They walked for hours after leaving the brothers.
Saul and Jackson had given them what they could before they split ways. A small sack of food. A little water. Nothing fancy. Just enough to keep them going for a few days if they stretched it carefully.
Cherie still remembered the way Saul had looked at them before they left. Like he wanted to say something else. Like he knew the road they were choosing wasn't the easier one.
The forest swallowed the sound of their steps as they moved deeper through it.
Dry leaves crunched under their boots with every step. Branches swayed softly overhead when the wind passed through the trees. The air smelled damp and cold, carrying the distant scent of rot that seemed to exist everywhere now.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
They had gotten used to walking in silence.
Talking meant thinking. Thinking meant remembering.
Then Hailey finally broke it.
"Where should we start?"
Cherie glanced over at her, confused.
"For what?"
