Zadia hated the heat.

She hated how small heat bumps would form around her upper arm, and how she'd sweat so much it drenched her clothes. Today of all days she despised the sun, hating how it was scorching hot, with no chances of rain.

Zadia tried her best to keep her eyes lined up with the empty glass bottles that were a great distance from where she stood, her fingers wrapped around some gun she forgot the name of. She squinted her eyes, biting down on her tongue lightly. When she thought she was ready, she pulled the trigger and as the gun sounded off, she flinched at the sound. "Damn it!" She shouted frustrated, noticing that the glass bottle she was aiming at was still intact. This was her eighth time in a row missing. "Roman I can't do this!"

"Well then, try again. You're not leaving here until you hit all of the bottles." Roman said, sitting behind her on his oversized folding chair. He was shirtless, his glasses shielding his eyes so that the sun wouldn't irritate them. Sweat slid down from his body as he fanned himself with his hand. "Get a move on with it, it's hotter than satan's ass out here."

Rolling her shoulders back, she looked at him. "Of course you'd be the one to know how hot satan's ass can get." She pointed the gun near the ground. "Why'd you even choose this damn place for us to practice? We're literally in the middle of nowhere!" The both of them were in the woods, a deep part where people rarely came. Getting to this side was a long drive and walk. "We can get lost out here and you'd be the last person I'd ever see. Do you know how traumatizing that is?!"

Roman picked up the cold water bottle he had packed in the small cooler, the droplets from the bottle dripping onto his chest and thighs. "All I'm hearing coming out of your mouth right now is complaining. I didn't bring you here for that, I brought you here to shoot." He pointed over to the glass bottles, stretching his arms. "Therefore, get to shooting."

Running a hand through her locs, Zadia looked back at the bottles. She thought about the distance and then shook her head. "I've got no range. It's hard to shoot this far." She explained. "It's easier if I'm closer."

"That's why we're out here, so you can learn. You can't just do something because it's easier."

Looking down at the gun, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, motivational speaker." She sarcastically said. "I still can't shoot this far." She placed her left hand on her hips and frowned at him. "Aren't you the one that's supposed to be teaching me, as soon as we got here you just got comfortable in your chair and started reading?" She glanced at the book in his hand. "The Zombie Room is a really good read, by the way."

Roman shut the book, placing it on top of the cooler. "For a person who claims they don't have time to do anything, you sure do read a lot." He mumbled and stood up, stretching his legs. He tilted his neck back and forth, cracking it. Walking over to Zadia, he took the gun out of her hand carefully and stood to the left of her. "You can shoot at this range, you've just got a blockage."

"Blockage?" She repeated. "I don't have a blockage."

He gave her a look, one that said, 'yeah right' and pointed at her hands. "Why are your hands trembling then?" He questioned. Zadia looked at her hands instantly, face morphing into confusion. She just realized what her hands were doing. "You're probably just still shaken up about the last time you pulled the trigger."

Thinking about that night, she cringed remembering the life she took. The first of many that were bound to happen. Zadia wiped the sweat from her face using the white see-through t-shirt she had on. Underneath it a black sports bra kept her breast sitting high. "How do I get rid of this so-called blockage?" She questioned seriously.

"Stop being afraid of guns." Roman simply stated. "Think of it as a pet or something and try not to think so much about that night." Rolling his shoulders back, he aimed the gun at one of the glass bottles. "Eyes on me." He said before shooting it, the bullet caused it to shatter. He did it effortlessly. "It's easy. Just don't even think about it. Now you try." He instructed, handing her back the gun.

Taking the gun from Roman she looked at it and aimed it high ahead. She copied his movements, rolling her shoulders back and shooting once she had the target. This time she did better, the bullet striking just inches away from the first bottle, instead of the farthest tree. "What do you think?"

