"Walker."

I groan, pushing myself up off the old couch that was in the cabin. I was much too tired to head into the bedroom. The fire from last night has died down in the fireplace, nothing but bright red ash that is slowly fading. My body feels stiff as I stand and rub the sleep from my eyes.

"How long have I been asleep?" I ask, my voice raspy. I stretch and head for my backpack in the corner of the room. I take out my canteen of water and my pills. As I'm swallowing it down with a gulp of water, Charlie answers.

"About fourteen hours."

I nearly choke, then quickly put my things away and grab the foil blanket I used to sleep with last night and shove it into my backpack. Charlie says something about daylight burning, and I'm sure she's right. Being asleep for so long could have given the Burn who knows how long to catch up to me.

"Your vital signs are good now. Looks like you didn't even get frostbite, which is good for me," She hums out a laugh. "I lose points in the office sweepstakes if I get one of my guys to Edinburgh without toes." There's an awkward pause. "Uh... I mean, not that we're playing a game here. We're really not. The points thing is just a joke, honestly. You're about six miles away from Emma, Stanton and Paul. I'm recommending that-I know this is a bit rough-but I'm recommending that you stay separate today. Lawrence is gone, but you and Emma are two good chances at getting that intel to Edinburgh."

I wince. "So, he hasn't... Lawrence hasn't come in since..."

"No." There's sadness in her voice. "I'm sorry."

I blink away the tears I feel coming on before zipping up my coat and putting my hood. I slip on my gloves shortly after.

"While the Burn is this close behind us, I'd rather have you walking parallel paths," She continues, possibly to distract me from Lawrence. I'm sure she can hear my sniffling as I try to keep from crying. "I think that's why they picked me for this job too, you know. Capacity to think rationally in a crisis. It is the best idea. Plus, walking along makes you less of a target, so there's that."

I open the door the cabin, stepping out into the cold wintery air and muttering a soft, "Yes. So, along the path?"

"Yep," She replies, and I start walking, the snow crunching under my shoes. They feel a bit uncomfortable since I didn't bother to take them off before going to bed. I didn't bother to do a lot of things before going to bed, but I am not holding myself too highly on it considering I nearly froze to death. "You've got a good bit of travel to get done today, but the skies are blue, without any snow forecast. It's almost fun, right?"

I look up at the sky, at the endless blue. I can't bring myself to be happy about it. Even if it were the gray of yesterday, I doubt I'd feel much different. I survived. I made it through the night and I'm moving on.

And Lawrence is-

"Walker! Walker! Over here!"

I freeze, my eyes widening as I look around for the source of the voice.

"Charlie, please tell me you hear that too?" I ask, silently begging for this to be real.

"Walker!"

"Oh, my God," Charlie gasps, and I spot ahead of the path there leads a valley. There's a figure there, waving. "Get moving towards that man. I think it's-"

"Lawrence!" I shout, breaking out into a sprint. He continues to wave me down, a relieved look on his face as I get closer and closer. The air is still harsh in its coldness, but I don't care. Tears of relief and happiness spring to my eyes as I reach him.

"Walker! Oh, you're a sight for sore-oof!" He grunts when I just about tackle him in a hug. If he wasn't so much taller than me, I'm sure I would have flung us both to the ground.

"You're okay!" I sob, squeezing tightly around him, before immediately pulling away to scan him over. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

I bring my gloved hand up to his cheek, where there's a sizable bruise. I notice his lip is split too, although it might be from the cold like mine is.

"Oh, I was so worried when Charlie told me she couldn't reach-"

"Charlie," He says, eyes going wide. "So, your box is still working?"

I nod slowly, and his shoulders slump with relief.

"Well, it's because of mine." He rattles his box around, and it makes an odd beeping noise. I frown at it. "See? I think the Burn did something to it when they attacked the cabin. It makes that sound of the beep start-up noise. Then-then look, nothing. I think they broke it."

