I’m equally frustrated at not knowing and at caring in the first place. Ethan is like a brother to me, and of course Ana, but other than that, the rest of these people can go fuck themselves. I hold no long-term bonds with the inmates of the Tomb. Freedom also means free from the bullshit of dealing with the scourge of the earth. Not to say I am not one.
“I’ll go see if I can help pack up,” Sammi stands, giving a small smile down at Ethan before leaving us. His eyes follow her in an expression I’m becoming familiar with, but now isn’t the time to give him crap for falling for a whore.
My body is tense as I take a seat beside him, picking up on the words he’s holding back.
"Tell me," I say simply and Ethan sighs, rubbing a hand down his scruffy face. It's still strange to me seeing him anything but his usual clean-shaven self, but the last few days have been trying for all of us.
"Sammi wants to go back home," he tells me, and I resist the urge to ask him why I should care. "And I'm trying to convince her to stay with us, but that's my shit to deal with. The rest of us were talking last night, some of the men are going to go different ways and a few want to go into town but we're worried if we go in all together it will raise too many flags. We aren't the most subtle looking bunch." He waves a hand toward the array of former inmates and I snort a small laugh at the downplayed statement.
"Why do we need to go to town?" I clarify, still not convinced living in the fucking woods isn't the way to go.
"We need shit, Ax," Ethan replies, seeming exasperated. "Come on, you have to know that. We have fucking nothing, we're in prison rags and most of us are injured. If nothing else, we have to prepare and get supplies, weapons, even if we aren't staying."
My teeth clench and I struggle to find the words I need. I don't know why, I can't really quantify it, but for some reason I feel like going into town is a bad idea and I tell Ethan as much.
He shrugs.
"Better than dying from the elements or getting found by The Watch unprepared."
With tight lips I stand, giving him a curt nod before walking away.
"Ax?" he calls after me. "I also, I need...time. To figure this shit out with Sammi. She has a pimp, you know. In town. I don't know why she wants to go back, when…"
I hold up a hand to interrupt him.
"You've always had my back, brother. Trust that I have yours."
Ethan stares at me a moment before nodding. Muttering to myself as I walk away, I go to find Ana and figure out what the hell is happening with this mess we call a camp.
Things seemed easier when I could just stab someone or throw them in The Pit if they pissed me off. Though I suppose I can still do that now. The thought actually cheers me up.
Ana ends up finding me quickly and I tell her that we do need to go into town. She raises a brow but agrees.
"We should gather everyone together before we leave," she tells me. "We shouldn't all travel at once if possible. Small groups would be best, come in from different sides."
I nod. "That's what Sammi said too."
I watch Ana's face closely for any hint of the jealousy that used to be obvious at any mention, but the two women seem to have truly bonded in their captivity. I mentally shrug. Easier for me anyway.
"The town itself is a decent size." Ana continues, "So I think if we are careful, we can get in and spend a day or two and get out without being noticed."
"I'll gather everyone."
Within the hour we have everything ready to go. We split up into several groups with the older and injured spread out between. I'm a bit worried that some of these men won't be able to find the way, but Sammi gave pretty clear instructions, so they'll just have to figure it out.
Logistics sorted; we leave our makeshift camp for the next leg of our journey.
Chapter Five
Ana
Iwatch Ax as he orders the last few groups around in getting organized. I'm a bit suspicious of the sudden change and willingness to take Sammi and my advice, but there's no time to question him about it. I'm only glad he's listening to reason, finally.
Kneeling to tie my shoes I feel a twinge of pain in my ribs and stifle a groan. They aren’t broken, only bruised, but it’ll be a few more days before I can move without pain.
"Maybe you should wrap them," Ax's voice says from above me. Standing, I look into his dark eyes for a moment before nodding.
"You're probably right," I admit, "Will you help?"