"You need to arch your arm more to the right and fix your stance. It's sloppy." He told her, walking in her direction. "Let me show you." From behind her, he moved closer, wrapping his hands around hers as they held the gun. He adjusted her posture, his veiny arms pressed against her, just like his chest against her back. They were both sweaty. With his left foot, he kicked her leg, getting her to stand better. Zadia rolled her tongue from the inside of her mouth, her face heated at their proximity. She hadn't expected him to touch her, since all the other times he had, he made it seem like she was a hot pot or something. "All you've got to do is clear your mind and shoot once you're ready." He said, his chin touching the top of her head. She could feel his body vibrate as he spoke.

Taking a deep breath, Zadia felt like she was secured. Her trembling hands stopped, and she was more relaxed. Staring at the bottle ahead, she fired the gun, finally breaking the glass. "Oh shit! I did it!" Zadia yelled in excitement.

"About time," Roman muttered, moving away from her quickly. Zadia flicked the middle finger at him. He went back to his chair and sat down, having another gulp of his water. He couldn't wait to get home and wash away their mingled sweat. The cocoa butter scent coming from Zadia made him want to cut off his nose. "Try again without my assistance. Think about my face as the target."

Zadia did exactly that, taking her time to shoot off every glass bottle all by herself. "You see that?!" She shouted, jumping with joy. "I just fucking shot all those bottles without your help!"

Roman rolled his eyes. "The whole world can hear you, we get it. Now, stop jumping before you shoot something that isn't a bottle."

"You suck the fun out of everything." Zadia groaned, putting the gun on safety. "I'm not sure how you've made it this far in life, with being such a..."

"Smart person?"

"Tight-ass." She finished, setting the gun down on the huge rock near Roman. "Seriously, did someone piss in your cereal as a kid or something? It doesn't hurt to be nice, you know."

Roman grunted, "I don't have to be nice, I don't know how many times I've got to tell you that. Also, you're highly sensitive. It's annoying."

Zadia scoffed, sitting across from him in the dirt. "I'm not even close to being sensitive. I can dish things out, and handle getting dished. Do I cry every once in a while? Yes, does it make me overly sensitive, no. By the way, you couldn't grab an extra chair knowing we'd both be out here."

He shrugged. "You were perfectly capable of grabbing yourself a chair, Zadia. It's not my fault you didn't, even though it was common sense to grab one when I grabbed mine. Also, for clarification, you are the most sensitive person I've ever met. It's ridiculous honestly. Your eyes start to tear up if I raise my voice the slightest bit at you and if conflict comes your way, you're crying."

Zadia gulped. "That's not true and you don't know me." She stretched her arms, reaching for the cooler to grab a bottle of water.

"I don't... and I don't want to." He said out into the open, leaning his head back so he could feel the sun on him. It's been a while since he felt the sun against his skin like this. He liked it. "Why do you smell like cocoa butter all the damn time?" He questioned, hating how he couldn't focus on anything but the smell.

Zadia squinted. "Look at you contradicting yourself." She moved her legs, trying to get comfortable on the ground. "Because I like to put on lotion..." she answered. "Cocoa butter just happens to smell even better, hence why I use that type of lotion."

"The smell is disgusting."

"No, it's not." She defended. "Your nose is just broken."

He inhaled, breathing in the outside air. "My nose works just fine, thank you very much and cocoa butter isn't all that great. Some study's show that it can cause anti-estrogenic effects and block pores." He said and as the seconds went by and she didn't respond, he opened his eyes to look at her. Zadia was facing the trees, eyes holding the gaze of the scenery around her. Some light wind blew against her face, making her eyes a little blurry. Roman stared at her, his lips slightly parted. "No slick come back?" He questioned.

"You're a nerd, no matter how much you try to hide it." She replied, lifting her hand in the air so it could move with the wind. "It's beautiful out here, I can see why you brought us out here."

"You've never been to the woods before?"

She shook her head, looking at the birds that flew above them. "Nope, nature isn't my thing." She replied, watching as one of the small birds flew instinctively behind another bird. Her mind instantly thought of Santino and what he was doing right now. It always felt weird not being around him. "I know I already asked during the whole ride here, but can you check if Tino's okay?"

"No need, Lynn gave me an update ten minutes ago. He's fine, watching his crappy nursery shows." He paused. "I don't remember saying you can take a break. Just because you shot them bottles, doesn't mean you've got enough practice."