"That's impossible," Charlie says with incredulity. "The Burn doesn't have the technology to... Walker, the two of you carry on in that direction and take Lawrence's device and put yours next to it. I'm going to try a remote reset."

I do as she says, gently leading Lawrence along the path before taking his box.  "How did you get away from the Burn?"

Charlie starts tapping away at her keyboard as Lawrence answers. "Well, when they attacked the cabin, the others managed to get away, but one of the Burn got me before I could. Hit me pretty hard to keep me from running, hence the bruise, and then shoved a gun at me. They took my box and... did something to it, but they still kept it close to me.

"It was when the blizzard hit that I took my chance, grabbed my box and ran. Was lucky that I found a little shelter in like a small cave. Used my box of matches to set some tree branches on fire to stay warm and ate some of the food in my pack."

"Are you still hungry? I have some-" He cuts off my offer with a wave of his hand.

"I'm just glad to see you again. After losing contact with Charlie, I thought I might die out there."

I smile softly. "I'm glad you're okay now."

"I was sure this box had gone completely offline," Charlie says. "I thought they must have killed Lawrence."

A second later, Lawrence's box beeps, and his eyes light up as he grins. "Hey! You got it working again!"

"Lawrence, can you hear me?"

His grin widens. "Loud and clear. That's amazing, Charlie. Did you like, voodoo it from Geneva? With actual magic?"

"Yep."

He chuckles. "Okay. Cook. I suspected from your voice that you might be a practitioner in the Dark Arts. Awesome that the government is invested in high-grade magical technologies."

I giggle at his joke, and she smiles as he looks at me. Charlie doesn't seem to get that he's joking.

"You haven't been... talking to Emma about spiritual guides, have you?" She asks, and I see him refrain from bursting out laughing. "You know this isn't actual magic."

He shrugs. "Well, you know what they say. Any sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic. Well, that's why it was so creepy when the Burn cut you off."

"They really shouldn't have been able to do that," Charlie hums. "Are you sure you didn't... sit on it? Were you playing with the buttons again trying to get it to play old Lang Syne?"

He rubs the back of his neck. "No, but some of the Burn members did ask about it and I just gave some random answers so they wouldn't, you know, shoot me on the spot."

A sigh leaves her lips. "Well, don't touch any buttons again."

Lawrence gives a quick nod. "Roger, Charlie." He snickers. "That sounds like I'm trying to spell a code. Roger, Charlie, echo..." He pauses and looks at me. "And what about you?"

I raise a brow. "What about me?"

"You still haven't told us why you have um..."

I immediately get what he's saying. "Oh."

"You don't have to tell me, but this is a top-secret mission, and we have to make sure we can trust each other and all that-"

"You can trust me. I'm not-I'm not crazy. I mean, I am, sort of, in a way, but not..." I sigh and press my gloved hand to my face. "When I was fifteen, I was in a car accident. Both my parents were left with some broken bones and bruises, but my injuries were different. I had some extensive brain damage, and because of it I started seeing and hearing things that weren't there, having dreams that, at first, I would believe were real even after I woke up. And it caused gaps in my memory, which made it all the more easy to believe the dreams.

"The pills help me distinguish what's real and what isn't, and it keeps away the hallucinations. Although stress has been causing them to not work as well as they normally would." I send him a dry look. "Happy now?"

"I... yeah."

Charlie hums. "Is that... really what you know?"

I cringe. Right. I'm supposed to be someone else. "Uh... yeah. Yeah."

"That's... odd, but maybe your file-" She cuts herself off suddenly, and I hear something coming from above. It sounds like... a plane?

"Guys, into the trees," She says urgently. "I can spot a plane coming. Get out of sight."

We head off the path without question, and I immediately almost slip from the slick snow. The ground here is much different than our smooth path, with multiple dips and gullies and tree roots sticking out. I try to maneuver around them all as graceful as I can without falling, but it's hard to see where some of the obstacles might be with all the snow.

