Missing some context? Read part one of Scout and Marius here.
This week’s musical inspiration: Karliene – Become The Beast
Seven hours had passed. If he was going to return he would have by now.
My stomach hadn’t been able to settle. I should have never left him to fend for himself. But he’d made his choice. And I’d made mine.
Going back was the last thing I wanted to do, but leaving his body to rot in a dried-up canal was not an option. The thought of it sent a wave of agony through me. I had to go back.
The least I could do was bring him home. He never stood a chance. One man against the bogeyman I’d been running from for years… I’d left him to his foolish resolve. To his death.
Our plans kept me awake all night. The bed was a mess of sheets from my worried tossing and turning. Three hours until the sun would rise, and the uncertainty of what it would bring.
My whisper broke the quiet. “I’ve never been scared, Marius. But this is a helluva choice.”
He rolled over to look at me in the dim light. “I’m not the man to tell you what your mind should be.” His fingers brushed my cheek. “I’ll follow you wherever you lead. But I say it’s time you make your move.”
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. Is this what I wanted? To risk our lives over former glories? It would be a gamble. Maybe a fatal one.
Marius let the bedsheet fall to the floor as he went to the window. Pale moonlight splashed highlights over the silver in his hair. “He’s just a man. No different than any of us after the sun sets. It’s time, Scout.”
He turned back to me, his weathered hands finding my own. He squeezed reassuringly. “It’s now or never.”
Night swallowed up most of the compound. It was different somehow. The drone patrols that dogged us only hours before were nowhere to be seen. The night was starkly quiet. That was when I heard it.
A crash of concrete rumbled down the steep banks of the canal, shattering the silence. I froze. A drone? Or something more human? Another wave of the crumbling wall fell away. Silver hair.
In an instant I was at his side, hauling him out of the debris, my own injuries forgotten. His labored gasps for air made my heart leap. “Marius!” Alive! Swallowing hard to keep back sudden tears, I cradled his bloodied head in my lap. “Marius, please…”
He shuddered, groaning in pain. “S…Scout?”
“How…?”
“Found some wire. Rigged the place. Brought most of the building down on their heads. Sonofabitch is probably holed up just like me somewhere.” His hands twitched like he was trying to wave me off. “If we could get some more of those grenades-”
Alive! Still foolhardy, too!
I could hardly see with the tears blurring my vision. “You idiot. We’re going. Now. I’m here for your body and I’m not leaving without it.”
Ready for installment three? Click here to read on.
See this Theme Thursday reddit thread here.