The wind fell across Ambrosia like a cold shove of a stranger, tipping her slightly and causing the raft to rock. Elias had taken up the duty of rowing them down the river bend as the sky darkened from the surplus of rising smoke.

They had been moving along the water for about an hour however, the next property the lake passed through was farther than they had anticipated.

Ambrosia's eyes were glued onto a grouping of trees that hid the burning house in the distance. That house had been the place of her father's and sister's death.

The thought of where their remains may have ended up didn't cross her mind until that very second. Ambrosia felt the pressure of sorrow build in her chest and the corner of her eyes blurred with fresh tears. She held them back though because there was a greater emotion overcoming her. A foul sickness from her stomach.

She rubbed her stomach, it was lightly bloated which was a prominent sign of the baby.

Moving slowly Ambrosia turned her body around making sure to slowly move her injured leg so that she could face the water in case she decided to vomit. As she leaned over and listened to the swishing of water that Elias pushed with the paddle her heart sank.

"Elias," Ambrosia whispered.

Elias was standing in a widened stance drenched with either water, sweat, or blood it wasn't Ambrosia's place to really analyze him at that moment. Mid-row Elias turned to look over his shoulder his dark eyes reflected the dark waters around them.

"Yeah, are you okay?" he questioned.

"I'm fine," Ambrosia replied sitting up straighter to pull her hair over her shoulder.

"Where is Daniel?"

Elias' grip tightened around the handle of the paddle and he attempted to keep his face from molding away from its usual blank state.

"He couldn't make it."

"What?" Ambrosia muttered in disbelief.

Elias nodded slightly and turned back to row. Ambrosia ran her shaky hands down her legs that were scarcely covered by the short dress she had been wearing since the start of the beginning of the escape plan. On top of her shoulders hung a large jacket lined with fur that Daniel had stolen for her on one of his visits with Elias to the shed.

"How-how did he die...the plan-" Ambrosia began to which Elias sharply interrupted.

"He was going against the plan."

"How?"

Elias was silent, his head moved the side as if he were to say something but there was nothing.

"Elias, what did he do?"

"I-I don't know and it doesn't matter..."

"Okay then...how did he die?" Ambrosia said in a highly exasperated tone. She pulled the jacket tighter around her body.

"I don't know, flower," Elias said under his breath.

"You don't know?" Ambrosia repeated and nodded her head rubbing her lips together in clear frustration. Elias was clearly hiding something from her as he was only answering with his back turned.

"Are you going to tell me what's in that backpack?" Ambrosia questioned reaching the bag.

Elias turned around quickly and kicked the bag over to the other side of the raft.

"Elias what the hell!?"

"Just don't touch the bag alright!" Elias was frowning hard at Ambrosia and it was then where she could tell something dangerous at taken over him. The timidness that she knew so well had vanished during that time he was initiating the burn.

Something happened.

Ambrosia grabbed Elias' arm and prevented him from moving back to the paddle. The raft shook violently under the sudden movements.

"Elias, look at me and tell me what Daniel did," Ambrosia breathed.

Elias slowly moved closer to Ambrosia and held her face with his wet hand and smile came upon his lips and his brows quivered as they lowered.

"Do you love Daniel?"

Ambrosia's eyes widened at this question, her heartbeat began to pick up speed as she could sense the seriousness within Elias' voice.

"No, I love you..."

"So focus on me and only me," Elias kissed Ambrosia's forehead softly, "Daniel helped the best he could."

Elias got up back to his post and began pushing at the water again. Ambrosia sat idly staring at Elias as a fresh cloud of doubt began swarming her head.

He wouldn't, Elias couldn't have.

Ambrosia glanced back at the backpack.

Was this even the Elias she knew anymore? Given the immense trauma, his already fragile mind was indearing with Dante's drug manipulation and then having to shoot her. Who was to say Elias hadn't completely switched personas the moment Ambrosia threw his pills into this very same lake.

What if the drugs were the right kind, the medically prescribed dosage, and everything. What if the Elias she really knew was slowly coming around from the memory loss on his own.

Did she throw away her only attempt of regaining her lover into the frosty stream that carried them along to their next destination?

All these questions were trivial and only echoed wretched insecurity within Ambrosia. She chose to ignore them, for now at least.

Ambrosia picked up the second paddle and began working on the other side to quicken the speed of the raft. However, the efforts to quicken the speed of travel didn't last long as the urge to vomit came on strong once again and she relieved herself into the lake.

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They reached the shore by nightfall and Ambrosia eagerly clambered off the raft which she proceeded to curse for causing an exceptional amount of lower back pain for her.

Elias took up the small number of belongings they had and joined her as they trudged through the woods carefully. Elias also aided Ambrosia as she walked and in the distance, upon a hill she could spot the lights of a large residence.

Finally, they had made it up to the front porch of the house and Elias pushed his hair from out of his eyes in an attempt to make himself presentable despite they were both drenched. Both were covered in cuts and extremely exhausted nonetheless Ambrosia was still visibly ill with a fever.