Lawrence's face is scrunched up in concentration as he keeps his eyes on his feet. There's a bit of panic in his eyes as the plane gets louder, signaling it's only getting closer.

I almost forgot about planes. We've obviously got out of the EMP radius, but with how the Burn took down that helicopter at Mullins Base, I'd thought they wouldn't be using anything like that.

It just barely been a week since Jo's helicopter was shot down... And it's only been nine days since this entire thing started.

So why does it feel like it's been an eternity?

I wonder if it's felt the same to the others. I'm sure my dad's worried sick about me. He's in the states, but I'm sure some news must have gotten out about a bomb going off in Inverness station, even if Jo didn't get her exclusive story to London.

We keep moving, sometimes having to hold onto each other to keep our balance. Lawrence keeps his worried expression as the plane gets even closer.

"Can you maybe walk a bit faster?" Charlie pleads, anxiety dripping from her voice. "It's nearly on you."

"Well, we could try running, but we'd probably end up breaking an ankle if we did," Lawrence replies. "And uh, I doubt Walker would be able to carry me and my pack if I got hurt. I could try to carry her, maybe, if she got hurt, but-"

"No, no, don't. I don't want you getting injured. Sorry, it's just... I can't lose you now, not when you've just come to life, Lawrence."

He makes a face. "You know I wasn't actually dead."

"But it felt like you were to me! A-and Walker! We were both worried about you!" She sighs and takes a breath to calm herself. "You're doing well. The coppice is less than 100 feet away and those pine needles are really thick. They'll hide you from above."

"We'll make it," I say, trying to go a tiny bit faster.

"You're almost there."

Lawrence sucks in a sharp breath as the plane gets louder and louder still. "So is the plane."

I grab his hand and pull him along, risking a quick job to make sure we get there in time. I see the coppice, and I nearly fall into them. Lawrence yelps when I drag him in there with me, and we wait with bated breath as the plane passes overhead.

I almost want to question if we know that plane is even Burn, but I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry. If they aren't, then they aren't, but if they are, then we've just avoided being captured.

I look at Lawrence, his face, and anger stirs within me. Whatever the Burn want, I'm going to make damn sure they don't get it.

"Okay. You're okay for now," Charlie says after a moment, and I finally allow myself to start breathing. "Now get deeper into the woods while I see if they're coming back for a second pass."

•

Our steps are as quick as we can make then as we head through the snowy wood, far enough into the wood to remain covered but still following the direction of the path Charlie originally had us on.

Or at least, I think we are.

I keep licking my irritated, chapped lips, even though I know that only makes things worse for me. Still, I can't help it, what with nervousness of that plane and the Burn still on my mind. Plus, I keep looking over at Lawrence every few seconds to ensure that he's actually real. Something, when he goes a bit without speaking, I start to think that maybe I imagined him, that stress has caused me to create the delusion that he's alright when he's not.

But he is alright. He's right here, thankfully.

"How are we doing, Charlie?" He asks with a shiver. "Safe to come out?"

"I'm not sure," She answers. "The plan's turning, but it doesn't seem to be heading back this way."

He huffs. "Well, that's good enough for me, because I have to tell you, I really, really don't like brambles. Or nettles. Both brambles and nettles are things I feel very strongly that the world would be a better place without."

While he complains about the brambles, I find a piece of paper stuck in them. It's something about an old printing press being revived, found from an old school.

"We are committed to reporting the news in the public interest, and we've arrived at a solution better than the rumor spread by word-of-mouth...

"We will be issuing weekly editions until the lights come back on..."

My lips purse as I study it a bit more, but then toss it aside. It doesn't appear to be that useful to us.

Lawrence squints up at the trees. "Ugh. I can see lots of daylight. Nearly at the edge now. Just a last shove through these mulberry bushes-"

As Lawrence does just that, he falls forward with a shout. I try to reach out and grab him, but all that does it pull me down with him.

Everything thing because a blur I roll down, down, down, hitting rocks and bushes every few seconds. My hands scramble to grab onto something, anything, but the slick snow and disorientation from rolling stops me from doing so.

