The Storm We Built
225 Words
📘 Chapter 12: The Storm We Built
Rain came just after dawn — cold and unrelenting. It soaked the forest, masking every sound with its soft roar.
Lena didn’t return to the cave until midmorning. Jay was sitting near the wall, his shirt soaked, eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep or guilt. Or both.
She didn’t speak. She tossed him a small pack of stolen supplies she’d found buried near the ridge — canned food, bandages, a second lighter.
Jay took it without a word.
They sat across from each other, the fire between them small but steady. The air was thick with unspoken thoughts.
“I don’t need you to protect me,” Lena said finally.
Jay nodded. “I know.”
“I need you to be honest.”
He looked up at her. “I am now.”
Lena studied him. The lines in his face. The wound on his shoulder. The heaviness in his voice. She wanted to believe him. But belief had cost her everything before.
“If we’re doing this,” she said, “you tell me everything. Every step. Every lie you ever told to keep this secret buried.”
Jay’s eyes darkened.
“You may hate me after,” he said.
“I already do.”
But she didn’t get up.
She stayed.
That was the difference.
- Writer
