Chapter 10

Silhouettes passed over the light from the fireplace as the figures continued to navigate their way through the small house. In a bid to keep distance between her and the oncoming soldiers, Anna shifted slowly, slipping along the front of the kitchen counter till she was nestled in its corner. Across the room, on the other side of the kitchen stood Logan, his claws still ready for the oncoming figures. Behind him, the floored soldiers were beginning to stir. The sounds of guns being cocked could be heard, and weapons were raised as Logan was advanced upon.

The atmosphere was tense, for the soldiers came quietly and Logan stood frozen still without a word. Anna glanced between them, waiting for one of them to snap and begin the fray that was so heavily expected. Her eyes flickered upon one of the soldiers behind Logan, who was remaining crouched on the floor as he readied his rifle to fire into Logan's back. Anna stood fearfully silent, her hands gripping the worktop behind her fiercely, her fingernails digging it. Before long, it was her who snapped with a broken, "Logan!"

Her cry signalled the beginning of the fight, for as soon as she spoke, he spun round, grabbing the rifle by the barrel. He moved so quickly that the soldier didn't even have time to release the gun, let alone shoot and he was hurtled across the room by his thrown weapon. The bullets of the oncoming soldiers began to fire, the sounds filling up the tiny kitchen. With a gasp, Anna threw herself to the floor to avoid any strays bullets, crawling on her hands and knees towards the scrubbed dining table in the centre. She pushed herself underneath, squeezing into the tight space. Feral roars began drowning out the other sounds, mixed in with the chorus of screams and sickening gargles. Her hands flew to cover her ears in a bid to escape the horrific sounds around her. Besides the table, a body collapsed to the floor, glassy eyes of a young soldier staring unseeingly at her as blood poured from a gaping neck wound.

With a strangled sob she fought to turn her eyes away from the sight, eventually having to shut them tightly. But her protective cocoon from the destruction around her didn't last long, for the table that covered her was suddenly snatched from its position and was flung across the room by Logan to hit a group of soldiers. Anna screamed as her cover was lost, scrambling backwards across the slippery bloodied floor to huddle herself in the corner of the kitchen units. Now everything was clear for her to see and her wide eyes stared in transfixed horror as Wolverine easily threw a soldier off of his back, where they had begun desperate measures to stop him. Another human was back slashed with his claws, being hurled against the kitchen wall with a bloodied squelch.

Anna remained tightly in the corner of the kitchen units, her legs drawn up to her chest in a bid to make herself hidden, but the last of the soldiers had spotted her, and unaware that his only remaining team mate was gone, he advanced towards her. Anna's eyes snapped upon him, staring at him as he came closer, her mind panicking about her next course of action. If she was quick enough.. she could get to the door and get out. With a determined grunt she threw herself forward, stumbling to her feet and leaping to slip past him, but he grabbed her swiftly about the waist and tossed her back against the kitchen counter. She gave a surprised cry at the grab, quickly struggling against his hold. All of a sudden, she felt something wet splatter her face and she stared down at his chest in horror where three gleaming red blades were sticking through the front of his uniform. Her eyes trailed to the man's face where he was staring at her, drawing in a ragged, pained gasp.

Swiftly, the claws were pulled backwards, and without the support, the man slumped downwards, hitting the floor in an awkward position. But he wouldn't feel the discomfort. His lowering body revealed Logan stood behind him, his face marked by blood, wounds clearly in the process of healing all over his body. Bright, wild eyes stared at Anna as his muscular chest heaved with every pant for air.

"You alright?" he asked, even his voice appearing to be rougher.

Very meekly, Anna nodded her head in answer.

"Let's go." Logan grabbed her camper keys from the counter, as opposed to her truck keys and turned to make his way to the broken back door. Anna followed him out, casting fearful glances over the numerous bodies which now littered her home. Pools of blood filled the floor, with the crimson smeared over her walls and splashed in places. She gave an involuntary shiver before she hurried out into the snow, welcoming the blast of ice cold air that relieved the stench of death.

Logan moved ahead with a swift purpose, his strides long and fast. Upon reaching her camper, he let himself inside, already starting the engine when Anna climbed into the passenger seat. She found her voice from the pit on her stomach, words quiet and unsteady. "Where are we going?"

"Away from here," answered Logan simply, his harsh tone seeming to have faded with the feral burn in his eyes.

Anna didn't respond to this, for it was a satisfactory answer. She exhaled a weak sigh as she leant her head against the cold window besides her, eyes staring out at the roadside as the camper pulled out of her driveway and out across the dark roads. She didn't speak as Logan drove them along, ignoring the stains that still marked his hands and facial features. Anna fought to keep her eyes on the moving scenery that flew by, concentrating on anything other than what happened a few minutes ago.

The sky was still dark, with the distant horizon void of any light. The camper continued to trundle along the quiet roads. Within, Logan was still intently concentrating on his driving, and Anna still watching the world pass by outside. After their silent few hours of travelling, she finally spoke. "There's nowhere to go," she told him quietly, still not moving her gaze from the window.

"I never said we were goin' anywhere."

"So we're just gonna keep drivin'?"

Logan nodded his head, "Until we feel it's safe to stop."

"We've been driving for ages," she reminded him quietly. "Please, can we stop?" She slowly looked over to him, meeting his momentary glance as he took in her appearance. There was a note of desperation in her request.

"Alright," Logan agreed softly, slowing down the camper's travels and navigating them into the roadside where the vehicle pulled up quietly. As the engine died off, the silence became more prominent. "I'm sorry you had to see all that."

Anna pulled her head from the glass once more and slowly shrugged her shoulders, "It was necessary," she said quietly. "You got us out alive, that's the main thing."

"But.. I lost control, I couldn't stop myself.. not until they were all dead." He was staring at his hands, which were still resting on the steering wheel. There were prominent trails of dried blood where his claws had been. "I lost control like that when I was trying to escape before," he slowly looked over at her, meeting her eyes which had been on him all the while he spoke. "I don't understand it.. it's just.. this massive urge to try and kill those who are against me."

"It's alright," whispered Anna. "You're out of there; you're away from them all now. If we keep moving, they'll never find us. They'll never find you."

"But.. what about your home? You're leaving your life behind.. everything you have."

But Anna shook her head, "No, I'm bringing the most important thing with me."

The pair watched each other for a moment before Logan gave her a small smile. "Do you want to get some sleep?" he asked, sitting up, for he hadn't buckled his seatbelt when he got in.

"Yeah," Anna glanced behind them at the accommodation in the camper. "There's only one bed though – "

Logan quickly solved that, "I'll sleep on the floor," he told her, in a finalising tone, for he could see she was about to argue.

Relenting, she gave a slight grin, nodding her head. "Fine." She unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car, proceeding through the snow at the roadside to reach the door at the back. Logan was close behind her, and provided the vehicle keys to let them in. He held back the door to allow Anna to slip inside first before giving a cautious glance about the area. A sniff of the air followed, and when satisfied, he pushed himself inside.

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