Chapter 97: A Moment of Rest Anna POV

After hours of wandering around, we came across a cabin. With his hand hovering over the corroded handle, Lucas stopped at the door.

"It doesn't appear to be much," he remarked, turning to face me. "But compared to sleeping outside, it's better."

I nodded, too tired to protest. Running had left my legs hurting, and the turmoil of the previous day had left my brain aching. If only for a few hours, I just wanted to pass out somewhere safe.

We entered the room when Lucas creaked the door open. It was remarkably undamaged, but the air was musty and stagnant. There was a shabby couch in the middle of the room, its cushions sagging but still functional, and a little fireplace against one wall.

As we shut the door behind us, Lucas muttered, "This will do." He went quickly to inspect the windows to make sure we weren't being followed. His movements were quick and precise.

With everything finally weighing on me, I collapsed onto the couch. I pressed my trembling palms to my face in an attempt to regulate my breathing.

Lucas whispered gently, "Hey," jerking me out of my thoughts. He was crouched in front of me, his eyes probing mine, when I looked up. "You alright?"

I said in a voice that was hardly audible above a whisper, "I don't know. I feel like everything is heavy."

With a softened smile, he nodded. "There has been a lot. Anna, we are still here. We'll succeed in this."

Although I wanted to believe him, I was plagued with uncertainty. "How?" With a cracking voice, I asked. "How do we continue when everything seems to be falling apart?"

Lucas paused, looking down at the ground. "Because we have no other option," he ultimately stated. "Because it is not an option to give up. Not for me nor for you."

The turmoil in my head was calmed by his words, which enveloped me like a cozy blanket. I inhaled deeply and nodded. I said, "You're right," in a more steady voice.

Getting up, he extended his hand to me. "Come on. Let us start a fire. Soon, it will be dark."

Silently, we gathered wood from the little pile by the fireplace and stacked it until flames began to flare. The instantaneous warmth chased away the cold that had crept into my bones.

Lucas sat on the couch next to me, his face shadowed by the firelight. His eyes had a quiet intensity that made my chest tighten, even though he appeared sleepy.

I blurted out the words, "You've been holding us together," before I could stop myself. "I believe I haven't expressed gratitude."

With furrowed brows, he turned to face me. "Anna, you don't have to thank me. We are all in this."

"Yes, but still." Looking for the appropriate words, I trailed off. "I doubt I could accomplish this without you."

Both of us remained silent for a time as Lucas's face softened. The weight of everything we had experienced together, along with the unspoken things, made the quiet between us unsettling.

Finally, in a quiet voice, he murmured, "Anna. I have something I've been meaning to say."

Looking into his intense eyes made it difficult for me to breathe, and my heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"

He paused, his jaw clenched as though he was trying to get up the confidence. He said, his voice hardly audible above a whisper, "I care about you. More than I should probably."

With the backdrop fire crackling quietly, the air appeared to get thicker around us. With my heart racing, I took a deep breath.

"I also care about you," I confessed, my voice trembling. "I am not certain when it happened, but... I sense it as well."

A look of surprise flickered across Lucas's face as his eyes widened slightly. However, he softened his attitude and reached out to remove a lock of hair from my face.

With emotion in his voice, he responded, "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that."

A tiny, hesitant smile that seemed strange after everything we'd gone through came out of my mouth. "I believe that I do."

We just sat there for a time, the air between us tinged with an intangible but unmistakable energy. Then slowly, as if to give me an opportunity to back away, Lucas leaned in with tentative gestures.

No, I did not.

The world seemed to collapse when his lips found mine. All of it—the uncertainty, the pain, the fear—melted into the background, leaving just the steady beat of his pulse and the warmth of his touch.

The deep, tender kiss was more of a promise than anything else. Lucas's breath was warm on my skin as he laid his forehead against mine when we finally separated.

"I have no idea what's going to happen," he said. "But I'll fight for you, I know that. For us."

My eyes were watering, but not because I was upset. "I'm going to fight too," I muttered. "We'll resolve this. together."

We were brought back to reality by a huge collision outside, which broke the scene. Quickly, Lucas stood up, his body alert and stiff.

With a strong, urgent voice, he urged, "Stay here."

"No way," I retorted, stepping up as well. "I won't leave you to face whatever lies ahead by yourself."

He looked at me, admiring and frustrated at the same time. "Alright. Stay close."

With lengthy shadows cast behind us by the firelight, we made our way to the door. Lucas opened the door carefully, and I could hear the creak in the silence while my heart raced.

There was an indisputable feeling that something was watching and waiting in the quiet, dark woodland outside.

"Did you feel that?" I uttered a barely heard murmur.

Lucas's mouth clenched as he nodded. "Yes. Be vigilant."

With the chilly night air stinging my skin, we went outside. The only sound to break the terrible silence was our breathing. Then a wild deer came running from the bush.

Heading back inside, we both shook our heads and took a look at each other.