Zadia groaned. "I've been at it for hours and the heat is killing me."

"Oh well, get to it," Roman said while leaning down to get his grey duffel bag that was filled with different types of things. He always brought it with him when he came out here. Pulling out a clean white towel, he zipped the bag up and dumped the towel into the ice with the cooler. He placed the towel on top of his head, unfazed by the wetness and coldness.

"Let me guess, you only brought one towel?" Zadia asked as she stood up, brushing the dirt off her high-waisted baggy jeans.

Staring at her backside was the last thing Roman wanted to do, but when he saw the huge tainted red spot that stained her pants, he couldn't exactly look away. He took off his glasses to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, and when he realized that it wasn't, he sat up straight. "Change of plans." He voiced, grabbing his windbreaker jacket from his duffel bag. "We gotta go home. Here," he said, standing up to pass her the jacket. "Wrap this around your waist and grab the chair."

Zadia frowned, confused at his sudden change of mood. "Are you okay?" She asked, taking the jacket from him and wrapping it around her waist. "You look pale."

Roman picked up the gun and reloaded it with the clips he had in his pockets. He picked up his bag, placing it on his shoulders, and picked up the cooler. "You've got blood on the backside of your pants... or what I'm assuming is blood." He explained and Zadia's eyes widened. Embarrassment suddenly filled her face and she dropped the folded chair to take a look for herself. "Don't start freaking out or anything. It... It... happens." He said, trying not to make her feel weird about the whole thing, but he got the feeling it wasn't working. "We, umm... we should go now. There's a lot of coyotes out here and they get kinda aggressive by the smell of..."

"I... I get it." Zadia said, picking the chair back up. She couldn't believe something like this was happening to her right now. Her period was early and it should've arrived by the end of the month, instead of the beginning. She was a heavy bleeder and always bled heavy on the first day. Her period always snuck up on her, and she'd always feel the pain of PMS a couple of hours after it came.

Roman scratched the back of his head and looked ahead at the broken glass bottles. "We've gotta cover the glass first. So none of the wildlife gets hurt." He told her and walked in the directions of the bottle.

Zadia followed him, looking around to make sure there weren't any coyotes watching her. She was beginning to get a little paranoid. "This is the most embarrassing moment of my life." She whispered, holding onto the chair she was carrying tightly.

With his foot, Roman used the dirt to cover the broken glass on the ground. "I don't know, I think you jumping off a tree in your bathing suit tops this whole moment. Especially since you had to walk home in your bathing suit." Roman said, recalling the story she told him a while back. His face blushed the entire time, while he tried to contain the sudden awkwardness. Periods were a normal thing and with him having a sister, he was educated on the matter. He wasn't phased by any of this, but he could understand why Zadia was. He glanced at her, finishing up with the glass. "That was a joke... you're supposed to laugh."

She chuckled dryly. "Good one, Roman. God one."

He sighed. "Keep up, don't walk behind me." He warned while they began walking. He took a left turn, getting on a quicker trail that would lead them to his car faster.

"This isn't the path we took when we got here," Zadia commented.

"This way is the quickest."

"Then why didn't we take this trail when we first got here?"

Roman turned his head. "Exercise." He simply stated, watching his feet as he walked. Even though he'd walk this trail plenty of times, he was still wary of it. If they weren't careful, one wrong step and they could trip and break a leg. "Keep your hand on the guide line and don't let it go, under any circumstances." He told her. "If you do, you can get lost and I won't be able to find you."

"I'm not gonna let go." She said, gripping the line. Getting lost in the woods was the worst thing that could happen to her and she wasn't about to risk it. She walked beside Roman, watching her step like she saw him do.

Their footsteps were carried on by the sounds of broken twigs and dirt being mushed. Zadia could see the lizards jumping from one bush to the other, scrabbling because of the small noises. Some acorns fell, and she could see that it was from the squirrels that had climbed to the top of the trees. "Pay attention." Roman reminded her, stopping her further movement so she wouldn't cut her leg on a log.

"Thanks." She mumbled, stepping around it.