Lawrence is shouting, and I don't think anything more than pained yelps can leave my mouth until I come to a rough stop, feeling sharp stabs to my skin through my clothes.

I push myself away from the pain, picking at the nettles stuck on my clothes before standing, although I'm wobbly.

"Charlie!" Lawrence spats, his hair tousled and messy as he stands. "Why didn't you want us there was a massive, great slope on the other side of these trees?! Walker and I just rolled about a mile downhill!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" She exclaims, and I stumble over to Lawrence to make sure he hasn't' been hurt any further than he has been. "I didn't see it. The satellite imagining isn't great around here. Are you okay?"

"I think we're just bruised up a bit," I reply, looking down at my arms and see the yellowing of my skin that will surely become black and blue in a day or two. "Nothing's-" I pause when Lawrence takes a step and winces, but he dismisses my concerned look with a wave of his hand. "Nothing's broken, but I wouldn't think this was your best-"

She cuts me off with a gasp. "Oh no. That plane's coming back. Heading right for you. They must have spotted you in their first pass. Quick. Get back into those trees."

I choke, looking incredulously at nothing in particular. "What?! We can't! We just rolled a mile down this slope! And it's steep! We'll never make it in time!"

"Then head towards those bushes by the river. They're the only other place we can hide."

The plane's getting closer, and as we start to move, I notice Lawrence wincing with every step.

"Here." I wrap my arm around his waist, and he puts his on my shoulder as we keep moving. He still looks uncomfortable, but it at least allows him to take some of the weight off his right side. Since he's only wincing and not crying, I don't think he broke anything.

I'm glad. Poor man has already been injured enough these past forty-eight hours.

I can see more bruises starting to form on him from the fall. A heavy feeling settles over my chest. I don't like seeing him like this. I don't like seeing him hurt. I mean, I don't like seeing anyone hurt, despite what hallucination-Fiona from yesterday said, but I really don't like seeing Lawrence hurt in particular.

I send in a thankful prayer that he got away from the Burn, and then send another one asking that we'll please be able to make it to the bushes. They're not too far away, maybe about 500 feet? But the plane is getting louder, closer, and Lawrence is getting slower despite his efforts to keep moving.

"It's nearly on you, guys!" Charlie shouts, voice laced with pace. "Come on! You can make it! I know you can."

Lawrence's face twists up as I try to pull him along. "It's no use. I think I-" He stumbles, letting out a hiss as I steady him and try to keep him moving. Oh, the plane is so loud now. It'll be right on top of us in a few seconds! "I think I twisted my ankle as we fell."

I crouch down, pulling Lawrence down with me and squeezing my eyes shut. My blood roars in my ears. Each measured breath feels like agony as I wait for the seconds to pass. The plane gets louder, the sound of its engine building to a crescendo...

And then dying off.

"That's weird," Lawrence says, and I wait a few more seconds before I allow myself to open my eyes.

"Stay down while I see if they're coming back for a third pass," Charlie instructs, and as we wait, I see something... falling from the sky. It's small, seeming to just float on the wide and glide down. "No, no, it's okay, I think. They really are going away this time. Looks like you're safe, guys. You can keep walking."

We stand, although Lawrence and I both have confused looks on our faces when we see what we can now identify as bright purple papers falling down into the snow.

"They dropped something," Lawrence states, looking over at one falling and landing in a tree. "It's some kind of leaflet, or flyer."

"Could be government planes with safety information?" She suggests, and I frown at her.

"If they were government planes, why did you have us hide from them?"

"Well, you still are terrorist suspects, you know, so running into the government wouldn't be good for you. And I can't know for sure that that was a government plane. I thought they didn't have any working in this are yet because of the attacks."

Lawrence straightens. "Attacks? As in more than one? Not just Jo's chopper?"

"Yes," She replies, and I gasp in horror. "I didn't want to worry you. Random attacks on plans and other mechanized transport."

