Fire in the Woods by Eaton Jennifer M

Author:Eaton, Jennifer M. [Eaton, Jennifer M.]
Language: eng
Format: azw
Tags: teen, alien, young adult, fiction, romance, military
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Published: 2014-10-28T04:00:00+00:00

***

As the sun cleared the trees, the stench rising up from the warm dumpsters turned my stomach. David didn’t even seem to notice. I did my best to hold my breath as we passed the open containers behind the restaurants. Nasty.

Leaving the longest row of stores, we came out to a huge intersection. The sign above read Route 73 and Route 70.

Shoot. How far out of our way had we gone?

Traffic lined both roads. We waited for the light to change, and ran across the highway, taking quick cover behind the next strip of stores on the other side.

I wiped the sweat from my brow, and drew my damp tee-shirt away from my skin. It sprang back, leaving me even more uncomfortable. David continued to walk.

“Come on, don’t you ever need to take a break?”

He turned, his bangs rustling across his forehead in the breeze. “I’m sorry. Are you tired?”

I leaned down on my haunches. “A little.”

David dropped the backpack off his shoulder. He pushed aside the bags of fruit, and grabbed a bottle of water, handing it to me. The cool liquid slid down my parched throat, easing the burn of our jog across the highway. I leaned back, allowing the water to rejuvenate me, before handing the bottle to back to him.

He looked at the label and examined the water through the clear plastic. Apparently it met his approval. He took a sip and slid the bottle back into the bag.

“You can have more than that, you know.”

“Thanks, but that’s all I need.” He stood and looked down the endless row of dumpsters and loading docks.

It occurred to me that neither of us really knew where we were going. South was hardly a definitive direction. For all I knew, we could be heading southwest, when we needed to head southeast.

“Can you feel anything yet? Do you have any idea where to go?”

“No. We need to keep heading south.” He threw the pack onto his back.

My tired feet trembled in defiance. “You want to go already?”

“Do you need more time to rest?”

Apparently he couldn’t take a hint. “I guess not.” Sparks shot through my ankles as I stood. My legs begged me to sit back down.

David moved the backpack from one shoulder to another, waiting. If he wasn’t going to admit to being exhausted, I certainly wasn’t going to come clean either. I had agreed to come with him to help. Becoming a hindrance wasn’t an option.

I stretched through a yawn as David loosened the bag’s straps.

“Does your shoulder hurt? I can carry that.”

He spun his arms in circles. “Nope, it’s fine. Maybe that ice you tried to freeze me with actually did something.”

I laughed. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. You were only trying to help.”

There was that smile again, melting me into a disgusting little bubble of girl-ness. I looked down, awkward under those haunting eyes. He made me feel like an idiot—like a stupid little love-sick girl. I hated it. I was embarrassed for feeling the way I did.

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