berries. He had black, buzz-cut hair and hazel eyes. He was tan, which seemed to be from the Sun, when the rays were much more harmful.
Derrick was standing next to Chester, but he was hidden away by the shadows of the tent. I could barely make out that his dark brown hair fell down over his eyes and didn't let me see their color. I could tell he was looking at me, by the way his head was turned, but I couldn't see his eyes.
Henrietta was definitely with Gerald, since he was hugging her from behind and lay his head on one of her shoulders. They both had brown eyes. Henrietta's hair wasn't so much long, but it waved down over her shoulders with ginger coloring. Gerald had shaggy chestnut hair, which seemed to be very cared for. Probably by Henrietta herself.
Karla had short hair that only reached down to her neck and was a bit tussled. It was golden-colored and her eyes were just brown. She seemed to be the leader of the Dodgers, though Roderick was the eldest.
They really all looked like good people, except for Derrick. He was a mystery I couldn't quite solve just yet. It would take some time to earn his trust, like it would for the rest of these people. If I was going to be a Dodger, might as well be trusted by my team.
After I had met everyone, I decided to try and see if they'd really treat me like one of them, even if I was just recently recruited. So, I went over to Karla again and tapped her shoulder gently. "Mind if I go out hunting? I think you guys might need the food."
She raised her eyebrows. "You really want to go out hunting? I mean, I would love it if you did, bu-" I nodded before she could finish.
"Yeah, sure. One hunting trip won't hurt anyone. I'll just need a few arrows and my bow." She smiled and went back to the storage tent to retrieve my things. Karla had been talking to Roderick and he was staring at me sternly.
"Did I interrupt something? I'm sorry if I did." I said, not really sounding all too sorry. Therefore, I wasn't really convincing.
"No. I was just about to ask her why she would let the brother of a murderer in our camp." I furrowed my brow in deep thought.
"Are you afraid I'll be like him?" He continued to stare at me, but didn't answer. I knew they wouldn't trust me. It was something I knew naturally.
Felicia started to walk towards Roderick and I right at that moment. Her long black-haired braid bounced along with her while she walked. "What are you two talking about?" Despite her looks, she sounded nothing like a Hispanic.
"Nothing, just conversing over me being here when I'm related to a murderer, nothing." I responded calmly. Felicia gave me a worried look and glared up towards Roderick.
"You told him about our worries?" He nodded. Everyone thought that? So much for trust. I growled in frustration and met Karla halfway towards the tent.
"Thanks." I muttered when she handed me my things and was off. I carried my pack of arrows and stretched the strap over my chest while I slung the pack behind me. With one sturdy hand, I held onto my bow and dashed away from the clearing.
Behind me, I could hear Karla say something to the two of them. "What did you say to him?" I imagined them looking at each other nervously before telling her.
I walked carefully while I went through the woods. Since it was day, I wouldn't get many good catches, but I had a reason to be out here other than to test my trust with the Dodgers. I was worrying about Trevor. They probably hadn't done anything to him, but I was wondering where he was. I hated leaving him without saying anything.
In the distance, I spotted a patch of reddish-brown. It was extremely strange to see that color, especially in nature. I was curious to see what it was, but it didn't bother me all too much. Then, it moved. Now, I was curious.
I stopped dead in my tracks and watched it, standing still. It moved again. What was even weirder was that I slightly recognized it from somewhere, but I wasn't too sure where. I began to walk closer and closer to it, not wanting to startle it before I found out what it was. I slowly took each step and I could have sworn I wasn't breathing at that moment. I took sneaking to a whole other level. Accidentally, I stepped on a twig and it snapped in two underneath by boot. The mass of red-brown turned to me. Yes, it turned.
Angeli's pale blue eyes stared back at me. They were rounded in fear, but she quickly realized who I was. "Mathias?" She stood up and blocked me from something.
"Yeah, it's me..." I tried to look around her and find out what she was blocking, but she didn't move away. "Are you hiding something from me?" For a short moment, she looked at me with a sad look. She sighed heavily and stood aside, revealing a true horror before my eyes.
Trevor lay still and unmoving on the grass in front of me. A velvet pool of blood draped over his side and part of his face. My heart stopped pounding against my chest and I felt as if it had completely stopped. I could only stare at the deep wound caused from what seemed to be a forceful kick. The kick from a hoof. Deer. He had gone out hunting and the deer had gotten too brutal, perhaps. I slowly slouched down on my knees beside him, not daring to believe what I was seeing.
