BREAKING POINT

Samantha's POV The woodland was painted in a spooky hue as morning light leaked through the trees. Driven by panic and desperation, we had been traveling all night. Adrian kept on even though his injuries were hurting him; his face was pale and tight. His will was both motivating and alarming; he would not let himself quit, no matter what the price would be. Victor walked beside me, worriedly looking back at Adrian. "He's not going to make it much longer without appropriate care." I nodded, my heart turning within. "We have to locate someplace secure. Shortly. Lena looked ahead of us and headed us toward an abandoned house Adrian had described during his days on the run. Adrian was struggling, his feet decreasing, his breathing faint as we neared. "Samantha," he said softly, stopping momentarily. "I apologize." I grabbed out to stabilize him. "Nothing about which one should be sad. You enable us to be here. We are here since we really believe in this. He produced a feeble grind, but his eyes betrayed uncertainty. Once unflinching Adrian seemed to be carrying an unseen weight that got heavier with every stride. I sat Adrian down inside the shelter as Lena and Victor rapidly evaluated our supplies. Making every effort to keep my hands steady, I covered his shoulder with the last of the sterile bandages. He winced, but attempted to keep his face blank. "This is nothing. I have experienced better. Less is known about I made a fake little grin. You know, you are not perfect. His impenetrable front crumbled for a minute, and I could see the fragility under. Sometimes I feel like I have to be. Like if I reveal frailty, Adam's already prevailed. But you don't have to carry all of this alone, I said softly. We are right here with you. Adrian's eyes softened as he reached for my hand, firmly grasping it. Knowing this. And I do not take that for granted. In that moment, there was an unsaid depth between us that I had not completely appreciated until recently. But a gentle rap on the door startled us all to attention before I could understand it. Moving to the door, Victor peered through a gap. He nodded to us then opened it to show Lila, our contact. She rapidly slid inside, her face tight. "They are looking at the whole region. She said softly, "It's only a matter of time before they find this place." Lena tensed. " How much time do we have?" Lila looked at Adrian first then at the rest of us. "Not enough. We have to move immediately if we are going to do it. The urgency drove us despite tiredness into action. Though his wounds obviously hurt him, Adrian persisted on accompanying us, relentless as always. Tossed between respect and annoyance, I observed him as he stretched himself beyond his comfort. Every stride he made was evidence of his resolve, but it also exposed his humanity—that part of him terrified, weak, and—like everyone else—deeply defective. Lila murmured directions as we negotiated the woodland, pointing us toward the last safe departure point. Though it was only our one opportunity, our scheme was flimsy at best. We went fast, the sounds of our footsteps mingling with the noises of the early morning woodland. With every stride, my heart hammered; the shadow of capture hung above us. Adrian stammered once, his face white and perspiration beads on his brow. Stopped, I reached out to stabilize him, but he turned away, frustration blazing in his eyes. Though his voice faltered, he said, "I'm fine." "No, you're not," I fired back, my tolerance fraying. "You don't have to keep pushing yourself. Adrian turned aside and stiffened his jaw. I'm not going to slow us down. I had a wave of resentment mingled with sympathy. "Pride is going to kill Adrian. You need us to assist you. He turned back to me and softened his stare. "I don't want to be the reason any of you get hurt." "You wouldn't be. Not if you count on us. There was a quiet pause then, at last he nodded. Though it was little, it seemed like a win. He was, for once, letting himself rely on us and faith in anything beyond himself. As we approached the boundary of the secure zone, the woodland started to dwindle. Lila pointed ahead to indicate for us to halt. Past that was a little road, our sole means of escape. But the sound of voices stopped us dead just as we started ahead. We crouched behind the woods and watched as a group of Adam's men went by ducking down. Holding my breath, my heart surged as I prayed they would not spot us. One of them stopped looking around and fixed our direction. Though Adrian's touch on my arm steadied me, I felt a surge of terror starting. He said, "Stay calm," his voice almost audible. At last the men disappeared down the road. We stayed till their footsteps stopped, then gingerly came out of our cover. Lila walked us across the clearing, picking up speed toward the road. As we crossed to the other side, space separating us from the risk we had just barely avoided, relief flooded over me. We arrived at a little cottage buried far into the forest after what seemed like hours. One of Lila's safe homes, it was somewhere we may relax and gather. Inside, the cold, still air was a nice change from the strain we had been carrying. Adrian was studying me, his look incomprehensible as we settled in. I moved over, a weird expectation growing between us. Samantha, he started, his voice gentle. "I never thanked you for everything." I gave my head a shake. Adrian, you are not obliged in thanking me. We are here with each other. He looked down, a small smile flickering at the margins of his mouth. "I doubt I could have gone this far without you. You inspire me to want to be better. My heart started to beat a bit quicker and my cheeks warmed. You're better, Adrian. You have shown this. We gazed at one another in silence, the weight of unspoken words hanging between us. But Lila showed up, her demeanor frantic, before any of us could say anything. She broke the silence by saying, "We have short time." "We have to be ready as they will be monitoring our movements not too far off. Her remarks had great weight and helped me to return to reality. There was still so much at risk; we were far from safe. Each of us buried in our own thoughts as night fell and we gathered around a tiny fire. Though the warmth of the fire was consoling, there was obvious conflict between us. The air seemed final, as though we were almost at the conclusion of this road, for better or bad. Adrian sat next to me, staring toward the fire. The weight of what he had been bearing had worn him down. Are you afraid? I broke the stillness by asking gently. He fixed me, a flutter of astonishment in his eyes. "Sometimes," he acknowledged. Not for me however. I worry about failing all of you. I stretched out and grabbed his hand in mine. "You have not let us down, Adrian. You have exceeded the expectations of any one of us. He grasped my hand with a focused look. "I only want this to finish. I want at last to be free. "We will be," I said, a burst of will washing over me. We will make it through this. all together. I had fresh hope when the flames cracked. Against all the odds, we had gone this far and I knew we couldn't give up now. Too much we had battled for, too much was at risk. And at that instant, among the individuals who had grown to be my family, I realized we would see this through to the very last—no matter what it took. As I had a rare moment of calm, the far-off sound of footfall broke the silence. Instincts driving us to our feet, we got ready for the worst. My heart hammered as I stared at Adrian; his eyes reflected the determination in mine. There was no going back; the last encounter was just about here.