Mayden’s POV
I woke up several times that night to a sound that I could identify the first few times. Then I realized that it was CC vomiting just outside the cave. That was the third time I’d woken up to it. By the time morning came I’d woken up to it at least twice more. I didn’t know what he could possibly be throwing up, surely he already had all of the food out of his stomach.
When I woke up in the morning it wasn’t exactly morning. There was grey morning light filtering through the blankets hung around the cave, but it was bright grey light. The high daytime sun filtering through snow laden clouds and reflecting off the snow. I heard talking and I sat up to hear it better. Everyone was tensely looking at the corner of the cave. Andy was hunched over and holding CC close to his chest and staring deeply into CC’s eyes. At first I thought that CC was dead and Andy was just cradling the body of his fallen brother. Then I realised that the harsh whispered voice was coming from CC. It was so quiet that I had to concentrate on hearing it.
“I realize now that I’m dying. You have to keep going without me. I’m too weak to make it, go wherever you’re going, get her safe. Just find the killer for me,” CC rasped, licking his dry lips.
“No CC you’re coming with us man, you’re going to be fine,” Andy insisted, reaching up and brushing CC’s face. Seeing Andy’s face broke my heart for more reasons than one. One was obvious, he’d hurt me the night before and I wasn’t ready to even look at him. There was something else about the fear I saw for his friend that made my heart throb. CC shook his head.
“Just leave me, I can’t even stand. Leave me here and you can come back on your way back through and find my body, it’ll be frozen I’m sure. I’m okay really. Just let me be, it won’t be hard or painful, just like falling asleep, and I am so, so tired,” CC looked up Andy his eyes were glassy but serene. Like a pure lake with a sheet of ice over the top. His face was calm, he wasn’t afraid to die.
“CC you are coming with us. That is final, there is no fighting it. We will carry you all the way there if we have to, but we will not abandon you. Just promise me you won’t let go, okay?” Andy insisted. I saw CC nod, blinking slowly.
“Break camp, we have to go now,” Andy said turning to the rest of us. There was a flurry of activity and in a second things where being taken down and stored in bags. Andy made eye contact with me, he was still holding CC.
“Watch him,” I heard Andy grunt through the commotion. I crawled over next to them as Andy laid CC on the ground and went to go do what he needed to do. I did not know what to do. I took CC’s hand in my own and held it gently. He stared blankly at the ceiling, he brown eyes unmoving.
“They’re going to take care of you CC, you’re going to be okay. I’m sure of it,” I said, the only thing that I could think of in the situation. He squeezed my hand gently. I got the sense that it was just about all the strength he was willing to use right then. I felt like I should do something else, but I couldn’t think for long because soon the camp was gone and everyone was ready to go. Andy tossed my pack to me. I lugged the straps over my shoulders, it was heavier than I had remembered, they must have split up Andy’s pack into all the others because he didn’t have one anymore. He had something else to carry on his back, CC. Andy dragged one of CC’s arms up over his own shoulders and lifted CC up off the ground. CC groaned as he draped lifelessly over Andy’s shoulders.
“Alright, let’s go,” Andy said, a bit breathlessly. We exited the cave in a line and Andy made his way to the front again, leading us in the right direction. The woods were becoming familiar. This must have been where I made my way through the first time. I still didn’t have a clue how far out we were though. I had been pretty much running my first time through so with us walking, through deeper snow than before, carrying backpacks and a person. I got the sense that it would take us a bit longer than it had taken me alone.
I was second in line, not second to last like before. I trudged along right behind Andy watching him struggle to break the path and carry his friend. Andy’s back bent and his head hung under CC’s weight. Of course CC had been sick, and he was quite thin, but he was tall so he still had to weigh over a hundred pounds. To be completely honest, Andy was not muscular at all, clearly hadn’t worked out a day in his life. I knew he had to be struggling. I wished that I was strong enough to take CC from him, but I knew I wasn’t. I didn’t have to feel bad about i for long though because Jake soon pushed his way past me. He got up next to Andy and stopped him. They had a few words and then they traded what was on their backs. Jake took CC, and Andy took Jake’s bag and we were on our way.
