Chapter 11

The camper bed wasn't the comfiest thing Anna had ever slept in, but it wasn't the worst either, and after the day's horrific events, she was more than happy to drift off into sleep. However, it wasn't coming as easy as she hoped, for her eyes stared up at the ceiling as her mind replayed the experience so much, she was sure it would continue on into her sleep. Besides her on the floor was Logan, who too seemed to be having difficulty in falling into slumber. Anna rolled over onto her side, looking down at him. He quickly noticed her attention and made a weak smile at her.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" she asked him in an unnecessary whisper.

Logan's eyes returned to the ceiling when he muttered his answer. "Keep drivin'."

"Till when?"

"Till we feel safe." He looked back at her again, frowning as he realised the guilt he felt with that answer. "I'm sorry for bringin' all this upon you," he said softly, now sitting up. His head height matched hers now and he could clearly see her tears through the darkness. "Anna.."

Anna closed her eyes in a bid to disguise her tear, but instead they leaked out of the corners and trickled down towards the pillow she lay upon. "It's not that. I don't blame you," she insisted with a shaky murmur. "I'm.. I'm just scared." She eased open her eyes to watch him through thick tears that covered her pupils. "Scared of them, scared of what happens next."

"Don't be."

"I am."

A sigh was heard as Logan leant back against the wall. "Everything will be fine," he assured her quietly. "As long as we keep movin' and shake 'em off our trail. They knew I was in your house, but now I'm on the move, it'll be harder for them to follow us."

"The further away from Alkali Lake the better," Anna muttered bitterly as she wiped her tears on the pillow she rested upon.

Logan extended a hand towards her, his fingers gliding over her dark hair before lightly caressing her head in comfort. "We'll never go near it again," he promised, leaning forth himself and resting his chin on the pillow she laid upon. Her eyes rose to meet his, their proximity so intimate she could see the small flecks of amber on his dark brown irises. His gaze had lost their wild gleam from his earlier fight, and now held complete reassurance for her. "I won't let them hurt you."

Anna nodded her head slowly, "I know," she whispered, leaning over a touch more so she could give his nearby lips a small kiss. He moved into the embrace, his hand still supporting her head.

Their lips only parted after a good while, and Logan gently rested his forehead against hers. "I'll let you sleep."

But Anna shook her head gently, "I won't be able to sleep," she replied softly.

Logan pulled back, his eyes gently studying hers. "I'll stay here," he assured softly. "You don't have to worry."

"That's not what I meant," Anna said as she pushed herself back to his lips again, her hands slipping across the thick column of his throat to hold him against her until he got the idea. There was a moment's hesitation before his hand rested against the back of her head once more, pulling her close against him. He eased himself up upon the small bed, which had little room for them to be side by side in their actions. He settled himself on top of her; his knees carefully placed either side of her hips so his weight would not hurt her. Their kiss continued, both of his hands lightly caressing her cheeks as he pulled back and stared down at her.

"I don't want to do anythin' you don't – " he was silenced as Anna pulled him back down against her lips once more to hush him with a fiery kiss.

"I know what I want," she replied with her lips against his. And there were no more objections that Logan could find - he knew what he wanted. What he needed.

Logan was lulled out of sleep rather peacefully to find himself tightly in the single bed of Anna's camper. With little room, both of them were forced to lie on their sides. He was quite trapped, with his back against the cool wall of the camper and Anna snugly nestled against his chest. But he didn't hold any objections, for he smiled a little as he craned his head downwards to kiss the crown of her head gently, inhaling her familiar scent. He had an arm comfortably wrapped about her midsection, keeping her back warmly pressed up against his bare chest. The body heat was most certainly needed in these climates. He lightly nuzzled her bare shoulder as he lay there, gently enough as to not disturb her sleep.

But then he became chillingly aware of a distant sound and the scent of gunpowder caught his nose. His eyebrows contracted abruptly as he leapt over Anna's form with ease, not even wakening her in the process. His ears listened intently as he paused. He could definitely hear many footsteps scuffling in the snow a distance away. Whoever was out there, they were giving the camper van a wide berth at the moment. Logan cursed to himself as he grabbed his jeans from the floor, hurriedly ramming his feet into the designated holes. His vest top was hastily pulled over his head, boots shoved on before he ran towards the cab at the front of the van. He vaulted over the seats, starting the engine swiftly. Without so much of a pause, the van raced away with a screech of the tyres on the ice, this abrupt motion waking Anna.

She blinked as she felt the vehicle rumbling over the road, and she quickly looked up, squinting her eyes at Logan in the driver's seat. "Logan?" she called. "What - ?"

"Soldiers are out there," he said hurriedly as he continued to race along the roads. It was only a short while after dawn; the sun had barely lit the ground of its golden aura.

Anna gave a soft gasp at this, her eyes widening. "Are they followin'?"

At this, Logan checked his side mirror, answering with a solemn. "Yes."

"Damn," Anna sat herself upright, abandoning all modesty as she flung the covers off her form as she jumped out of the bed and beginning to dress very rapidly. This was a hard task, for Logan had the tendency to hurtle them around sharp bends and take them down dirt tracks that looked rarely used. But he was determined to throw the soldiers off their trail. Anna stumbled towards the cab, now dressed, though a little haphazardly so. But this wasn't the time to worry over her appearance. She awkwardly climbed into the passenger seat, checking her side mirror to see armoured vehicles tearing after them.

"We're gonna have to make a run for it," Logan muttered as he wrenched them around another sudden corner.

Anna threw him a startled look. "Run for it?" she repeated.

"They're in their vehicles. If we're on foot we can get through the forest quickly and hide from them."

"Logan, I don't think I can.."

Logan abruptly wrenched the camper off the dirt track, shoving them into some deep undergrowth that led into the woodland. "You can. C'mon," with that he grabbed her hand, leaping out of their driver's door and sprinting through the clearing before they delved into the trees and began darting through the shadowy forest swiftly. Anna's feet struggled to keep up with Logan's, her legs in disarray as she stumbled and slipped in the snow. The sounds of the armoured vehicles screeching to a halt echoed hauntingly behind them and the commands of officers could be heard as they ordered their soldiers on through the forest.

Trees darted past Anna in a frenzied blur, her only guidance the hand that clamped onto her tightly. Abruptly Logan stopped running, throwing them into the shelter of a large tree trunk. "Can you climb trees?" he asked her hurriedly.

Panting, she stared at him, "Well, sure, I climbed a few when I was a kid.."

"Good," he answered. "Climb this one."

Anna looked up at the tree, which towered up before her. "This is a little bigger."

Without explanation, he grabbed her about the middle, practically throwing her against his back. "Hold on tightly!" he ordered before he leapt at the colossal tree trunk, climbing up the large surface swiftly, his fingers digging into the bark as he fought to gain height before the soldiers came close. His sensitive hearing easily picked up Anna's frightened gasps for breaths as she painfully clung onto him. Her nails were digging into the flesh of his shoulders, but he could handle it.

He could hear her scared mutterings, words of doubt and disbelief. He very briefly caught the whisper of, "I can't.." before she gave a horrified gasp as her footing slipped from his hips. She tumbled backwards, her fingernails clawing bloody trails down his back as she plummeted downwards.

He felt his blood run cold from the shock and pain.

"ANNA!"

Cliffhanger! Review like you mean it!