Love In The Time Of Outbreak

Chapter 10

Thalia had never been more terrified in her entire life as she followed Dean out of the makeshift escape route. Darkness immediately enveloped them, disorienting her for a moment. She breathed in the night air, a combination of pine and decay, but then she caught a whiff of something else, something...musky. Even though she was afraid in those moments, that masculine scent actually made her heart skip a beat.

She just laughed secretly. Oh God, how is this all happening?

The back of the tent was perfectly positioned directly in front of the woods, and Thalia stuck to Dean like glue as they crept toward the trees. For some inexplicable reason, she seemed to trust the man immediately. She had every intention of following him blindly and doing anything he asked without question, and that scared her almost as much as everything else that had happened.

Her eyes were only focused on Dean, and she noticed how strong his back muscles were with every step he took. She was really focused on the man, in fact, she almost didn't notice the two human bodies as they passed.

A squeak flew out, until she felt Dean's warm hand clapped over her mouth to silence her. "Easy, Doc," he murmured.

Her heart beat faster again, and now her palms were sweating. She immediately recognized the bodies, they were the guard soldiers outside her tent. She stared at their uniforms, they were American soldiers. Then her gaze shifted to the knife in Dean's hand.

It was probably his knife that took the lives of the poor soldiers. Goodness, Dean did kill these men.

Dean looked at her. "Kill or be killed, Thalia." Those soft words didn't alleviate her panic, only increased it.

So it suddenly occurred to Thalia that she didn't know the person she trusted in her life, but every time she looked into the man's eyes, she saw that his intentions were pure.

She took a deep breath, then she avoided looking at the bodies, but she noticed a plastic water bottle that appeared in the soldier's pocket.

The water...maybe...don't know.

Kelvin's words rushed into her brain. The water, he'd said. Did he mean there was something in the water? Could it be bacteria, or a virus?

"We have to go back," she exclaimed.

Dean couldn't believe what she said, and then he gave a stern shake of his head. "No way."

She just ignored what Dean said instead she looked back at the bodies of the two soldiers. She took the water bottle from the soldier's pocket and opened the cap, pouring out the remaining liquid on the ground. Dean approaches her, obviously irritated.

"I'm sure they'll find you the moment they find out you ran away," he said in a low voice. "We have to go, Doc. Now."

But she was still stubborn. "Not until I get some water."

"Dammit!"

"I need to get a water sample," she clarified. There is a well at the end of the village. That's where people from Esmeralda get drinkable water."

He frowned. "Do you think there's something in the water?"

"Kelvin--I mean Dr. Carter, one of my fellow doctors at the clinic, he mentioned that there was something in the water here when I spoke to him through the radio." Frustration seized her body. "They'll try to cover this up, Dean. I can't let them do that. So I need a water sample."

After a few moments, Dean gasped and snatched the water bottle from her hand. 'Come with me," he ordered, and he pulled her away.

"I don't want to," she protested. "I'm not leaving here until--"

"I'll take that damn water sample. Now, come with me first."

He guided her to a wide green field and pushed her there. "It's better if you just hide here. If I can't come back after five minutes, run away from here."

Fast forward to four o'clock the man turned his back on her.

Thalia crouched in the cramped space, gulping hard, trying to ease the terror clamped like an angry fist around her throat.

She couldn't believe that Dean actually returned the water sample. With those alpha-male vibes he was throwing off, she'd expected him to haul her over his shoulder and forcibly cart her away, yet he'd actually taken the time to listen to her. And now the man sacrificed his life just for a task that she should have done.

She looked at the clock on her wrist. An hour has passed. Two. Three.

If I don't come back after five minutes, run away from here.

"Yeah, right," she muttered to herself.

If Dean didn't return after five minutes, she would follow the man there. After all, he sacrificed his life just to escape her from the camp, so she couldn't bear to leave him.

When she heard a rustling sound, she shrank deeper into her hiding place and held her breath.

"It's me, Doc," came his raspy voice. "Let's go."

She came out of the vegetable garden where she was hiding and immediately stared at the man's water bottle that was now being filled with water. "Did you go to the well?"

He nodded. "Is this enough to make a sample, what do you think?"

"It's too much."

"Good. Now let's get the hell out of here. They don't know you're missing yet, but those two stupid guards I knocked out will surely find them too."

"Stupid?" she echoed. "Is that what you like to call it? Because those men look more dead than you say stupid."

But he didn't even budge from the words she was throwing. "What do we call saving your ass these days? Oh, right, saving your ass," he said sarcastically and walked away.

Thalia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It cannot be denied that this man saved her life. But he took two lives in the process of saving her.

Shoving aside the menacing reminder, she followed Dean, and they made their way through the forest. Their soft breathing and the crackle of twigs beneath their feet were the only sounds in the still air. At one point, Dean ordered her to stay put, disappeared in the shadows, and returned a moment later with a black duffel bag, which he have stashed earlier, and then he slung the bag over his shoulder and signaled that they were resuming the trek. The temperature was cold, making Thalia grateful for the long-sleeved plaid shirt she'd worn over her tank top. She was also thankful that he was now wearing sneakers, as it would make their journey through the mountainous area of ​​Esmeralda much easier.

But as they walked longer, she couldn't bear to ask him. "Where will we go?" She said.

Dean spared her a glance over his shoulder. "To meet our ride."

Bewilderment rippled through her, and it only got worse when they stepped into a rocky clearing ten minutes later and she laid her eyes on the white-and-brown horse standing by a cluster of trees. The animal neighed at the newcomer's approach, then dipped its head to munch on some blades of grass.

Thalia stared at the horse for a long time, then she turned to Dean. "Okay. I'm sorry," she said and shook her head. "But before I go anywhere with you, I have to ask you this - who are you?"

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