Jake fell into line behind me again, and I could hear him breathing heavily under his new burden. It seemed better that way though. Andy was weaker and he was breaking the path, so why should he have to do all the work. Ahead of me Andy stretched his back, arms and shoulders as he walked. I remembered the night before, the coldness that he had for me last night seemed to go away when he looked at CC. I guess it made sense, you wouldn’t look at your dying friend the same way you look at a person you don’t care about, right? That bugged me for some reason. Perhaps it was because he looked at me the same way the first night. It was the I-care-about-you-and-I’m-going-make-sure-you’re-okay look. It bugged me, not that CC was getting that look, but that Andy had given it to me and now he wouldn’t even spit in my direction.
Even as we walked and every once in a while Andy would turn around to make sure everyone was still following. Every time he checked I watched him count heads from the back to the front. When he got to me, he seemed to make a point of scowling. I did my best to ignore it, but it got to me. My legs burned and my feet ached as we walked. Eventually my shoulders started to complain too. We’d forgotten breakfast in the morning’s commotion and soon even my stomach was gnawing at me. I refused to complain though, I would not be the one that stopped us for food, or hurt, or anything like that. The sun was starting to go down, we’d made a late start. I guessed that it was around six in the afternoon, but that time of year it was usually almost dark by seven. Finally we came to an opened up clearing, and there I saw my school. I was rushed with relief as we came to the edge of the woods.
“Mayden, how far is your home from here?” Andy rumbled.
“Just a ten minute walk,” I said.
“Everyone take a break, sit down, eat something. I’ll come back for you guys after she’s back home,”
“You’re coming with me?” I groaned my heart sinking.
“Yes, just to make sure that you don’t die on your way there. Then I’d be responsible,” He grumbled.
Andy’s POV
She set off without another word to me, in the direction that I knew lead from the school into town. I trailed along behind her the pavement beneath my feet felt odd, it felt like it should squish, but it didn’t. The sun was sinking quickly and as street lights turned on the fluorescent lights hurt my eyes. It had been ten years since I walked on pavement. The same didn’t go for the rest of the guys, so it wouldn’t be as weird for them. They left the woods occasionally, Jinxx to do research, CC to follow people, Ashley to steal supplies, and sometimes Jake went with Ash to make sure he got the right stuff. Not me though. We’d deemed it too dangerous for me to go back, just in case someone recognized me. It was in fact my home town.
We walked along in silence. Me just a few steps behind her. We came to the end of the road up to the school and took a right onto a street that was lined with local businesses, and the occasional fast food restaurant. It was more well lit there and then my irrational fears started. What if someone did recognize me? It had been years of course, and I looked totally different than I did before. As we passed neon signs with the last customers finishing up in the windows I pulled up my hood. It was a cold night so that didn’t look too strange, but trailing a few feet behind a teenage girl, that was a bit weird. I sped up so I was walking next to her, she ignored me. I was glad, I’d finally scared her off.
She turned into a neighborhood and I followed. The houses were large and nice. Clearly she grew up in the nice part of the town, her family must have been rich. It was darker here, only a street light every ten yards or so. We took a few turns and I made sure to remember where so I could find my way back. We turned onto a road with a no outlet sign. At the end of the road I could see news vans, police cars, and reporters everywhere. I froze. I could not get on TV. She heard my footsteps stop and turned around to look at me.
“That’s your house?” I asked.
“Yeah,” She said, she looked nervous.
“Remember you hid in the school. Okay? You cannot tell them that we’re out there or you’ll blow the whole operation. Understand?” I confirmed.
“Yes I know, I promise no one will know that you’re out there,” She sighed, exasperated.
“Good, now give me the coat and the gloves and all the stuff that’s mine,” I told her. She took off all the extra clothes she’d borrowed from me, shoved them into my arms, and turned quickly. I watched her make her way down the street. When she pushed between the reporters there was another rush of sound and lights as she tried to get to her house. I could hear them shouting questions at her. I watched the front door of the house open and out poured a family, several kids, all of them younger, and two parents. They engulfed her in hugs and kisses. I was willing to bet that my homecoming would not be so well received.

Notes

Hey guys, I have some questions for you that I'd love for you all to answer in the comments. First, would you like the next chapter to be from Mayden, or Andy's POV? I can do whichever gets more votes. The second is: Baby or no baby? It doesn't make sense now, but it may in the future, let me know in the comments and trust me it's not for what you think. I'll give you a hint, it has to do with the prequel. So Mayden or Andy, baby or no baby, you guys decide.