Our maps we left behind
somewhere, not angry or sad
They told us what we already knew
Where we came from
Not where we were

 -Further III (translated)

Burns

Seekers. There are Seekers in town. Normally I wouldn’t have any reason to worry about it. They are just Souls, like me, doing their job: making sure this world is a safe place. That includes eradicating threats. 

Humans are a threat.

Does this mean they know about Emma?

I think back on the humans I saw in Toledo. Did they manage to escape?
I wonder where they have been hiding. As far as I know, Toledo is a pretty populated area. But then again, Emma managed to stay hidden.

I hurry through the isles in the store. I don’t want to leave Emma alone too long. She’ll never be safe in this world. What was I thinking? We should have just made for the desert. I could have gone to the store on my own.

I patiently wait for my items to be checked out and study the other Souls in the store.

They are all living stolen lives. 
The worst part is that they don’t even see it that way.

And not long ago, I was just like them

I make my way out of the store. I look around for Emma, but I don’t see her. Fear takes over my body. We should have left the moment I noticed the Seekers. If she’s taken again, I’ll never forgive myself.
But then I catch her across the street, looking in the window of a shop.

I let out a sigh of relief and make my way over. “Are you alright?” I ask softly and see her jump. I scared her again. “Sorry,” I tell her, “I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

“It’s alright,” she answers, “I was in thought. I didn’t notice you.”

“You should pay more attention,” I tease her, but it concerns me. What if it hadn’t been me? Perhaps she could have fooled them by saying that same thing, but if they were to check her eyes….

“Do you have everything?” she asks.

I nod at her. “I brought you chocolate chip cookies,” I tell her, knowing they are her favorite.

She grins at me widely and I feel the heat rush to my cheeks. I barely notice it when she takes one of the bags from me.
I smile at her. “Let’s go.” I don’t want tot stay here any longer than necessary. The thought of Seekers makes me nervous now too.

We need to stay on the main road for now. This area is still populated and leaving the road will get noticed. Where we’ll go from here, I don’t know yet. I can’t leave Emma alone in the desert. The food will run out eventually and all kinds of things can happen to her.
I think I’ve known for a while now that there’s no going back for me either. I don’t want to leave her all by herself and she can’t come home with me.

My mind drifts off towards Ocean and Core. And to Scales. Does this mean I’ll never see them again?

I bite my lip. I could still go back some day and visit. It’s not that far a drive to Scales.

“What are you thinking about?” Emma asks.

I realize I’ve been silent for a while. I sigh.”I was just thinking how to go from here,” I tell her honestly.

She gives me a sad smile. “You know you don’t have to come with me. You have a life to return to.” 

“I’m not going to leave you on your own, Emma.” 

There’s gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you,” she says. She lowers her eyes and fidgets with the hem of her shirt. “Your friends will wonder where you are if you just vanish without warning.” 

“I can still visit them,” I say, “besides, they’re used to my traveling. They won’t think anything of it if I stay away for a long period of time.” I realize it’s not just Emma I’m trying to convince.

“I just don’t want you to feel like you owe me something,” she whispers.

I shake my head. “I want you to be safe. You are my friend too.”

She smiles at me and I smile back. “So where now?” she asks.

“I was thinking we could get off the road, a few miles up ahead, around the curve.” Fortunately my car is equipped to drive across rough terrain.

“Won’t they see the car tracks?” Emma questions.

I hadn’t really thought about that. I frown. “We’ll just have to hide them,” I say, “only for a while. Once we’re further into the canyon, they won’t matter anymore.”

“You’d go through such lengths for me?”

I smile. “I told you, I want you to be safe.” I pause. “You were right. It’s wrong. What we’re doing is wrong. We are monsters.” My hands tighten around the wheel.

“You are not a monster, Burns,” Emma whispers, “you’re the kindest person I’ve ever met. You have a good heart.” She smiles.” You always put others before yourself.”

“Do I?” I whisper, “I’m still living a stolen life.”

Emma bites her lip. Her eyes are filled with sympathy. She looks at me hesitantly and I know what her next question will be. “Is he still there with you? Like I was with Sky?”

I sigh. I had expected that question a lot sooner, but perhaps she was afraid to know the answer.

“No,” I say truthfully, “he didn’t linger. He was gone from the start.”

She turns her head away from me and swallows. Her eyes are closed and her face is a shade paler.
She takes a few deep breaths. “That’s… a good thing,” she says.

I blink. That was not what I had expected. “Say what?” I stutter.

A weak smile decorates her face. “At least he’s not trapped,” she explains, “he’s just gone. Now there’s room for you.”

“I thought you’d be upset.”

“I am upset,” Emma sys, “but… I’ve seen things from the other side now. I…” she stares at her hands again. “You deserve to live too.”

I swallow a lump in my throat. “Thank you,” I say.

A real smile twitches at the corner of her mouth, but then she’s serious again. “Was he like you?” she asks.

I shake my head. “No. He was completely different.” 
I think back on what I know about him. 
“He was very to himself,” I tell her, “he liked working with is hands, he had a part-time job at the garage, where he worked as a mechanic.” I smile. “He had a younger brother and sister and one older sister who was already married. David had moved out when he was sixteen.” 

“Why?” Emma whispers.

I shrug. “No particular reason. He just wanted to live on his own. He dropped out of school when he turned seventeen.” 

“Did he have a girlfriend?”

“Nothing serious,” I tell her, “there was this girl, Jesse, they were… how do you call it? Friends with benefits?”

There’s a sound coming from Emma’s throat that holds between a snort and a gasp. Then she eyes me amused.

“What?” I ask nervously.

She bites her lip to keep from smirking. “I’m trying to picture you as the bad-boy type.”

I fight the smile off my face and try to stay serious. “And?” I ask.

She smirks. “You’d never pull it off.”