SAND LINES IN THE DESSERT

Alex's POV The cabin was quieter than I had wanted. Outside there was no rustle of leaves, no sound of the wind against the timber. Just the sound of our breathing—mine, Lena's, Finn's—combined with Samantha's weak, laboring breathing as she lay unconscious on the cot. Like a creature ready to strike, the quiet was weighty and bit at me. Perched beside the window, I peered out into the deep woods. Though dark, morning was not far off. With the light would arrive decisions—ones I wasn't sure I was ready to make. Though it felt difficult to trust Finn once more, we had little option if his warnings were accurate. The order was almost perfect, too near, and errors were not allowed today. Lena sat across from me, arms tightly encircling herself. Since Finn's revelation, she had not spoken much; her face fixed in that deliberate, under control expression she used to try not to let her feelings show. Still, I could sense the clear, dense conflict between us. "Are you alright??" Keeping a hushed voice, I asked. She didn't look straight away, but when she did, something I couldn't exactly place clouded her gaze. She said, gently, "I don't know." "I have no idea what to believe now." Though I wanted to reassure her that we would work our way through this issue and that we would sort things out, I wasn't sure I would believe myself. Things had spun far too quickly. Every advance seemed like a plunge into quicksand. Finn broke the silence at last by pacing near the door. "We have to go first light. We have little time; the Order will be looking through the woods by then. I could hear his voice grating. For someone who had spent months lying to us, it was too quiet; for a man who had betrayed his friends, it was too steady. I turned to face him, the bubbling wrath inside me about to boil over. "You believe we will only accept your word for evidence? Finally, after all? He stopped pacing and fixedly met me, exhausted but relentless. Alex, I do not expect you to put faith in me. Still, I am trying to be helpful. That is the truth, whether or not you agree. Fighting the want to strike him, to pay for the falsehoods, for guiding us directly into the hands of the enemy, I tightened my hands at my sides. But then what would that fix? More than anything, I despised that we needed him right now. Lena got up, straying between us before things became too heated. "Enough," she replied, her voice subdued yet strong. "We are not going anywhere by fighting each other." I inhaled deeply and worked myself to cool off. She had it right. There was no time for resentment here. That did not, however, lessen the searing ache of betrayal. Finn glanced at her, his tone softening. "Hi Lena, thank you. For all of us, I am doing this. Though I know you disagree with me, I never wanted any of this to happen. She answered nothing, but I could sense turmoil in her eyes. She would have liked to believe him. We both performed. But there was a line separating hope from stupidity, and I wasn't sure which side of that we were now leaning on. Each minute dragged on, slower than the previous. Finn had laid a rudimentary map of the surroundings on the floor, following the road we would have to travel after we left the cabin. Though it was not a lengthy path, it would bring us dangerously near to the search area of The Order. We would be caught one incorrect step, one too loud. Finn answered, wrapping up the map and hiding it under his jacket: "I'll go first." "I am familiar with the path. I will signal and we will veer if I spot any of their scouts. His approach of taking control like that, as though everything were business as usual, disgusted me. I nodded, though, knowing now that our lives hinged on his knowledge. Lena hung close to the door, her fingers pounding frantically against the wood. She was clearly more than usual on edge. Her voice just above a whisper, she whispered, "Do you think Samantha will make it?" I turned to peek at Samantha. She had shallow breathing and pallid, slickly sweating skin. She required medications and appropriate care—things we were unable to provide her out in the middle of nowhere. I said sincerely, "I don't know." But we will get her to safety. We really must. Lena nodded, although I could see uncertainty flickering in her eyes. She was concerned about all of us, not only about Samantha. We left the cottage just as morning broke, the first rays of light peeking through the thick canopy. Finn set the example, moving with a subtlety and intent that made me remember why we had first trusted him. He was rather adept at this. I questioned how long he had been supplying information to The Order while passing for one of us and how long he had been playing both sides. Samantha covered my shoulder; her weight slowed me down, but I couldn't let her go. Lena stayed near, her eyes searching the woodland for movement. Every twig break and every leaf rustle set my heart pounding. Finn indicated for us to stop after what seemed like hours. We bent behind a dense cluster of shrubs, our breaths held in unison as voices wafted toward us. "They're close," Finn said, his eyes narrowing as he looked through the underbrush. "Stay low.," As I heard the clear sound of boots crunching on the forest floor, my pulse accelerated. Scouts of the Order. Their voices low but clear, they were moving in unison. Though I could pick out fragments of dialogue, nothing revealed their precise location. I glanced at Lena when her hand swept over mine. Her wide-open eyes reflected both terror and will. She was not going to back down, no matter what. Her fortitude, even in the middle of turmoil, was among the things I most appreciated about her. Finn gestured for us to go once more, and we crept softly among the trees, keeping as low as we could. Every stride felt as though it could be our last, my heart hammered in my chest. One mistake and we would be encircled. Finn halted cold in his tracks, his hand snapping up to indicate to us. My body stiffened, I froze waiting for his next action. His face white, he turned slowly. "They are obstructing the way forward. We must move about. I started to grind my teeth. "Exactly how far?" Finn conceded, "Too far." But there is no option here. Lena fixed me with a wrinkled brow. "What are we supposed to do? Should we choose the long road, Samantha will not be here. I looked down at Samantha, her fever flushed. She was hardly awake, her breathing faint and shallow. It would not matter whatever route we followed if we failed to get her to safety shortly. "We cannot risk it," I answered, the choice mostly coming naturally. "We have to make the diversion." Lena nodded even if her shoulders slumped in disappointment. Though it meant slowing us down even further, she understood I was right. The terrain was difficult and the detour sent us farther into the forest. Every stride seemed like a battle, and Samantha's weight seemed to sap my strength. I was unable to stop though. Not now. Finn paused once more as we approached a corner, eyes wide in panic. He shoved us into the undergrowth, gesturing for quiet before I could react. I heard it before I saw it—the sound of horses, of armor clinking as riders flew quickly over the forest. My blood chilled. This did not constitute a reconnaissance party. This was an exhaustive patrol. Finn said, "They're here," his voice hardly audible. "They're looking for us." I inhaled, hoping they would pass by. Hooves' roar became louder, nearer till they practically surrounded us. Then they vanished, their presence a brief shadow in the early light, just as swiftly as they had arrived. My body quivering with relief, I let out a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding. Lena looked at Finn; her voice trembled. "How much more?," "Not far," he murmured, his voice taut with want. "We're nearly there." The sky had darkened lengthy shadows across the terrain by the time we arrived at the brink of the forest. I could faintly see our destination, a village, far away. Lena inhaled, her voice tinged with both relief and tiredness: "We made it." But something seemed strange when we left the woods. The village was still too quiet. I suddenly started to see them. Figures pulling their guns from the darkness, their faces hidden under hoods. A trap. The planet fell apart before I could yell a warning.