The snow is coming down harder now, and it is hard to see where I need to go. Eventually, though, the old oak comes into view along with Celina and her horse.

‘Are you alright? Are you hurt?’ My teeth are chattering so much that it is easier to just nod. The dogs are close, their incessant barking the only sound over the wind, torch light on the bridge.

‘No, I am not hurt,’ I stutter through chattering teeth.

‘Good, now get on the horse,’ she commands. My obedience automatic, damn it. She pulls my blanket tighter around me and wraps her arm around my waist. I’m not used to being touched by strangers and flinch. If she notices, she doesn’t say. She fusses a bit more getting comfortable with me pulled into her front.

‘Done,’ it comes out sharp. She huffs with annoyance behind me.

‘Yes, thank you,’ she grumbles and I can’t help but smile.

She walks the horse deeper into the wood. The dogs and torch light are very close, but the overgrown wood, with its straggly trees and weed shrubs, obscure us from view. Snow is falling so thickly our hoof prints disappear faster than we made them as the storm swallows us. The last sound I hear is a popping noise followed by screaming. The girl kicks the horse into a gallop. Screaming fades and hunching tighter into my blanket, I dip my head to combat the snow and cold.

***

After what feels like a long time, she slows the horse from the crazy speed we were doing to a gentle trot. My eyelids get heavy as the cold sucks all my energy. Jerking awake, I notice she is talking and try to get my cold, sluggish brain to register what she is saying. I notice for the first time her voice is different to mine. Yeah, I know she is a girl – I mean her vowels are soft rounded and quite pleasant to listen to.

‘Hey Thom, I have a boy, young, not retirement age. Yes, alright, no, he isn’t mine. The place was on lockdown, sirens going the works, security everywhere. Okay, will do that, talk to you later, bye.’

‘Who was that,’ I slur.

‘You need to stay awake,’ she pulls me into her tighter.

‘C … cold,’ I shiver.

Someone is rubbing me vigorously; she has removed my boots and wet trousers.

‘Come on wake up,’ some one is pulling my damp cold clothes off. ‘Oh I don’t want to do this,’ feeling of warm skin makes me open my eyes. I am rolled in a blanket with the girl and we are both wearing very little. It is very snug and warm. She is sort of curled around me.

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‘I am awake,’ I mumble into her shoulder.

‘Thank goodness,’ she moves away and I immediately miss her warmth. She pulls a shirt over my head it is warm and smells of her.

I look around and see we are in some sort of barn tucked between some large round bales of straw. It is relatively warm in here, out of the biting wind. Celina lets go of me when she sees I am awake. I scoot away from her, pulling the blanket tight around me.

‘Thank you.’ She ignores me and rummages in her large bag before throwing a pair of jeans at me. Catching them, I pull them on. She looks at me and sighs, before getting up and seeing to her horse.

The jeans are an odd fit and I guess they are hers. ‘That’s a nice horse. I’ve never seen one up-close before,’ I remark. It is quite a magnificent horse, its coat a deep chestnut brown with a white patch on its face and feet. ‘Can I touch him?’ I pull my dry seater on from my bag and rummage to find dry socks.

‘Sure,’ I scramble to my feet and tentatively edge close to the horse. It turns to look at me as I swallow. It is huge. Slowly, I reach out my hand and touch its nose. My fingers run over the velvet softness. A smile pulls at my lips as I glance at the girl she is building some sort of nest with the straw.

‘What’s its name?’ I have run my hand along his neck and smile as it nudges me with its nose.

‘His name’s Bob,’ she replies. Her short red hair is poking out from under her woollen hat, and occasionally she glances at me as she rubs Bob down. She has removed his saddle and is rubbing him with an old towel. Moving away to sit down amongst the straw, my gaze strays to her.

‘Why didn’t you give me back?’

She finishes with the horse and sits next to me, pulling a blanket around her. She shuffles closer and I try not to flinch as her shoulder brushes against mine. Passing her one of my sandwiches, I return her smile before biting into it, cheese.

‘Why would I do that? You heard them. You are very valuable,’ she smirks at me as I try not to choke on my sandwich.

‘Why were you there?’ She is lying. I heard her talking. She was there to collect someone.

‘That Adam is none of your business.’

‘It is if you are going to sell me. Not that I will allow you to do that,’ I growl at her, trying my best to be intimidating.

‘How are you going to stop me?’ in a split second she has me pinned against a bale. My arm twisted behind my back. ‘I could kill you now and no one would know,’ she whispers in my ear, pushing my arm higher, making me quiver with pain. ‘I could have killed you earlier when you were unconscious. Or used you, your body so well trained it doesn’t need you awake,’ she smirks as I blush. ‘Fortunately, you are more useful alive and I like my partners to participate,’

‘No… NO!’ I shout through the pain. ‘No, you won’t kill me.’ With strength I didn’t know I had, I push her away. Forcing her to the ground, I have my knife in my hand at her throat. ‘I am not something you can do with as you please, I am a person,’ I seethe climbing off her walking away. I find a crevice between the large round bales, wrapping my blanket around me I do my best not to cry at her meanness. She glances at me and then bursts out laughing.

‘Wow, how did you survive the Adam program with that temper?’ she shakes her head. ‘It might save your life,’ she moves next to me, pulling her blanket around us, creating a warm nest. ‘Look sorry, okay,’ her mirth still evident.

‘Apology accepted.’ I glare at her.

‘We’ll stay here for a bit until the storm passes. Thank you for the sandwich.’ she wiggles about getting comfortable. As she gazes at me again with her piercing green eyes. ‘I won’t touch you , promise. You can sleep,’ Nodding, I pull my hood up and close my eyes. I don’t talk; in all honesty, I have no idea what to say. Her capability is intimidating. I suspect I won’t get the upper hand again.