The Last Legacy (Season 1): Episodes 1-10 (42 page)

“Scarlet, it’s me, Lana. Hey,” I cooed as she took in her surroundings. Her eyes darted from left to right, got caught on Jim, and then landed on me. They widened, her left eye too swollen to work.

“Where are they?” she gasped. Her voice came out like she hadn’t had a sip of water since we saw her last. Jim handed her the bottle, and she downed it all, squeezing the bottle dry. “Where are they?” she asked again, but more strongly.

“Who?” I asked as I stroked the hair back from her face.
 

“The men? Did you kill them? Please say you did.” Her eyebrows pinched together, but she winced like it hurt to frown. She tried to sit up, but when she moved, she cried out and fell back onto my lap. She clutched her stomach with both hands, pulling the blanket around her tighter.
 

“There are no men here. Who were they?” Jim asked, sitting down next to us. He glanced over his shoulder, checking for any eaters or threats. His eyes softened when they found Scarlet. He broke into a small smile, reassuring her as he took her hand in his.

“I never saw them before.” She turned her head away, squeezing her eyes shut. “They said they’d come back for me.” She sobbed, her entire body shaking with the violent crying. But the shaking must’ve been hurting her because she reigned it in, clutching her body.
 

“What did they look like?” I asked her, paranoid with fear. A twig snapped behind me, and I whipped my head around only to see a squirrel dart up the back of a tree. My heart steadily beat fast, my nerves perked and shot off.

“They had plastic masks on. But they said they’d come back for me. They’re going to kill me next time! I know it!” She lost it completely, screaming at the top of her lungs. It was then that the recognition dawned on me. Jim and I both glanced up at the same time, our eyes clashing. Her scream—we heard it last night. And we did nothing. We could’ve stopped it from happening.

Fuck. We could’ve prevented this. I sat back, letting go of Scarlet as I ran my hand down my face. Why didn’t I trust my gut? I knew something was off. I could feel it. And I did nothing.
 

“We need to leave. Now.” Jim jumped up from the ground. Together we lifted Scarlet. The blanket was difficult to maneuver and keep around her slim waist. I got her feet, holding her around her thighs while Jim cradled her upper body, holding under her armpits.

We retraced our steps back to the camp. When the fire was in sight, I let go of Scarlet, leaving her with Jim and sprinted. I ran straight into the hut and grabbed an extra pair of pants. I met them back in the road.
 

We were on the move again. Only this time, someone might have been following us.

“We need to leave. Now.” Jim quickly stomped out the fire and covered it with wet leaves Marcus had collected. “Let’s go!” Jim yelled towards the lake at Marcus and his father. Their heads whipped towards us. Marcus reached for his dad, and they broke out into a run, pumping their arms with urgency.

I pulled Scarlet off to the side to check in with her. If we were on the move, she had to be able to walk. Her dark brown eyes were hollow, devoid of any emotion whatsoever. She looked like an eater, minus the coloring on her eye and her rosy cold cheeks. Droopy clothes swallowed her slender frame.

“Are you able to move?” I asked. She leaned against the hut, her face pale white, her lips together in a line. She swayed back on her heels, wobbling. I handed her my water and let her drink the entire thing. Gavin had boiled a few gallons so we weren’t without.
 

“I just want to put as much distance between us and this town. I’ll walk forever just to get away.”
 

I smiled at her, proud of her bravery in such a trying situation. When I met her, I never thought she’d survive, and now here she was, living through trauma after trauma. She had the worst luck of the bunch—deaths and now this.

“Do you remember anything?” I asked her. I didn’t want to bring the memories back up, but at the same time, I had to know. In a normal situation, I wouldn’t have pushed so soon. I completely understood what she went through—the feeling of pure fear, repulsiveness, the constant flashes behind my eyes. I knew the physical effects of being abused, but also knew how much worse the mental pain was.

“There were three of them. They all had dark brownish hair, but they hit me, and my vision blurred. Masks covered their faces, so I don’t know specifics. This one guy had a higher voice, heavy, kind of like he couldn’t breathe right. He kept panting. He smelled like shit, more so than we do.

“They shot me up with something that made my head spin. They didn’t let me eat or drink anything all day and night.”

“Where did they abduct you from?” I asked.

 
Her face fell. She ran her hand over her swollen eye, putting pressure on the spot it was most purple. “I was leaving. I was pissed after Kev died, and I know I took it out on you and all, but I liked him. And you were hooking up with Jim. I was jealous that you got to keep him, and I lost Kev and my husband in a matter of weeks.

“I’m used to getting what I want. So I left. I was going to go to my sister’s by myself. You all were taking too long, doing other shit. I thought if I just left, I’d get there and find my sister and live happily ever after. But I only made it to the highway.
 

“I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance. I was cowering in a fucking gas station before you and Jim found me. So I turned around and was going to come back and apologize to you. But then this guy grabbed me from behind. He tied my arms and legs with zip-ties and shoved me into the back of a car.” She shook her head as she remembered the events, tears pooling in her eyes. I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t have to tell me more,” I told her. Her light eyes cut up to mine, wide with worry. “You’re my friend. I hope that you know that. Don’t leave us again. We can get through this together. I’m here for you. I understand what you’re going through.” I swallowed a lump in my throat.