"Whatever," Roman mumbled back. "We're almost there."

She adjusted the chair in her hand, so it would stop slipping. "So, are you gonna tell me how you know so much about the woods, or are you waiting for me to ask?" She questioned.

Roman didn't say a thing at first, he was trying to concentrate on their path. "Boys scout."

A look of surprise passed through Zadia's face. "Really?"

He shook his head. "Nah, but that answer is better than the truth." He said, looking straight ahead.

Zadia could sense he didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't push him to. "Although I've never been to the woods until now, I have rock climbed before. After I stopped playing sports, my dad wanted me to find new hobbies. So, he decided to bring me to Oak Creek Canyon."

"How was it?"

"I hated every minute of it. I thought I was gonna die, even though I spent the entire week practicing for the climb. I knew if I told my dad I was scared as shit, he'd probably be disappointed... so I just did it anyway to please him."

"You rich kids do like pleasing people." He muttered as they were getting closer to their opening.

"How come you always find a way to bring up my social class?" She asked him. "It's like you want me to feel bad for being rich once upon a time ago, even though it wasn't my fault." Roman shushed her, his face frowning the closer he got to his car. "I don't know how many times I've got to explain that my parents are the rich ones, not me."

"My fucking car!" Roman shouted, dropping everything he was carrying to run towards his car. "What the fuck!" He cursed, looking at his busted windows.

"Damn." Said Zadia, looking at the damages. She knew he loved his car very much. Not only were his windows busted, but so were his tires. Deep scratches were on both ends of the sides. "Who the hell did you piss off?"

"I'm sure Roman already knows the answer to that." Someone said from behind them. As they went to turn around they could hear the sound of a gun clicking. "Hands up! Turn slowly, or there will be a bullet put into your skulls." The man behind them commanded.

Doing as told, they slowly turned around, coming face to face with a middle-aged, white park ranger. "Who the fuck are you and what the fuck do you want?" Roman asked.

"You looked familiar, so I ran your plates when you were coming in. Seems like we've hit the jackpot. That brother-in-law of yours is paying a pretty good price for you and her." He points his gun at Zadia, his face stern. The uniform he's wearing stuck onto his chubby body. "You tell me where I can find that baby and I'll be gentle when putting you in a cell."

"Fuck off!" Roman shouted. "If you looked up my plates, then you saw my classification number and you know who I work for."

"Son, I'm a federal law enforcement officer. I don't give a shit about who you work for." Said the officer. "Now drop to your fucking knees, so I can cuff you, or I'll shoot." He threatened. "And no funny business, or else that sniper will get ya."

"I'm not getting on my knees," Roman said and he was serious about it.

"I'm gonna count to three!"

Zadia didn't know what to do in this situation. Her hands were in the air, trembling as she waited for the outcome of this. She was scared, not just for her sake but for Roman too. If he died, then she wouldn't get out of this. She wouldn't get her freedom... all of this would be for nothing. Her mouth opened, preparing to say something, anything that could come to mind, but she didn't say a thing. "Zadia!" Roman called her name and her head snapped towards him. "Run!" He told her and she took off, running back in the direction they came from.

Roman tackled the officer to the ground, trying to get the gun from his hands. He could hear the sound of another gun shooting and bullets hitting the ground where he was. Turns out there was a sniper near. His car shielded him from the incoming bullets. He slammed the officer's hand down into the ground, trying to pry it out of his hands. When that wasn't working Roman used his other hand to choke him, but the officer didn't go down without a fight. He used his elbow to get Roman's hand from around his neck and kicked as hard as he could, sending Roman flying back. But before he could aim his gun and shoot, Roman head-butted him.

"Fuck that hurt!" He cursed, as the officer groaned in pain. Roman took the gun from him, and stared ahead, looking where Zadia took off to. Taking several breaths, he estimated how long it would take for the sniper to reload before he could take off running after her. "Tell your partner to stop!"

The officer glared at him, a huge bruise forming on his head. "Fuck you!" He spat. "You guys aren't getting out of here alive. Every ranger is already looking for you!" Roman raised his fist, punching him in the nose. The officer's nose cracked and started to bleed as though he was just stabbed.

