“The sooner, the better. Before they find us and we’re dead.” He looked up, nodded once, and followed her towards the edge of the forest. He seemed determined to follow her wherever she went, but Katrina had already seen that determination in his eyes before. It was in the lines of his face, his posture, every movement. No matter where they were, no matter how much danger was looming over them, Tyler never faltered. Even more important than that, even though the fear that he was feeling was undoubtedly paralyzing him, he knew that Katrina would protect him. He was confident in her ability to do that. She knew that he trusted her to watch his back. It had been nothing like the first time. This time, it was different. He wouldn’t be able to run away, because she wouldn’t let him go anywhere. There were no boundaries. She would make sure that he stayed safe with her. She was sure of it. He wouldn’t get hurt. If anything happened, she would make sure that it didn’t happen. She wasn’t

     Tyler opened his eyes again and nodded, looking around the room. Everything suddenly came rushing back at him; what happened to her. She was gone. He couldn’t remember much, but he knew that she brought him here. He remembered how he was wounded and injured when she saved him. His throat tightened painfully at the memory. He had lost track of time, and he couldn’t afford to lose track of her. If she vanished, he would surely end up alone.        He shook off his thoughts and cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. ‘I can’t think about that right now,’ he told himself firmly. ‘Not right now… please!’         The old man seemed relieved to hear that he was alright.        “Do you want anything? Some water? Food?”       

     Tyler felt overwhelmed and confused, but he tried not to show it, even though he wanted desperately to tell the old man that he couldn’t control his feelings, and he didn’t want to die. It was terrifying. It was the same way that it was when the world started to change, or when things were finally revealed to him. He didn’t trust this man.        But he knew that this mysterious man didn’t want to hurt him. So he nodded slowly.         Tyler looked over his surroundings quickly, trying to figure out where he was. They were in some kind of clearing surrounded by mountains, a mountain valley in fact. It was breathtaking.         Although there were no trees within sight, he could see patches of grass growing everywhere. Even the air itself seemed warmer than it should have been, even though the sun was

       Katrina had never seen Tyler act like this. He hadn’t seemed scared or uncomfortable around them, but now he seemed to have forgotten what he was doing for a moment and just kept staring at her hand in surprise.        He shook his head slowly a few more times, as if to remind himself to focus on something else, and slowly began to eat his bread. Kat could tell by the way that Tyler’s eyebrows furrowed and the way he chewed on his food that he was struggling. And she wasn’t sure why. Was he worried that something was wrong with him?        He was acting strangely and he wasn’t even touching the food that was placed on the ground, instead watching her and the others eat.        They hadn’t spoken about what had happened. The last thing he needed was strangers finding out about h

       There was no reason to act like nothing bothered him. The fear was gone. It had disappeared in a flash, leaving him vulnerable.        He wasn't scared anymore. He was ready to face whatever was going to happen with her and accept whatever was going to happen in the future.         A small smile appeared on his face. He didn't dare show it to anyone else, not even her. But it wasn't for her. It was just because he was finally feeling comfortable and happy. And it felt amazing, really.         "Let's get going", she murmured, standing up. "We shouldn't stay here any longer than we already have".        Tyler rose up slowly, but as soon as he did, a sharp pain shot through his chest, causing him to take a couple of steps backwards. He gasped for air after tak