I didn't cry. I couldn't. The tears wouldn't come out, no matter how much I wanted to cry. But I just couldn't. His soft grey-colored fur ruffled in the gentle breeze that swept through the forest. His large paws were entwined in one another, like they did when he was asleep. I pictured him as just a pup, sleeping the way he always did with his little paws wrapped around each other.
Angeli's quiet voice interrupted my thoughts. "I stayed with him until he died." She explained. "I tried to do everything I could to save him," I stopped her before she continued.
"There would have been nothing you could've done to save him. The wound is too deep to cure with the limited supplies we have. But thanks, for staying with him. At least he didn't die alo-" That was it. It was all it took to get my tears to come out. I choked on my last words and cried. Trevor really was the only thing that was right beside me when my own brother had left. And then, I did the same to my dog. I left my dog. My companion. My friend.
She crouched down beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "But he died, doing what I bet he liked best. Hunting for his master." I looked up at her and questioned her statement. Why would he have been hunting for me? He could have just been hunting for himself. But when I looked down at Trevor, staring at his hurt body, I knew she was probably right.
There was nothing much we could do, other than bury Trevor. Angeli and I picked out a good place, where we knew we would always find him. So we went to the place where the RV used to be. It was hard to cover his body in the Earth's dirt, and watch him slip away from me. It wasn't just painful. It was complete misery. Nothing would be the same without him and I knew it as well as Angeli. It was complete misery.
I didn't say anything as I started walking away from the flower-filled burial area. "Where are you going?" She asked, half-confused. She knew I wasn't going to stay here, but where was I supposed to be going? That's when I remembered that I hadn't told her about what happened with the Dodgers. I stopped walking, but didn't look back at her.
"I have been recruited as a Dodger. I should get back to camp." I said coldly. I could feel her eyes tearing through me as I held my breath to wait for her answer.
"Which camp?" I turned to look at her. There was clear worry in her eyes.
"The same one as yours." She stood as still as I did. All we could do was look at each other, waiting for the other to start talking. "Where have you been?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Her expression changed from one of worry to a dark look.
"I've been trying to get away from them." Her voice sounded as if she were growling. I remembered what I had told her about them. To be careful until I could trust her and be able to protect her, as promised.
I scratched the back of my neck as I said softly, "You know, you really have shown I can trust you, since you stayed here with Trevor and all." She looked up at me with hopeful eyes. Was she really expecting me to give in that easily? Well. I was a sucker for vulnerable acts. "But we should both go back to them. They would only get angrier. They might hurt y-us." She smiled slightly at my little mess up. It was inferring that I didn't care if I got hurt, as long as she didn't. I wasn't even sure if that is what I meant by it.
"Ok. I'll go back. Is everyone still there?" I nodded. I wondered if she'd be surprised that I knew all their names. So, I tested it.
"Karla, Roderick, Felicia, Chester, Gerald, Henrietta, Derrick, William, and Amelia. They're all still there, I think." She chuckled lightly.
"So I see you've met everyone. What do you think of them?" I thought for a moment.
"They're all ok to me, except maybe Derrick. He's, well..."
"Suspicious?" I nodded. He was very suspicious in my eyes, but I wasn't even sure what to think of him.
"Anyways, I came out here to hunt. Think you can help?" She smirked.
"Are you kidding me? Of course!" She headed in deeper into the woods, gripping her daggers in each hand. She pulled them out from under her belt in an instant, as if on instinct.
We both went through the forest, scoping the surrounding area for any sounds. And with luck, we had found a small nest of rabbits to hunt down. And actually, it was pretty fun looking around for animals in an unknown forest. To my surprise, Angeli was real good with daggers. Especially in hunting. She pinpointed the birds evenly, striking them down in one shot.
After our little hunting excursion, we headed back to the camp. One thing I forgot to do was figure out a plan to explain why I was coming back with Angeli, who I was supposed to have never met. It only occurred to me at the last second. It was already too late by then.
Amelia's blond hair swiveled in the slight wind when she turned to face us. "Angeli? You're back!" She looked at me strangely, but went over to her first. "Where've you been? We've been looking for you everywhere!"
"I sort of got lost. I ended up somewhere I didn't recognize, and I ran into uh..." She was lying, and she was pretending to not remember my name. Nice touch.
"Mathew, I think? Anyways, he told me he had been newly recruited and he led me back here." It looked like she had been the one to figure out the plan instead of me.
"Oh! Wow! We should let Karla know, then!"
William appeared behind Amelia with a smile. "Welcome back, guys!" I liked these guys. They weren't too brutal and were friendly.
