"Last chance, girl, before we start something that you do not want to happen. Tell us where the cure is, and we'll let you go." The man that stands before Walker has an obvious broken nose, and the long scar down his face reveals he's been in a fight involving a knife. The way he puts all of his weight on one leg proves he has a weak left foot.

"I told you a thousand times, I don't know. And even if I did, I wouldn't ever tell you." Walker snarls, struggling against the ropes that hold her feet and hands to a metal chair. The man slams his fist into her cheekbone so fast she can barely process it. Her face flies to the side, trying to shrug off the pain as quickly as the next hit comes.

Her face felt numb as he stopped for a full minute, and went right back to questioning her.

"Where is the girl?" He picks up a small, but sharp knife and flings it around in his hand. Walker swallows the burning metallic taste in her mouth.

"Bring it on, Weak Link." She growls, tensing her mouth to prevent any screams.





"This plan is not going to work." Malik groans as he kicks a rock across the dirt.

"Since when did you start being negative?" I ask, sudden pain flying up my thigh. I lean against the nearest tree, trying to regain my balance before falling. Forrest runs up, throwing me into his arms.

"I'm okay, Forrest. Really. You can put me down." I explain, and he lowers me to the ground, putting his arm around me for strength. The sun rises ahead of me, slowly peaking up over the miles of trees. The morning chill sends shivers up my arms as we walk towards the place we originally wanted to run away from.

We arrived, the sun high in the sky.

"Maybe you should wait out here, Willow." Forrest glances at my wounded leg.

I narrow my eyes at him, and as if he know what I'm going to say, he puts his hands up in surrender, "I'm not saying you'll slow us down, I am only trying to prevent you from getting hurt again."

"She's part of this brilliant plan; we need her." Malik buds in, placing both his hands on the exit doors.

"Wait!" A familiar voice echoes through the cold air, and we all turn quickly. I almost lose my balance, and Forrest reaches his arm out to catch me.

Walker stands there, placing all her weight on a nearby tree. She has scars all up her throat and down into her shirt. Blood stains her clothes, and bruises cover most of her legs and face. We all gasp in horror, Malik running forward to help her.

Everyone gathers up around her, beginning an awkward silence. No one knew how to ask what happened.

"Why'd they let you go?" Forrest blurts out.

Walker doesn't answer, just shares a glance with Malik. Malik helps her begin walking, and she looks like she aches all over her body. I feel bad, but don't know what to say or do.

We go the entire night with Walker not saying a word, and none of us asking. We sit about a mile out from Darius' place, drinking the last little bit of our water. Forrest pulls my hair up into a ponytail for me, and I secretly hold back the tears from streaming down my face. My thoughts keep going back to Oakley, and they wander in places I try not to think about.

Forrest notices something's wrong, he pulls me up from the ground and takes me towards a field with no trees and no dirt. Long grass peaks up from the ground surrounding us as we sit down in the middle of it all. The sky is dark and the stars start peeking out from behind the black sheet.

"Look, Willow, I need to clear up something-"

"Shhh." I whisper.

"Willow, we have to talk about-"

"No, we don't." I murmur, slowly turning towards him. He takes my face in his hands, and I breathe in the soft touch, sinking into him. We both move closer to each other, but before I know it, he's pulling away.

"I can't. I can't." He shakes his head in misery, placing it in the palms of his hands. I sit there shocked and confused. I place a hand on his shoulder and shake him.

"Forrest, what are you talking about?" I ask. He just shakes his head again, and I pull his hands out from under his head, forcing him to look at me. I entangle my hand with his, squeezing it gently. He looks me in the eye, his eyes swarming.

"I can't do this. You're all I ever think about, and all I can remember is how I betrayed you. And lied about everything. But everytime I look in your eyes, I almost forget it all, and all I want is you. But the voice won't go away, the voice that reminds me of what I did, and how someone so perfect as you should never be with someone like me. Willow, I can't do this. I can't. You deserve better." He slowly stands up to leave, and I can barely process all of the words he just fired at me.

I breathe out shakily, reaching quickly to grab a hold of his hand. I stand up, wrapping his own arms around my waist, and mine around his neck, pulling him close. I can feel his heartbeat speeding up, as his hands gently hold on to my waist.

"You're wrong." I mutter before pressing my lips onto his passionately.