Ashley's words rang in Reid's head. Get in the trees. He remembered the day they'd finally found the small farm she’d been hiding near. The first floor of the house barricaded and looking abandoned. Then they found her “nests” in the trees. All the ladders had been torn up and replaced with thick knotted wood with small notches. They were footholds, he realized now, brilliant safe-to-sleep roosts because of footholds.

Wendigos can't climb.

The thought was so simple. So blissfully simple.

Most of the horde followed Cazalla into the brush, only a few stragglers remained with the bodies.

“We can’t go south,” Shannon slipped in beside him with Cooper clinging to his shirt.

“North is just as bad.” Reid eyed Cally and spared her the details of why. Her father’s corpse was a good distraction for now, but if they wandered near it the hungry wendigos would follow.

“Trees?” Shannon smirked and Reid felt himself almost chuckle.

“High ground it is.”

Reid turned and offered a hand to Cally. Her arm was in bad shape, looked like a fracture from her tumble if he had the time to really examine it. But she’d been brave and after she called out for her brother she’d remained quiet. It wasn’t a bite it didn’t bleed, and she could still run. Stroke of luck on that.

But not our only one. His thoughts turned to Cazalla. To Ashley. She freed herself, right under my nose, but she didn’t run.

“Isn't it dangerous?” Cooper asked cautiously as they started into the trees.

“Super dangerous.” Bending down Shannon scooped up Cooper onto his back like she had. Like they were thick as thieves.

Reid frowned but couldn’t say he wasn’t pleased. At least he wasn’t left alone with the two kids.

“My family,” Cally sniffed back tears.

Why did I dive after her? Some instinct in Reid had saved Cally's life when the attack started and that same instinct led him to bend down to her.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Your dad is dead, you can't help him. Your mom and brother are with,” Don't say Laurence. He just murdered her father. “They’re with Tish and Chandra. Shane's safer than the rest of us so we're going. We don't have time to talk.” He ripped a part of his shirt sleeve and wrapped it around her arm as a makeshift sling.

The woods were thick and the rain barely made it through. It was loud under the canopy of maples, oaks, and evergreens. And dark. The light was stifled and he could barely see in front of him.

“Not sure if she went south or north but I say we go straight west. ” Shannon whispered the brief instructions and they were the last words spoken for nearly ten minutes of walking. When Shannon stopped, the four stayed quiet and listened for sounds that didn't belong.

The valley itself felt like a chill jungle; stagnant air, humidity they didn't feel in the open. The Rouge had been different, safer and less dense with brush and overgrown trees. The only sounds that didn't fit were sniffles from Cooper and Cally.

Beside them was an old thick oak tree, still leafy and tall. The lowest branch was beyond Reid’s reach and Shannon was just tall enough to grab it.

“Coop, come'ere.” Sliding off Shannon Cooper hit the ground soft and silent. “You're going to climb as high as you feel you can. Not higher. Got it?”

He nodded in silence and Reid turned to Cally.

“Once they're up we'll get in.”

“I can't climb.”

“You don't have to. We'll lift you up.” Reid realized now how simple it all was when it was just them and the kids; they had to survive.

Sure, they weren't his. Shannon barely gave a shit before. But now that they were cut off from their parents, alone and scared, they just kind of stepped up. The thought of leaving them behind seemed… unthinkable as Reid looked at Cally wiping her cheeks. He had to at least try.

If we don’t, it’s just about the same as shooting them dead.

Cooper was up in the tree and then, with a boost from Reid, Shannon was up too. In the dark they disappeared amongst the thick leaves and branches. Once Cooper was high enough for space Shannon reached down to grab Cally's good arm and Reid boosted her up.

Alone on the ground, he took a moment to survey their situation. They couldn't be in a more dangerous place but he really did feel alone. Not a single sound besides rain and sniffles entered their little treehouse.

Shannon's hand shot out from the dark to lift Reid. It was harder than it looked with their hands slick from the rain. Two attempts nearly exhausted them both before the third heave gave Reid a good grip. He swung his legs onto the branch and pulled his body up. Cally was perched on the branch above and Shannon and Cooper on the branch above that. He moved up one more to give Cally something to hold onto.

“Do you think he's okay?” she whispered to Reid after he thought she'd fallen asleep. Cooper was quick to pass out, Shannon keeping a hold of him so he didn't fall out of the tree.

“Shane?”

“Yeah. She won't hurt him, will she?” Reid thought on her question longer than he should have and Cally's eyes widened with fear. It took him a minute to calm her down before he could really answer.

“I don't know. I won't lie to you and say he's fine because I don't know. But I was telling the truth when I said he's safer than we are.”