As Elias' fist came up to the door to knock Ambrosia shivered. The whole situation didn't feel real at all. She had actually escaped that hell house. A slender piece of hope fitted itself into the crevice of Ambrosia's tired mind and she found the courage to smile.

The door opened after a minute or two and the sleepy eyes of a quizzical and superstitious old woman came to the door. She was slim and almost as Elias, her grey hair was tucked under a small blue scarf and her cotton robe was fastened tightly around her.

Her squinting blue eyes examined as she absorbed in the visuals of the state Ambrosia and Elias were in.

"Please could you help us, we live next door and we were just robbed and my wife is very sick and—"

"Oh my, please come in, come in," the old woman croaked unlatching her screen door and letting the two inside.

The old woman scurried back farther into the house to turn on the lights.

"I'll call the police," she said.

"No!" Elias exclaimed and caused both the elderly woman and Ambrosia to look at him in surprise. "No, you can't please if you get fetch my wife Tylenol that would be great, she's in pain."

The old woman nodded slowly but it in a way that showed her obvious confusion and walked into her kitchen to rummage in her cupboards.

"You two can sit in the dining room its down the hall," the woman directed.

Elias helped Ambrosia limp down the long hall and pushed open a large door to enter a rather expansive dining room. They sat beside eachother and Elias rubbed his eyes as he looked over to Ambrosia who sat clutching her dress over her thigh wound.

She had to be careful not to move to fast or the wound could start bleeding profusely for no reason at all because of the lodged bullet. Ambrosia leaned closer the Elias a whispered.

"Why didn't you let her call 911?"

"The hospital isn't safe, Ambrosia," Elias replied.

Ambrosia scoffed, "Elias I have a bullet in my leg, that isn't fucking safe!"

Elias pulled his finger over his lip swiftly and Ambrosia frowned deeply resting back into her chair. The old woman came into the dining room and turned on a few more lights. She set down two cups of water and Ambrosia's pills onto the table.

Ambrosia took the pills and sighed in relief. Elias took the other cup of water and drank slowly while slyl examining the woman. She look quite familiar, like a blur from the past.

"I'm Brianna by the way, you may know me as Mrs. Wellik from your grandmother," the old woman extended her hand and smiled at Elias.

That's right, she was at Grandma Hill's funeral.

Elias shook her hand firmly, "Charlie and this is-"

"Rachel," Ambrosia smiled and shook Brianna's small hand, "Thank you so much for letting us in."

"Of course, are you two alright, how long ago was this robbery?" the woman asked moving attention back and forth at the hesitant pair. Ambrosia looked to Elias who was quick to answer back.

"Yes we are fine, the uh robbery was a few hours ago but we were trapped in the house."

The woman gasped and shook her head, her hand clasping themselves onto her chest.

"We barely escaped with our lives, the robbers they tried to burn us alive in there," Elias continued and his face stayed the same in its cool concentrated expression.

"Oh good Lord, did they burn the whole house?"

"I believe they did, we just," Elias turned to look at Ambrosia and cracked a sad smile, "We just left so fast across the river we didn't get to see the outcome."

"Goodness gracious, I need to call the police," the old woman started checking the grand-father clock behind her before heading to the door.

"Brianna please, you can't do that, they are looking for us the robbers are look for us and if we call anyone they will find us and kill us!" Elias exclaimed rising to his feet.

Brianna eyed him and then Ambrosia her face flashed with different modes of confusion and fear.

"What?"

"These are dangerous people."

"The first place they'll look is next door won't they?" Brianna questioned her hands wringing the sash on her robe.

"We just need to lie low for a bit, I'm begging you please don't call anyone please," Elias was reaching to her his voice wavered with a deep sadness that seemed effective on Brianna. She need something more to convince her though, something to ensure their stay for a little while.

"I'll help you if anyone comes to the house alright, you just need to act like nothing happened," Elias assured her.

Brianna clenched her jaw and released her robe's sash. She shook her head and moved her hands mutering doubtful phrases.

"I don't know, I just...this is all so much, the police they can protect you...I'm just an old woman y'know," Brianna was off again to the door.

"Hey, Brianna, Brianna listen-"

"Please, wait-!" Ambrosia shot up quickly from he seat and took a few steps over but a ripping pain throbbed through the mid of her thigh and Ambrosia cried out. She collapsed on the floor and could feel running liquid from beneath her. Elias ran to her side and began helping her and Brianna's shuffling footsteps could be heard coming back into the dining room.

"Good Lord!" the old woman decalred rushing towards the scene.

Brianna laned side and touched her tenderly and Ambrosia glanced at Elias who had stood back up. Ambrosia's leg was now painted down to her ankle in a stream of blood.

"Oh come darlin', into my guest room to rest," the old woman grabbed Ambrosia's arm and swung it over her shoulder before helping Ambrosia wobble out of the dining room. Elias followed close behind.

"You two can stay the night here if you need to."

"Thank you Brianna, that would be wonderful," Elias replied.

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