||DAY 61

After an hour of trekking in the subtle light of the morning sun, Lana didn't need any kind of announcement that they'd arrived when they stopped in front of a little stone house. But the vision of the sight before her was dulled out by the thoughts of her mind. It was a swirling mess of emotions and intangible thoughts. 

They had fallen asleep soon after their talk the other night and when she woke up the next morning, she was still in his arms. It amazed her how the comfort and safety she'd so desperate sought had been right in front of her this whole time.

"How do you know all these places?" She asked.

For some reason they'd stopped moving, as if taking the moment to breathe in the sight before them. It was smaller than the previous hut- if that was even possible- and from where they were standing, there didn't seem to be any windows.

How long will we end up staying here, Lana wondered.

When she didn't get a reply back, she turned to him to be stunned with the sight of an ashen face as Matthew stared intently at nothing in particular. She moved to him, taking a hold of his arm.

He was ice-cold and she could feel his muscles rippling with tremors.

"Matthew, what's wrong?"

"I- uh- just don't feel too well. I think I need to lie down a bit." His voice was unsteady, lacking the usual strength and firmness it held.

A pang of worry resonated within Lana, and she was filled with a sudden urgency to rectify this situation.

"Come, let's get inside."

As they stepped into their new residence, she was struck with surprise at how uncannily similar it was to the cabin hut, but even more so at the fact that such likeness comforted her. Even being doused in the darkness of this room, she started to feel much safer here than she had as they were traipsing around the forest.

Matthew headed straight for the bed and slumped onto it, like some sort of rag doll. This only intensified the trepidation flooding her. How could someone as strong and firm as him be compared to something so limp and lifeless?

Lana stood there for a second, hating how helpless she felt.

"Do you need anything?" She said.

"I just need some rest. I'll be okay."

"Okay. I'll be here then... If you need anything."

There was no other bed in the room, not even a futon like in the cabin. But the bed was big enough for two, so she sat down next to his lying body.

The rise and fall of his chest was soothing, like the ticking of a metronome. Slowly, her eyes started to grow heavy. There was no point in resisting the wave that overcame her; there wasn't anything else to do anyway.

So, she let sleep pull her under.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*

Lana jolted awake to the harsh sounds of dry-heaving.

The initial disorientation left her fumbling in the dark before she remembered where she was.

Matthew.

He was still lying down beside her, hanging onto the edge of the bed. His whole body was convulsing with the urge to release the contents of his empty stomach.

"Oh my God, Matthew!" She put a hand to his head and pulled back almost immediately.

He was burning up.

Badly.

She took a hold of his face once more, despite the growing heat, urging him to look at her. His eyes were fluttering wildly, and she was sure she could see tints of blue across his usually plush, pink lips.

"Matthew, please say something."

His lips tensed for a second, before they went slack again.

"Come on Matthew. Please."

"Medicine. Bag." He mumbled out, barely able to release the words. But Lana didn't need to hear anything else. She scrambled out of the bed, cursing as she stubbed her toe on the bed post. Grabbing the bag, she spilled all the contents on the floor, frantically searching the assortment of items.

Cans.

Torch.

Map.

Toilet paper.

Where is it?

Where is it?

She reached for the bag again, shaking it with enough vigour to create an earthquake.

"Come on!"

Nothing.

It wasn't there.

"Matthew, I can't find it! It's not in here!"

"Shit... Must've... left it."

"It's fine. It's fine. I'll get it. Tell me where to go."

"No. Bad... idea."

She didn't even bother to dismiss the ridiculous words. Instead, she took the map and brought it to him. With shaking fingers, he tried to push it away, but she grabbed his wrists between hers, and looked at him straight on.

His face was devoid of any colour at this point, like he was on the edge of death, teetering into the afterlife.

This is bad.

Very bad.

Stop.

"Matthew, we don't have time for this. Just let me help you."

He gasped out a breath before reaching for the map. "We're here. Cabin... here."

Instantly she took the map back, not wasting time to even blink.

"I'll be back Matthew, I promise," was the last thing she said as she ran out the door.

It would be dark soon; the forest was basked in the soft light of the golden hour. But Lana didn't have any time to think about what that would mean or what she'd need to do because she had to keep moving.

She would run all night if that's what it took.

Glancing down at the map, she didn't stop as she tried to figure out which way to go. She, at the very least, remembered where to proceed from directly outside the hut.

Straight until you reach the big oak tree.

And then turn right... Or was it left?

It didn't matter- she'd figure it out when the time came.

She kept on going, not relenting in her pace, even as the sky grew darker around her. It was almost as if her body was on auto-pilot, and her brain was on pause. She couldn't feel anything except from the brush of the wind against her cold cheeks, and she couldn't hear anything other than her harsh breaths.

The only measurement of time at this point was the transition of sunset to twilight, although to Lana it felt as though time scaled mountains and right now it was only at the base of Mount Everest. 

Eventually, though, she couldn't keep up anymore and she came to a complete standstill. In that second, everything un-paused and slammed right into her, leaving her a gasping mess. She collapsed to the ground, her legs made of nothing but jelly.

A five-minute break. That's all you need.

She tried not to think about anything as she sat in the damp mud. But as soon as she'd stopped running, it was as if it opened a gate into the deeper recesses of her mind.

What if she got lost?

What if she couldn't find the cabin?

What if she didn't make it in time?

What if-

Stop it.

"Let's look down there."

Her head snapped up. There, in the distance, was the outline of two bodies. They were close enough that she could see what they were wearing. Navy blue top and dark trousers.

Police.

"Oh shit," she breathed out, as they started to make their way closer in her direction. She scrambled up from the dirt and leaves, no longer bounded by exhaustion.

They hadn't seemed to notice her yet.

Slowly, she walked backwards, cautious of not making any sudden movements. For each step she took backwards, it was like they took twice as many forwards.

"Please. Please. Please," she whispered under her breath.

She knew the exact moment they spotted her.

"Lana Ohara?" A voice reached out.

She froze in place as the rays from their torch suddenly trapped her in a cage of light.

"Lana Ohara," the same voice said again. "Don't be scared. We're part of the local county sheriff. We're here to help you."

No, she thought.

No.

No.

No.

Now they were only a few metres away, but Lana's eyes wouldn't focus. She could only see through a cracked, blurry lens the figure of two bodies, like silhouettes of darkness shrouded by the uncertainty of a late night.

"Would you like to come with us?"

No. No. No.

Matthew.

She needed to get back to him.

He needed that medicine.

He needed her.

"I don't- I don't- " She tried to verbalise something, but what could she say?

She knew the truth even before her mind had time to register it.

She could run, but where on Earth would she go? Not back to Matthew- she couldn't lead them back to him. And not deeper into the forest- surely she wouldn't last long, considering she had nothing with her. But whatever she did, she knew one thing for sure; she had to come back.

If not, Matthew might not make it through.

"It's okay." One of them held their hands up in a placating manner. "Would you like to let go of the rock first?"

For a second, she had no idea what they were talking about until she looked down at her hand. The sight of such a harsh and jagged item within her grip frightened her. But what scared her the most was how forceful her hold was- it'd cut into the palm of her tender hand, leaving a trail of crimson in its wake.

Taking a breath, she released the incriminating object and it hit the ground with a resounding thud.

"That's good. That's good. Now, would like to come with us? We can take you back to the station- somewhere safe."

She squeezed her fist, but felt nothing.

Blood started to trickle down, staining her marble hand, tainting the forest floor, soaking the muddy terrain.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Still, she felt nothing.

With a slow, tentative nod, she whispered out a weak "yes".

I'll be back Matthew, I promise.

And then, she let them take her away.