Roman aimed his gun in the direction of the sniper and started shooting in places he thought they would be. When his bullets ran out, the sniper started shooting again. This went on for a while until he stopped to reload.

Roman took that as his chance to run back into the woods.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins as air bit into his lungs, while he ran. When he was further into the woods he stopped, looking around. "Fuck!" He whispered, looking at the trail of footprints Zadia left behind. The problem wasn't that she left footprints, it was the fact that other footprints were trailing hers.

Someone was out here with her.

He stopped again, unzipping the duffel bag around his shoulders to grab his gun. He made sure that his clip was full and proceeded with trailing the footprints. They finally stopped at a section near a huge tree. From where he stood, he could see Zadia on her knees with her hand on her head, while a woman stood a couple of feet in front of her.

Her gun aimed at Zadia.

"You don't want to do that," Roman said, walking up to them, so the woman could see him. He took small steps towards Zadia. He watched his steps, noticing how close they were to a hill. "If you kill her, Cortez will never know where his son is at. What do you think he'll do if he finds out you're the one responsible for that?"

"Shut up." The officer warned him, she looked like she was in distress. The gun in her hand trembling.

Roman could tell she was new at this. "This is all just a big misunderstanding. Take a step back and I promise you'll be able to make it home tonight."

"You're criminals."

"Yet, there's no actual proof that we did anything. Everyone's just making assumptions because one person said we did something." Roman explained. "Zadia, stand up."

"Don't!"

"Go ahead. Stand up." Roman told Zadia. He wasn't about to take this cop seriously. If he got close enough, he could take the gun out of her hands. Roman extended his arm so Zadia could use it as support to stand. They could hear rustling coming towards them. "We've gotta find a way out of here."

"They've got the place surrounded. You guys aren't getting out of here undetected unless you go off-route." The officer said, surprising them both. She sighed, putting her gun away. "I can lose my job for this... just go." The rustling was getting closer. "You've gotta go down the hill or they'll find you."

Zadia shook her head. "No way. That's a death trap." She said as she looked down. "We won't make that fall."

Roman put the gun back in his bag. He grabbed Zadia, pulling her close to him. "We don't have a choice right now, but to make that fall." He moved closer. "Hold on tight and don't let go. This is gonna hurt like hell." He instructed, wrapping his arms around her like they were hugging. She did the same and when the officer saw they were ready, she pushed them over, sending them rolling down the hill.

Zadia felt the air get sucked from her lungs as her body went rolling. She felt many things tearing at her skin and getting caught in her hair as they went faster. Roman stiffened, burying his lips into his mouth to muffle the pain he felt as twigs and whatever else on the ground cut through his skin. The fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, didn't help his case.

When they stopped rolling, they stayed still, both protectively holding onto one another. They were breathing heavily, their eyes shut, both their hearts felt like it was going to explode. "My... my ankle." Zadia stuttered, feeling so much pain in her left leg. She wanted to scream so bad at the top of her lungs because the pain was so unbearable. "Roman. It... it hurts."

Roman opened his eyes, slowly letting go of her so he could see the damage of the impact. He moved off her, allowing the air to catch up to her chest. Looking down at her ankle he was visibly frightened. It was dislocated. They could hear the voices of the officers talking from above them. With quick thinking, Roman placed his hands on top of Zadia's mouth, clamping it shut. He inhaled and exhaled, silently begging her to follow his lead. "Deep breaths." He mouthed and looked up, waiting for the officers to leave.

Tears streamed down Zadia's face as she silently tried to keep herself calm. The pain was sheeting through her with a terrible intensity. She didn't know how long she could go through this. She could hear the officer's footsteps retreating and stared at Roman when he removed his hand from her mouth. "How bad is it?" She whispered.

"Dislocated. I've gotta put it back in place." He whispered, looking around for anything he could use, but there was nothing. "They're still near, so we can't make a lot of noise. I'm gonna need you to bite down on the bag strap." He said, removing the duffel bag from around him and placing the strap in her mouth.