"Thanks." I responded with a grin. "I have a question, though. You two are siblings, right?" They both nodded. I felt accomplished in being able to guess correctly.
"I'll go tell Karla, now." Amelia left in search of the leader and we were left with only William. But it didn't take long for the rest of the crew to come around and we were soon surrounded by them. Great.
Derrick was the first I seemed to notice. His long hair dropped down over his eyes again, but he still looked at me, rather than Angeli. Everyone gave us curious glances and Chester stared at us intensely, almost as if warning us to not say a word about what happened when we met each other. And to top it all off, Karla was heading towards us angrily.
"So you decided to come back, then?" Her deep brown eyes looked at the blue-eyed girl with what looked like disgust. Angeli was terrified of Karla, and I really wondered what Amelia had told her.
"I-I..." Angeli was at a loss for words. I tried helping her out.
"I only found her and thought that-" Karla snarled at me.
"Quiet, Mathias! Let the girl speak!" I narrowed my eyes at her and turned back to Angeli. She looked at me with a begging face, which reminded me of how Trevor used to beg for his food. I instantly became saddened by this and looked away from her. Meanwhile, Karla continued to torment Angeli.
"You've been real bad, you know? Maybe you should be punished. Perhaps you too, Mathias, for bringing in unnecessary garbage." For some reason, I felt a sudden surge of anger run through my veins.
"Oh? She's garbage? How about you? You're the leader of a group of thieves! Thieves who steal from hopeless people! If anything, you're garbage!" Everyone stared at me with different stares. Some, innocent stares. Others, shamed stares. And only one, was an angry stare. I calmed myself down slightly. "Do anything you want to me, go ahead. But don't you dare touch Angeli. If you do, I swear that then, I might just do what my brother did. Murder." And now, everyone stared at me with scared looks.
Karla was taken aback by this, but still kept going. "And you would do that? Just for a red-haired good-for-nothing?" That was it. I snapped and stormed through the small group of them and ran away. I was still hot-headed by the time I was on the other side of the camp's territory. I propped myself down against a tree and stared at the gray-ish blue sky.
Why had I become so angry? So angry that I raged away from them? My hands trembled in my lap. Maybe this is how my brother felt when he was angry. Maybe at the slightest things, he went into a rage. My eyes widened in realization. What if I was just like my brother? I got angry easily and could end up killing if I wasn't stopped in time. It wasn't my brother that was the killer. Anger was the killer.
A scream in the distance sounded like an alarm in my desolate mind. My head snapped up to face the direction where everyone was. Half of them were trying to hold back Karla while the other half was surrounded by Angeli. My eyes flashed like a dangerous flame and I quickly stood up to go back.
Upon arriving, I spotted what I didn't want to see. Blood covered half of her face after a powerful blow to the side of her head. Angeli looked up at me with an abandoned look in her eyes. She had a good reason, too. I had left her, and she had gotten hurt because of it. Karla didn't have to be held back anymore. She was inching away from me instead.
My hands rounded into fists and I gritted my teeth. "You're really pushing me, Karla. Care to go any further?" I released my fists and opened my mouth instead of clenching it shut. "Huh? Do you really want to go any further? Because with what I've been told, I don't think you would!"
I turned my back on her and went for Angeli instead. She lay on the ground, probably feeling light-headed. My gaze softened and I was no longer angry, but miserable. I helped her up slowly, but she wasn't able to stay up and slumped back down to the ground. Felicia and Chester helped me get her back up again, though they were both very wary of me. I nodded a thanks to them and Angeli held on to me tightly, trying not to fall again.
"You'll be ok. Don't worry." I whispered. I wasn't sure if she heard me, but I wanted to say it. I had promised I would keep her safe, and now she was everything other than safe. She was in danger here with the Dodgers, but they had me surrounded. If I tried to get away, Karla would just command them to capture me again. It was impossible to escape them.
So instead, I did my best to get Angeli into one of the tents. I felt the eyes of everyone on me, but I ignored them. After lying her down onto one of the sleeping bags in the tent, I started to wipe away the blood. She passed out before I could actually lie her down. So, I let her rest as I cleaned up her wound. I hoped I wasn't hurting her when I roughly passed a rag over her forehead. I probably was, but I couldn't stop the anger boiling inside me. With every swipe I made over her bruise, she twitched. I stopped abruptly. I should have kept cleaning it, making sure it didn't get infected, but I would have only hurt her further. At this point, I had already hurt her enough.