I wanted to do more than scream. I wanted to run as fast as I could, far away from this place. Away from all of the deception.
My dad closed my hand over the picture. "Following you any further is not an option. I have to stay back," he said.
Of course, I protested. We had just worked everything out. As much as I thought I had learned, I still needed him near me. "Tell me why. Tell me, Dad."
But he didn't have any responses that would satisfy my melancholy. He gave me more of the same. "You need to be the one to find the answers. If I follow, Micah will find you. I can't let that happen."
"Dad, no," I pleaded. "You can't stay."
He pulled out his 9 mm, cocked it, and stuffed it into the back of his jeans. "I'm sorry, critter. I truly am. But I need to help you both get out of here. When I think it's safe, I'll come find you."
"Lucian…"
Lucian placed his hand on my shoulder and looked at me stoically. He was my hero. I knew he would protect me, but I felt the pain and distrust, all the same. "We have to go now," he said. "It's time."
What if everything was connected? Would it change the minds and hearts of the ones who’d experienced and lost because of it?
For me, it only made it hurt more. The idea that my mother might have left us for some higher purpose was somehow far too disastrous to face. I didn't believe that was how the world worked. I believed bad things happened because nature was unjust in its quest for change.
I was floundering in the selfishness of my loss. But Lucian wasn't going to let me stay there.
Lifting me up, he nodded at my father and walked out of the RV. "See you on the other side," he said.
My father grabbed his shoulder and sighed. "Wait. You're going to need this." He handed Lucian a bag of supplies and weapons. "Promise me you'll keep her safe."
"I promise."
Although I cried, screamed, and tried to kick from his arms, he wouldn't let me go.
This was the end.
The end of the world.
Lilly
What ground was there to stand on if the center gave way to darkness? This place was my home, my shelter, and my battleground. But the war had been lost by both parties.
The two families, born of disaster, succumbed to the pressure of Lucian and I's will. The indifferent hand of nature had destroyed their cabin. Next, I said goodbye to our RV and prayed that my father would stay safe. Lucian was right—it was time to go.
We had been walking for hours, and it didn't look like we were getting anywhere nearer to somewhere safe. We hiked down a substantial cliff, moving away from any landscape that I knew. I was lost, and I was sure Lucian was as well, but we kept moving like something would eventually jump out at us. This was our pilgrimage.
As we made our way to new refuge, I thought of our hunters. Kahn and Micah. Yes, there was so much to learn still, but I couldn't raise my voice about it. The mood was heavy and somber. Shit, I could barely think about our love and the possibility of a pregnancy.
Eventually, we found a new section of forest. He paused and examined the area. "Did you know this whole time?" I asked.
Holding my hand, he squeezed and glanced back. The woods were silent, and a thin yellow mist covered the sun. What was happening to the world? How could we let it get this bad?
"Your mom…" he paused. "She was the one who told us where this place was."
I had gotten over the initial shock, but it still hurt to think about. "Is that a yes or a no?"
"A little of both," he said, continuing forward through the dense brush.
"I don't understand."
He pulled a machete from his bag and swung at the heavy branches in front of us. The blade went through the leaves effortlessly, producing a white sap.
The plants over here were different. They were overgrown and wild. The silence of the space was threatening. He was taking me further and further away from the comfo