33. Anxiety

The crisp night air brushes past your legs as you slowly step into the tent. There's a sleeping bag laid out but doesn't seem big enough for two people. You slowly lower to your knees before sitting down and look back at Gage's looming form in the opening of the tent. It's hard to make out his face in the dim light but you distinctly see a smirk come across it before he zips the tent up. You let out a deep exhale when he's done zipping you inside, you didn't think he'd stay outside. As you cautiously lay down you can see a large shadow cast on the tent as Gage moves around outside. For a while the adrenaline of fear keeps you awake but eventually your eyes slowly blink closed and you fade into a deep sleep.

You awake with a start and sit up disoriented. Your mind takes a moment to catch up and you slowly remember where you are. It's still dark in the tent so you know the sun has risen yet. You rub the back of your neck, it's been a while since you've had to rough it like this. Being careful not to put any weight on your ankle, you slowly crawl forward toward the tent flaps. You can tell there's still a small fire burning outside but you're not sure if Gage is up yet. You hold your breath as you unzip the flap as quietly as you can. You don't unzip it all the way, instead, waiting patiently as the top of the unzipped flap slowly parts open. At first you can only see to the left of the campfire and don't notice Gage anywhere. You slowly shift your weight so you can try looking over at the other side of the fire. Your breath catches in your throat when your eyes land on Gage's figure.

His lean outline is illuminated by the fires dim glow and you slowly trace your eyes over him. He's standing facing the fire and is in the process of taking his shirt off. You find your head titling slightly to get a better look. Soft shadows dance across his lean but surprisingly muscular torso. You watch silently as he pours some water from the canteen over his head and your eyes follow beads of water trickle down his chest. You realize what you're doing and quickly reach up to start zipping the tent back up. You wince when one of your nails hits the metal tab and it jingles lightly. You immediately sit back in the tent cursing silently under your breath. You're not surprised when you hear Gage's light footsteps come up to the tent. The zipper slowly comes down the rest of the way and you see Gage's glistening abdomen in the opening. He leans down and pokes his head in to look at you. He's smirking again and cocks an eyebrow at you. "Awake already?"

"I was just getting up..." You mumble, trying to ignore the amusement in his voice. He reaches a hand down and helps you up. Your ankle is swollen and you still can't place your full weight on it. You awkwardly hobble out of the tent trying to keep your hands strictly on on Gage's arms for balance. He helps you sit down by the fire before finally putting his shirt back on. You shiver and wish the fire was bigger as you rub your hands together for warmth. You jump slightly when you feel Gage place his jacket back over your shoulders. You didn't even hear him walk over, you look up at him, and see he's also holding a pair of jeans in his hands. "They're probably to big for you but..." he just trails off and shrugs before you take them out of his hand. You put them on but find that they're definitely not going to stay up on their own.

Gage notices this and glances down at his pants before taking his belt off and handing it to you. Once you manage to get the pants on more securely you roll the pant legs up a bit, then tuck them into your boots, before give Gage an appreciative look. After you have a quick bite to eat, Gage puts the fire out, then buries the ashes. He packs the tent up quickly then comes over and helps you to your feet. While doing his best to keep you steady he turns and bends down so you can put your arms on his shoulders. You know from past experiences that a sprained ankle can take at least a week to heal. While it is nice not having to walk, you certainly don't like having to rely on Gage this much. The sun still hasn't risen when you leave and you wonder how much further you're going to go. It took you months to get from one end of the woods to the other when the disaster first struck. Even though a good portion of the forest was destroyed you know it's still large enough to get completely lost in. You don't know if Gage has a specific destination in mind or he's just trying to put as much distance between you and the cabin as he can.

Several hours pass by and the sun's bright rays are in full ****. You rest your head on your arm trying to keep yourself from accidentally brushing against Gage's rough cheek. He was clean shaven the night he took you but a thick five o'clock shadow has formed since then. Occasionally, a lock of his hair brushes across your face, and you're surprised at how soft it is. You still don't trust him but you're appreciative that he hasn't done anything to hurt you. You're staring at the trees passing by when you lift your head in surprise. The recognizable sounds of flowing water is coming from up ahead but the major river that runs through the forest should be on the other side. It must be a small creek running through this area. You keep your head raised and look ahead until you see a wide but shallow stream of water cutting through the forest floor. When you reach it Gage helps you off his shoulders and you sit down by the bank of the water. After rinsing your hands off you cup them and take a drink of the cool water.

You freeze when you hear Gage walk up behind you and you feel the bag on you back rustle. After a moment he moves and you let a small breath out when you see him walk to waters edge to refill the canteen. "You should wash up." he says when he's done. You frown at him before looking back down at the water. Your hair is starting to feel greasy and there's a thin layer of sweat and dirt on your skin. You can see your rippling reflection looking back at you and note your face is also pretty dirty. After a moment you decide you might as well try washing up a little bit. Naturally, Gage keeps his eyes focused on you as you take his jacket off.