He took off her shoe, carefully grasping her foot.

With one hand at the heel and the other hand at the forefoot, he pushed it sideways quickly and the bone aligned back into its socket. Even though she was biting down on the straps, Zadia used her hand to muffle her scream. "How's it now?" She asked.

"Better. I don't have compression tape, so I'm gonna need your shirt." He told her and went into his bag to get out his knife.

Zadia sat up and took off her shirt, before handing it to him. Using his knife, he cut the shirt into certain lengths. When he was done, he wrapped her ankle as tightly as he could and put her shoe back on. "We've gotta go." He stood up and then helped her up. "It's gonna take longer if you try to walk, it's best I carry you." He paused. "You cool with that?"

"Y... yeah." She said, not seeing any alternatives. They were in the middle of nowhere and it's not like she could walk. She looked at his back as he kneed down in front of her. "You're bleeding." She told him, watching as blood oozed from different areas of his back. It was all so red and bruised.

"I'm fine." He said, but Zadia could tell he wasn't.

She climbed his back, trying to leave enough room so she wouldn't irritate his cuts. Roman stood up again, holding onto the back of Zadia's thighs as she held onto his shoulders. She wasn't heavy or light, so it was easy to carry her even though he was in pain. His head felt like it was rammed by a truck, the cut around his forehead, bleeding way more than it should. A part of him was worried, but he tried not to acknowledge it. Right now wasn't the time for that. He placed one foot in front of the other and began walking into the unknown area, wincing with every step.

His only focus was to get both Zadia and him out of here before their faith was doomed.

—————

"Maybe... maybe we should take a break," Zadia said, her eyes fixated on the sky. The sun had moved positions, the clouds blocking it. It would soon set and they wouldn't be able to see a thing out here. Roman had been walking for hours, going in directions that he thought were best. He was determined to find a way out, but Zadia thought they should be realistic now that their source of light was leaving.

They needed to rest somewhere and gain their strength, then start back up again in the morning.

"No." Roman panted, scooting her up so he wouldn't drop her. He was sweaty and panting, his mouth dry. All the water they had was inside the cooler, which was back where his car was packed. They had nothing to drink. "No breaks. Not until we find a river. That's the only thing that can lead us to town." He looked at his compass. He always had one with him. "There has to be one around here."

"We won't make it that far if we don't rest. You're bleeding a lot and my ankle is broken. If we keep this up, we won't see tomorrow." She explained to him the best she could.

"Zadia." He said, tiredly. "Out of all the things there is to argue about with you, this one isn't one of them. Let's just..." he blinked, his vision somewhat blurry. He was having trouble seeing out of his right eye. "Let's just not argue."

Zadia noticed how he was beginning to stumble. She knew that something was wrong with him. "Let me go." She told him, gently tapping his arm.

"You can't walk."

"I'll make the effort."

Roman shook his head. "We're almost there."

"You keep saying that, but it's getting obvious that we aren't. Jeez, now I'm sounding like a broken record. Can we just fucking stop and rest. I'm getting a bad feeling about this whole thing."

Roman sighed, stopping in his steps to let go of her thighs. Zadia carefully scooted off him, only standing on one leg, while she used his left shoulder for support. "Why don't you ever listen to me?!" Roman asked, frustrated.

Zadia glared at him. "I do fucking listen to you! I listened to you when you said to run and told me to roll down a hill. Now, look at us! In the middle of fucking nowhere, hurt and with no help." She shouted. "We're stranded and with no fucking phone signal!"

"Keep your voice down!" He whispered, harshly.

"Fuck you, Roman! Fuck keeping my voice down! We're gonna die out here. Whether it's by nature or those damn officers, we're gonna die. I'm never getting my life back, I'm going to die as a criminal." She cried, realizations hitting her like a sack of bricks. She sat down on whatever was the closest to her, which happened to be a giant log. "Oh my lord. We're gonna die! The fucking coyotes are gonna eat me alive because I've got my period of all days!"

