The Tag Bearer

Chapter 12 - T.E.A.M.

It wasn't Matthew. 

That was perhaps the biggest disappointment of all. 

I was tucked away in the security of someone else, surrounded by their warmth, by their kindness, and somehow, I couldn't care less. They weren't Matthew. They weren't even the slightest bit familiar to me. 

I was tired of living in fear, and for the first time in a long time, I strangely felt secure despite the fact I had no idea who the hell was carrying me. I felt whole. And it felt good.

I buried my face deeper into their shirt - the shirt that wasn't Matthew's. My tears eventually became soft sobs as I tried to calm myself down so they could no longer flow freely from my eyes. The coolness I had created on the stranger's shirt was soothing against my face as it became damp with a salty taste. My nose, although clotted and sniffling, could detect a slight manly perfume coming off the shirt like the sea but sweeter. It reminded me not of the ocean, but of fresh linen, a luxury I wish I could have.

It was strange. I felt vulnerable, yet, somehow, I didn't. This man reminded me of warmth, like hot cacao by the fireplace, and it made me wonder where Matthew was. I may have severely disliked him when we first met, but deep down, I felt a growing urge to be near him, like a lost child finally being hugged by its frantically worried mother. I guess I wasn't so good at playing the lone wolf after all. 

We must have walked for ages, because by the time I unburied my face from the shirt the sun was already descending on the horizon behind a treeline that towered above me. Like strangely allotted paintbrush strokes, the trees resembled sparse sponges dotting the purple hues now reaching far across the sky. Despite the beautiful celestial heavens, the person holding me ceased to stop and stare at the wondrous sight. 

Sticks continued to break heavily under their feet as they crunched over the undergrowth and ducked under low-hanging branches that scratched at the base of my calves whenever they happened to latch onto my torn pants. It wasn't long before we reached a makeshift camp built on a bare spot of grass surrounded by equally tall trees and the darkening blue hues of night. A fire sat in the middle and flames licked up at the air in a rain dance type fashion, and a small table to the left of the clearing was laden with stolen tins of food and hunted roasted rabbits.

My eyes drew to a rustle by the fire, the leaves picking up around it. A rather large, portly man was standing in the clearing; hands on his hips and an annoyed, almost angry look written on his aging face. We continued to walk towards him. The closer we got, the more panicked I became, until finally, I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"I send out a lone scout, he shoots some government guys, forces them to move away, and what does he bring me back? A friggin' god damn useless girl!" the portly man shouted. "We needed food, Bryce, not more damned hostages to ransom!"

"We have plenty of food," the man holding me replied, moving his head in the direction of the table. "Besides, I dunno what you want from me anymore, Maurice!" 

"Bryce," Maurice paused, clearly not content with Bryce's suppressed outburst. "Mate," his tone softened, "I send you out on a mission. You report back. Then we make a move. Together! As a team! T.E.A.M! Team!"

"Well, it wasn't my fault they were carting precious cargo, now was it!?" Bryce shot back, pacing slightly so I had to force my body to become rigid. "Where can I put her?"

"It's a 'her' now? Have we really progressed so far as to genderise them now?"

"This one's special," Bryce stated softly.

Maurice sighed heavily, clearly not impressed that they had another problem to deal with. "Just dump her over there."

Bryce hesitated, not wanting to conform to Maurice's demands, but clearly at the mercy of the man in whatever he did in life. It made me wonder what relationship they had; what had caused this young, fit man to be totally at the dispense of someone who was the complete opposite of him? Surely the pair weren't related?