Lawrence doesn't look pleased that she kept this information from us, but his tone remains casual enough. "Yeah. I was meaning to ask if we still couldn't use some faster method than walking to get to Edinburgh. Guess the answer's still no?"

"Yes. I mean, no. The answer's no. Yes."

He chuckles. "For a highly skilled operator, your verbal communication..." He trails off as one of the flyers falls a few feet in front of us. He quickly limps over to it and grabs it. "Ha! Got one of these purple puzzlers."

I laugh at his words and walk over to him, although my laughter dies in my throat when I see the change in his expression.

"What is it?" I ask, and he looks up at me with worry.

"Charlie, Walker, listen to this. 'On Her Majesty's service, Ministry of Defense, an urgent message for those people walking couth, carrying the smartphone devices. You know who you are. For identification, the smartphones you're carrying still work, even after the pulse that hit Inverness nine days ago.'"

I hum. "Okay. That definitely means us. What else does it say?"

"'These devices were stolen from a secure technological research facility at Inverness shortly before the attack. They may have been given to innocent carriers. If you have such a device, please make your way to Aberfeldy as quickly as possible. We'll find you. This is an urgent matter of national security. Food, water, safe harbor and generous rewards are offered. We know you are not to blame but have been used by a covert organization pursuing its own ends, which are inimical to the continued safety of the country. You have no idea the danger you are bringing to ever man, woman and child in this nation by continuing your journey.'"

Lawrence looks up, absolutely stricken. We both flinch when Charlie speaks.

"It's the Burn," She says. "God, they're devious. If I weren't talking to you, I'd bet you'd probably believe it, wouldn't you?"

He swallows, meeting eyes with me for a moment. "Yeah... maybe. Yeah."

•

"Where is Aberfeldy anyway?"

Lawrence's voice surprises me, mostly because we've been walking in silence for a while now. I've had to help him walk still. That sprain isn't going to get any better until we get some proper rest, so he won't have to put pressure on it.

"South and west of here, off your path to Edinburgh," Charlie replies with a sigh. "You can't go, Lawrence. It's the Burn. They're lying to you, just like they're lying to everyone. Think about it. If it were the government, wouldn't they just wait for you at Edinburgh? I mean, if they were just trying to retrieve stolen property-and it's not stolen, by the way. You should know if the professor gave one to you-but if it's just that, why go to all this trouble?"

He stays silent, thinking for a moment, and so she continues.

"It's the Burn. They want to intercept you as early as possible, while you're still in the highlands."

After a few moments of thinking, he nods. "Yeah. Yeah, probably that's... yeah. The professor did give me one, and I don't suppose he'd have stolen his own research, would he? Even if he never told me it was part of some hush-hush project for the government."

"I expect they don't even think there's a chance any of you will come. they just want to sow some doubt into your minds, make you slow and uncertain."

My face scrunched in uncertainty. "I guess, but that's a lot of trouble to go to."

"In fact, if I were them, I wouldn't have dropped those flyers at all. I'd just have made some that said... huh."

I raise a brow curiously. "What?"

"Just zooming in this satellite image. It's a lot clearer now, now that those clouds have blown away. I-hmm. Yeah, they have. They've dropped some other flyers down the valley, off your path to Edinburgh. They something different."

Lawrence rolls his eyes. "Oh. Oh, no, no, keep us in suspense a bit more. We love it, a bit of suspense, don't we, Walker?"

I smile and shake my head at his sarcasm.

"There's the bit about Her Majesty and stuff, and then it says there are people carrying mobile phones that still work and then, 'Rewards offered for safe return of the devices and the people transporting them. £500,000 alive. £250,000 dead.'"

My heart stops in my chest, and I snap my gaze to Lawrence, who's gone incredibly pale.

"Oh," He breathes out, swallowing thickly. "Well, that's not great."

A/N: Here you go, guys! Sorry for the late posting.z got caught up with stuff over the weekend. Hope you enjoy, please vote and comment, and have a blessed day!