“I lived with a guy who used to abuse me. I always knew how to take care of myself when it came to grabby people. I guess living in foster care taught me how to close myself off and block things. Anyway, when I turned fifteen I was living in a house with a guy who hit us.

“He apparently decided fifteen was a reasonable age to start molesting me. I took it, blocked out the bad things while planning my escape. I got my younger sister out of the house first. Then I petitioned for emancipation. Took them six months to get me my certificate out of the system. But it was the best day of my life.” My body shook as the memories surfaced, visceral images materializing.
 

“Lana.” Scarlet’s voice broke through.
 

“Anything you ever need, just ask. Seriously.” I pulled her against me, seeking comfort and hoping to lend her some. She rested her head on my shoulder, her arms around my waist.
 

“Thank you,” she whispered as we separated. “Thanks for telling me. It actually helps.” She smiled, but it never reached her eyes.
 

“Girls!” Gabriel yelled. I glanced back towards the camp. He ran around with a large bag that overflowed with oddly shaped boxes and bags of the food. I took Scarlet’s hand and led her back to camp.
 

Everyone ran in a frenzy, gathering all we had accumulated. Gavin juggled a dozen water bottles that fumbled in his arms as he maneuvered them into his bag. Marcus and Michael had backpacks on and stood by the road waiting for the rest of us.
 

“I’ll be right back,” I told Scarlet. I ran into the hut to find my bag.
 

Jim’s back was to me. He hunched over a large box, pulling bags and transitioning them into his own. My bag was right where I left it, shoved in the corner by the fishing tackle.
 

“Can you get me some chocolate bars?” I asked as Jim stacked cans.

He turned as if just sensing my presence and nodded. He reached up, his shirt moving with his arm, exposing a strip of bare, tanned flesh. My stomach lifted, my nerves shooting off little butterflies.
 

I tried to ignore the pull I had towards him. I refused to be a fragile person who relied on everyone. I could be independent. Yet Jim had become my rock. I felt safe around him. And I didn’t think it was fair to ignore that. I should welcome him during such a difficult time.

I stepped towards him and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. I buried my head against his shoulder blade. Emotions bubbled to the surface, my past catching up with me. I tried not to cry, but tears streaked down my face, wetting his gray shirt. I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed through my nose, trying to maintain control.

“What’s the matter?” He turned around, pulling my arms up. I refused to show my face, now digging into his chest. He sighed and held me, letting me cry against him.
 

“It’s just everything, you know. I need a second.” His arms loosened around me, but I didn’t like it. “Don’t let me go,” I begged, tightening my hold. I didn’t know how much longer I had of being strong. I wasn’t this courageous person. I let people walk all over me. I barely made ends meet. I didn’t have a leg to stand on for the majority of my twenty-four year old life.
 

I always pretended to be strong. But deep down it was a front. This was the real me. Emotional, weak, dependent. During my years in foster homes, I was always put down for something—from not doing dishes to leaving too early for school. Even now as the world was tossed into shambles, I couldn’t just forget my past.

“Lana, baby. What is it?” Jim grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back so there a foot of space separated us. I didn’t want him to see my blotchy face, but he didn’t give me much of a choice. I glanced up at him.

“I’m not a strong—”

“Of course you are,” he cut in before I could finish. “Do you even know what you’ve given these people?”
 

I shook my head, averting my eyes to the cement floor.
 

“Hope. You’re the reason Michael is even alive right now, and Scarlet for that matter.”

“It’s just so hard.”

“I know, but I believe in you. You’ve been changing me, too.”

“How?”

“I give a shit about these people. Before I would’ve only looked out for myself. I wanted to leave you after we ran from the library. I didn’t want your blood on my hands, but for selfish reasons. Now I care about you, and Scarlet, and even Gabriel. You did that to me.”

“I didn’t mean to.” I didn’t want to change him.
 

“Well, you did.” He rubbed his thumb across my lip, then replaced them with his lips. They formed against me, caressing me in a gentle way I never knew he could. The kiss screamed intimacy as his hands cradled my face. It took me off guard. I folded into him. His body heat entered me and filled me with something I didn’t understand. I pulled back.
 

“We have to get out of here before those men come back,” I said, ready to take on the world. The few words Jim said to me lifted my spirits. I shouldn’t care about the past since it couldn’t be changed. I had to look forward. New possibilities could be around any corner.

“Did Scarlet tell you what they looked like?” Jim asked as he handed me a handful of chocolate bars. He hiked his bag over his back and made sure that his two knives and gun were right where he needed them.
 

“Just that they had masks. They smelled. She didn’t know much. They shot her up with something that made her dizzy and pass out, I guess.” I shrugged because Scarlet didn’t really give up much.
 

“Could be anyone.” Jim shook his head and slammed his fist into the metal rack. I flinched. “Let’s go.” His face hardened, drawing together. He stormed out of the hut without another word to me.
 

I was left alone. Being fast, I grabbed some food and tightened my bag over my back. I left in Jim’s wake.