Tucker.

It had to be Tucker. No one else talked to her like he did. She felt numb, holding up her knife. Was it really him?

“Did I say you could leave? You have to pay the toll.” She couldn’t see him in the dark.

Snap.

Crack.

She felt someone to her right, as if there was a warmth emanating from there.

Run.

She dashed away in the direction of the camp, to Bo. Or at least she thought it was the camp. Wait. Where was the camp?

Suddenly, she tripped and fell face down on the ground. Leena tried to scurry up again but felt something grab her arm. She tried to stab with her knife, but it fell from her fingers as he pulled her to her feet and enclosed her in his arms. Her screams were met with a large hand clasped to her mouth.

He hissed into her ear, “Well, we meet again now, don’t we? When I heard you were still alive, I just had to see you. You know, to repay the favor of breaking my damn nose.”

Leena wanted to struggle. She tried to force her body to move, but instead of the adrenaline kick she expected, there was nothing. Her limbs were loose and dangling, like weeds in the wind.

Tucker dragged her, snapping branches.

“You know…it gives you what you want,” he said to her, his breath hot on her cheek.

“And what I wanted, more than anything, was you.” She whimpered.

“Of course, I had to wait. I had to wait a long time. And it took a long time to catch up to you. But I travelled. All day. All night. And I found you!” His voice was gleeful, dark.

“But, it comes with a price, you know. Of course. You should know better than anyone, Leeeeena.” He forced her to the ground, straddling her, and pulled his hand away from her mouth. She wanted to scream, but only muffled sobs came out.

“Oh. That’s right. You can’t see me. Let’s…shed a bit of light.” A match strike. A flame.

His face.

What…What happened to him?

The arrogant face of a youthful boy was turned grotesque. In the brief illumination of the flame were beady black eyeballs, a bent nose, and the creepy smile, shadows cast around in gaunt wrinkles of malnutrition and deterioration.

She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

The match went out.

“Let’s see how you look with a broken nose, little rat.”

She shut her eyes.

Nothing happened.

She felt him breathing faster, sitting on top of her.

Opening her eyes, she saw a slender light like a sword’s edge, flickering. The light brightened the black night, casting shadows in the trees, growing brighter and brighter like the sun. In the light, she saw Tucker as he was: a thin ghost of a boy, ragged and sickly.

Tucker seemed to fall backwards.

It was fire again.

Tucker staggered off of her, scrambling backwards, away from the flame.

Leena sat up, watching as Tucker hissed at it, glaring at her.

“Put it away! Put it away!” he cried out in a raspy voice. Then the fire moved, and he was engulfed.

“Leena!” he cried out, “Stop it! Stop it!” She stared as he rolled on the ground wildly. The roar of the fire clouded out other noises, and she saw him run, a flaming human torch, away from her and into the distance. She watched as the light blinked away, too far to see between the trees. The sliver of fire was gone. She was left alone in the dark.

He was gone.

It was silent.

A small flame, like that of a match, appeared in front of her, temporarily blinding her. Blinking, she watched as it danced away from her.

“What…?”

It floated back to her nose, and she felt the warmth of it. The flame seemed to hop back.

She stood and felt her way shakily towards the light. It danced away from her as if it was leading her somewhere. Back to camp?

She walked a bit, trusting in something that had save her life. What was it? Where did it come from? Leena reached out to touch it, and it danced on her cold, dirty fingers, leading her away.

“Ouch! Damn it! What?” She had stepped on Bo. He sat up, partially illuminated in the light of the flame. It winked out.

“Why are you stepping on me?” he asked as she stumbled backwards.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she said, “But we have to go.” He lit up the light orb.

Bo stared at her, up and down. Something flashed in his eyes, but he looked away before Leena could focus enough to think.

“Let’s go then.”

He wasted no time in moving. She was so tired, though. Why couldn’t she rest? When could she rest for real? No sleep, walking all day at a fast pace, and facing all these things were draining her past the point of functionality.

“Bo, I can’t go much more,” she panted. He was holding the light orb in front of him. He stopped, looking back at her.

“Okay,” he said, almost more to himself, “Where can we go?” His brow furrowed, casting deep shadows into his face. He was just as worn out as she was. How long had he been on his own like this? Sleeping in the dirt?

Why was she following him?

Her head roared with questions with no answers, circling around in her brain like a wheel, hitting the same bumps over and over again.

“Hold on for a little bit longer,” Bo said to her, drawing her out of her weariness, “We are almost there. Do you hear it?” She tried to focus, but she heard nothing.

More time passed.

The trees became sparser, giving way to sand and brown, scattered plants.

She heard something then.

It sounded like thunder and fire. It rose and fell in a steady rhythm. She smelled salt. Walking in her boots became more difficult as she slid and sunk in the sand. The grit entered her boots, scraping against the skin of her feet.

She used her hands to help herself over the one of the dunes, following Bo as closely as she could. She brushed the sand off on her pants.

Over another dune.

Rising up over the dune, she saw it.

“What’s that?” she breathed, looking out at the expanse.

There were no trees. It was wide open blackness. It was so dark she could not really see, but she felt it. She felt the force of water hitting the sand. She felt the wind hit her face with salt. She felt the emptiness at the edge of her vision.

“That, Leena, is the ocean.”