"Would you fucking stop saying that!" Roman shouted. "No, we're not gonna die and the coyotes aren't gonna eat you. We just..." he sat down next to her to catch his breath. "We just need to keep calm. If we panic, things will go left."

"Things have already gone left."

Roman looked to the sky, the sun slowly disappearing. He felt ringing in his ears, his blurry vision getting worse. "I think I've got a concussion." He told her, and that caused her to look at him worriedly. She wiped the tears from her face. "I'm gonna need you to stop freaking out because I might pass out soon."

"What do you need me to do?" Zadia asked, her tone calm this time.

"I've got a first aid kit in the bag, hand it to me."

Removing the bag from around him, she opened it and rummaged through the things inside until she found the kit. Roman went to take it from her, but she pulled it back. "I've got it." Taking out an alcohol patch, she tore it open and began cleaning the outside of the cut on the side of his forehead. "This is gonna hurt." She informed him, placing it on the actual spot. Roman clenched his teeth, his fist balling up. "I think you're gonna need stitches." She told him as she finished. She placed two bandages over the wound and took out another alcohol patch.

"What are you doing?" Roman asked, jumping at her touch. Her fingertips were kinda cold as they pressed against his rib cage.

"I'm trying to clean these gashes."

"Don't waste your time, there's too many of them. Clean yours instead."

Zadia looked at the scratches on her arms and then back at him. "I'll be fine." She said and then proceeded to clean and patch up several of his cuts.

When Roman saw that the bandages were running low, he grabbed her wrist, halting any further movements. "That's enough. We've gotta save it, just in case we're out here longer than intended." Roman looked back up at the sky and it was the mixture of red and orange, but dimmer. "I didn't think to bring a tent today, which is crazy to me because if it were any other day, I would've."

"I hate when that happens... when it feels like the universe is against you."

"It's been against me for a while now. I'm not sure how I got this far."

Zadia shrugged. "With your attitude, I don't know either." She said jokingly.

Roman chuckled and then winced. "You're so damn corny." He shut his eyes and opened it. "There are two blankets in the bag. It's not much, but they can keep you warm."

"You mean us?" She asked, taking the blankets out. They weren't small and could fit two people. "You're a jackass, but I don't mind sharing with you. We can use one blanket as a bottom and use the other to cover ourselves."

"You sure?"

"I am... where should we set up?"

"Right here is fine. The log is big enough to block people from seeing us." He blinked, fighting the strong urge to sleep. He watched Zadia fix the blanket on the ground, even though she could hardly stand. When she finished, she unwrapped his jacket from around her waist and handed it to him. "Keep it."

"You don't have a shirt, you need it and it's yours." She inspected it. "There's no... blood on it if that's the problem."

Roman shook his head. "That's not a problem. I just think... it's better if you have it." He summed up, but when he saw that she insisted, he sighed. "Never mind." He said and took it, slowly putting it on. "I know this is probably the last thing I should bring up, but maybe you could use the other towel in the bag as a... pad or something." He paused. "It's just a suggestion..."

Zadia cleared her throat. "That's... a good idea... it's just there's nowhere to do it... privately and I can't exactly stand." She explained. "Gosh, this is awkward." She sighed. "Can you shut your eyes? I think I know a way."

"I...yeah... yeah, sure." He stuttered, shutting his eyes and using his hand to shield them. He didn't hear a thing for a long minute, but then he heard the sound of something unzipping and clothes ruffling.

"Finish." Said Zadia and she sat down on the blanket. Roman slid down from the log, sitting on the blanket as well. She passed him the other blanket so he could cover himself. "Don't you find it weird how every time the two of us are together, we get stuck in some outrageous situation.?"

Roman laughed tiredly. "I'm never taking you anywhere ever again. From now on, you'll travel with Lynn."

Zadia looked at him like he was crazy. "No thanks, I'd rather stay in the woods." The both of them laughed, shaking their heads. "No but seriously, do you think we'll make it out of here... alive at least."

"It doesn't matter what I think."

"Roman don't start with all that. Just answer the question."

He licked his lips. "I'm smart and you're... smart in your own way. I think we're gonna be fine."

