12. Struggle

Tensing at his words you feel your heart rate increase and your eyes stay fixed on his pistol. "I..." You start to speak but your mouth has gone dry and nothing else comes out. River frowns at your hesitancy then steps forward and places his hand back on your arm. His grip is tight and you wince when you feel the barrel of his gun press against your side. He removes your rifle and tosses it aside before telling you to open the barn door then pushes you in front of him as you walk out. The wind has picked up slightly and you shiver as he leads you up the path and past your house. As you continue making your way down you begin to make out the silhouette of his horse in the distance. It's standing next to the tree where you had found old hoof prints just a few days ago. As you approach the stallion you finally find your voice and whisper. "What are you going to do with me?" River remains silent as he helps you up on the horse then takes a seat behind you. His large arms press slightly against your sides as he pulls the reigns of the horse back. You feel your stomach slowly sink as River begins leading his horse in the direction of the open land.

River's warm torso presses against your back as you quietly make your way ahead. You stiffen slightly when you finally hear River speak up. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you but I can't risk you telling anyone about me. Not yet, at least." His words are slightly puzzling but at least put you at ease somewhat. As the night presses on you find yourself growing quite tired and your eyelids blink heavily as you try to keep them open. River doesn't appear to be stopping anywhere for the night and eventually your head leans over against his arm as you drift off. You awake with start sometime later when you feel warm rays of sunlight hitting your face. Sitting up and looking around in confusion you're surprised to find yourself in a small tent of sorts. The flaps in front of you hang partially open and you move to stand up only to notice your feet are tied together. A long shadow is cast on you as the flap is pulled open further and you see River standing before you. Crouching he down he undoes the rope around your ankles then helps you up. A small fire has built a few feet away from the tent and you see River's horse tied to a pole nearby.

Since your hands are still tied together River places a hand on your arm for support as you take a seat by the fire. "Where are we?" The landscape before you is slightly lusher than the area you had been travelling through the night before. River shrugs slightly and says you're halfway between town and the state line. It concerns you to know you're only about half a days journey from the next state over. River looks over you for a moment before sighing, "I'm sorry you're caught up in all of this." You raise an eyebrow at him and goes on to say. "I just need you to stay out here for a few days while I take care of something. " After a moment you tell him you understand but you still have an uneasy feeling inside. If River set those fires earlier you worry about what ever unfinished business he's talking about. River leaves some food and water behind before untying you then mounting his horse. He tells you he'll be back in a while and a cloud of dirt is kicked up as he rides away. As the dust settles you take a better look at your surrounds and shiver slightly when you see just how isolated you are.

It's still fairly earlier in the morning and the air still feels slightly cool. You frustratedly push hair out of your face and sigh when you think of Austin. It's starting to anger you slightly how much trouble River has caused and is likely to keep causing. An hour or so passes and you pace around the now dead campfire as you continue contemplating everything. The day passes by slowly and you grow more restless as the sun begins to set. You've managed to relight the fire and sit before to it staring ahead anxiously. You worry increases as the night grows later and River hasn't returned. Eventually you retire to the tent and spend a restless night tossing around. When the next day arrives and there's still no sign of him you know something is wrong. He didn't leave you enough food and water to last more than a day or so. Either something has happened to him or he never planned on returning to begin with. Running your hand through your loose hair you stare ahead at the large stretch of land before you. Holding the almost empty canteen in your hand you begin walking in the direction of town.

It took you nearly half a day to ride out here so you know the walk back will be long. The hot sun beats against your back as it continues rising higher in the sky and your head is starting to pound. You've been forcing yourself not to drink the last of the water but eventually can't hold out any longer. The warm liquid runs down your throat but there isn't enough to completely satisfy you. A few hours later you're slightly relieved when the heat subsides slightly as the sun begins to descend. Unfortunately, you now have the oncoming cold and darkness to worry about. Several yards ahead you can make out a small rock formation and decide to not to stop until you've reached it. The last of the suns rays are fading as you reach the area and take shelter under a crevice between one of the rocks and the ground. The wind whistles around outside as you wrap up in a fetal position for warmth. A coyote howls somewhere in the distance and you shiver as you will yourself to stay awake. The hours of walking eventually catch up to you and slip into unconsciousness.

You're stiff and sore when you wake up the next more and crawl outside. Stretching you grown slightly and rub the back of your neck before taking a look around. The area you came from is clear but it's the direction of town you're more interested in. There's a bigger rock beside the shorter one you slept under last night and should give you a better view. After climbing onto the first rock you're able to put your forearms on the top of the larger one and pull yourself up. Holding your arms slightly out for balance you take a step forward on the uneven surface. To your disappointment even with the added height all you can see is bare land before you. Glancing down, you tense slightly when you see the ground below you. The rock is around the same height as the roof of your small home and it's hard to get a good footing on it. You're about to start trying to climb back down when you catch something in the corner of your eye. Turning your gaze your heart beat increases when you make out the distant cloud of dirt from a rider. You're unsure if they'll even be able to see you but quickly raise your arms over your head and begin waving them.

The motion causes you take a step back and you gasp when you feel you lose your footing. Time seems to stand still for a second before it comes crashing down with you. All of the air rushes out of your lungs as your back hits the ground. Small stars flash before your eyes as you slowly raise your head and groan. Propping yourself up on your elbows you look down and attempt to move your legs. You're quite relieved to find you somehow managed not to break any bones and shakily get to your feet. Your already sore head is pounding and you feel something warm run down your neck. It seems you haven't escaped completely uninjured and wince as you feel a small gash on the back of your head. You try to step forward but quickly stop when a wave a dizziness overtakes you. Placing a hand against the rock for support then lean back against it. Everything is starting to seem quite helpless when you finally hear hoof beats approaching. You momentarily forget about your pain when you see the oncoming rider is Austin. He's barely slowed his steed down before he jumps off and rushes over to you. Collapsing into his arms you feel a tear of relief run down your check as he pulls you close. He doesn't waste much time before picking you up and carrying you over to his horse.