The Ghosts We Hide by Micah Thomas

Author:Micah Thomas [Thomas, Micah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-15T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

THE CAMP WAITED out the fall and the following winter in Florida. It had been a quiet time. As Spring sprang, the humidity and giant bugs infesting any open bag of food were Cassie’s only real concerns. Now, directed by their wise woman and Jeff’s leadership, they’d moved back up in a slow crawl to central Ohio. It had only been a few weeks, but Cassie already knew more about the state of things here thanks to having more interaction with the various townspeople than they’d ever had in Florida. She’d healed. She’d made herself busy. Cassie no longer thought of running off. Instead, she thought about what Don had said. Maybe they were dead already. She could submit to this afterlife. She thought she could.

Still, there was a pretense of being on the run. Their community didn’t go long without some mention of staying ahead of the ‘bad men’. Cassie didn’t know if they were even being sought out. She stayed away from the weird woman. Despite making herself medical knowledge useful to the townies they encountered, she found herself staying surface level with the camp, and in downtime, avoiding everyone except Jeff. For his part, Jeff came to her, often now, as he did on this day, carrying a bouquet. This time they were violet irises.

“Flowers? Again? What grave did you steal these from?” Cassie asked. She didn’t want to be excited by the gift, but she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed it.

“My own,” Jeff said.

“Oh? And how did Jeff die? We’ll miss him.” Cassie smiled.

“Poor bastard. Death by heartbreak.”

Romantic bastard, more like it. He’d wooed her, and she’d allowed it. The silence in her head and the ache of loss would never be far, but it was so nice to lean on someone with a plan. Not that his plan ever made real sense to her, but he had faith enough to spare. At night, Cassie begged Henry’s forgiveness. She pictured him sullen, hating her for giving up. If you’re so mad, do something! I’ll leave this place and all these people. We can burn across the sky and be as free as we want. Just say the word—any word. She heard only her own heart beating fast.

It had started almost immediately. Jeff was her nurse and she depended on him. In a literal sense at first, but week by week, she succumbed to the relief of letting someone else lead. There wasn’t anything he didn’t have a plan for; a way to deal the problems. He knew how to lead. He knew when to swallow his pride and go to the right person to ask when he didn’t know the answer. For Cassie, relinquishing the burden happened gradually, but it happened.

“Isn’t it about time we got moving?” Cassie said as she finished unpacking medical supplies in their tent.

Jeff laughed. “Have you been talking with her? I thought you hated her.”

“I don’t hate her. I don’t hate anyone.”

“But you don’t trust her.”

“I have woman’s intuition. Don’t

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