Zadia laughed. "Even when we're close to death, you can't give me a compliment without insulting." She dug into her sports bra, getting his cellphone. "Still no signal and the phone is almost dead."

"We were supposed to be home two hours ago. I'm sure Adam and Lynn are doing everything they can to find us." The ringing in his ear was getting worse each minute. "Do you know how to use a compass?" He asked and Zadia shook her head no. "This is what you do. Place the compass flat on your palm, with the direction of travel arrow pointing towards where you want to go." He explained, the compass in his hand. "We want to go north, so we're gonna twist the dial so that the orienting arrow lines up with the red end of the magnetic needle. Once both arrows align, you can walk in the direction it's telling you."

"Don't do that," Zadia whispered.

"Do what?"

"Teach me things that I don't know about, because you think you're gonna die. You can't die. You can't leave me out here all by myself. If you do, I'm gonna bring you back and kill you all over again."

"I'll be sure not to die then." He whispered as though he had a choice in the matter. They stared at each other quietly, their arms so close that they could feel the heat from each other's bodies. Zadia raised her hand, her fingertips brushing against his eyebrow.

"I missed a spot." She said lowly.

Roman gulped at their closeness, blurry eyes wandering to her lips and then her hair. She had dirt and twigs attached to it. He didn't know if he should point it out or not. "I can barely feel it." He backed away, letting her hand fall. "It's getting dark."

Zadia looked away, going straight for the duffel bag. "I'll take out the flashlight then." She said and did exactly that, turning it on, and placing it under the sheet so it wouldn't alert people of their surroundings. "What's it like having a sibling?"

"It's a lot of responsibility, especially if you're the eldest," Roman answered. "Making a bond it's easy... but keeping it for years on gets hard, mostly when you all grow up. You fight a lot and you go through a lot with them, and it's such a relief watching them grow into a better version of you. But it also hurts a lot when they make bad decisions."

"Do you consider yourself a good big brother?" She asked him.

"No." He replied truthfully. "I... I went through a lot as a child and somewhere down the road, I treated my siblings like shit. Though my trauma isn't an excuse... It fucked me up a lot." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know why I told you all that."

"Probably because you were tired of holding all that in." Zadia frowned. "Wait, you said siblings? I thought you only had one sister."

"I do and a little brother... or at least I think of him as one. We all grew up together. It's... complicated. My family is complicated."

Zadia snorted. "I get it. I come from a complicated family too, remember."

"How can I forget?" He chuckled.

Zadia tilted her head, suddenly thinking of something. "When we first met, you said I looked familiar. Did we meet or something? Did you know me from before this whole mess?"

The corners of Roman's lips raised into a small smile. "It's a funny and long story. I'll only tell you about it when we get out of here."

"I'll hold you to it then," Zadia said and picked the duffel bag up, placing it on the log so she could lean up onto it. She looked at the time on the phone and sighed. "It's officially eight o'clock. I was supposed to take my second insulin shot, an hour ago."

Roman moved his legs forward and scratched the back of his head. "I'll find you some berries to eat in the morning. Hopefully, it'll help balance out your sugar levels. How do you feel now?"

"I feel pain everywhere, but it's nothing I can't handle. How about you?"

"Just a little pain, I feel fine." He lied.

Zadia rolled her eyes. "Liar." She whispered. "You're eyes keep shutting, it's okay for you to sleep. I'll be fine staying up alone."

"No, you won't. You'll get paranoid and most likely do something stupid." He said. "I've seen plenty of people do it before. I'll stay up. You sleep."

"I'm not as stupid as you think I am, Roman. You said you could have a concussion, so I know you're in way more pain than you let on." Zadia put the phone back into her bra and covered herself with the blanket. "We'll both stay up. Four pairs of eyes are better than two, right?"

"I don't think you're stupid." He told her and then averted his gaze to the night sky, looking at the stars. Zadia smiled but said nothing so he wouldn't take it back. She followed his gaze and the both of them relaxed a bit, preparing for the strangest night they would ever have. They hoped they'd survived it.

Not edited. Excuse any errors and point them out. Thank you!