When the figure came into view, I breathed a sigh of relief as Nick launched forward into the person's arms, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug and forgetting all about his crutches. I lowered my weapon in relief, as did Hayden.

The boy had long brunette hair and grayish blue eyes. He was slightly dirty, and was dressed in the same soldier uniform that Nick was.

"Tess, Hayden, this bastard is Lenny. Len, these are the guys that rescued me," Nick said, pulling back from the embrace and looking around at all of us. He looked happier and relieved to see his friend again.

The newcomer flashed a smile at us, reaching out to shake each of our hands. His right hand was wrapped in a cloth, and it looked as though he had mild frostbite on his fingers. "Hello." He spoke with a british accent similar to Hayden's.

"I'm glad you found us. Nick was really worried about you," I told him, looking to the blonde.

Hayden cleared his throat beside me, and I turned to look at him questioningly.

"If you don't mind, we really should get going. We have only a few hours of daylight left," he said lowly. I frowned at his rudeness.

"Let them come with us. We could use the company," I hissed through gritted teeth. Hayden rolled his eyes, but didn't object. He turned and began to walk down the trail again, and I sighed as I followed him.

"I'm sorry about him," I said to Lenny. "He's in a bit of a mood right now." I didn't mention how Hayden probably didn't fully trust them.

Lenny chuckled. "Don't worry about it. This kind of situation can put anyone in a rotten mood." I nodded, and then fell silent as Nick began to strike up a conversation with Lenny.

I missed when I'd had friends like Lenny and Nick; playful and happy, no matter what was going on around them. I was so grateful to have those two boys with us as we embarked on our mission.

__

So for the next three or four hours, I was stuck alternating between glaring at Hayden's ass and talking to Lenny and Nick. That is, until we found another shelter.

This time, it was a small cabin. It had smoke spiraling out towards the grey sky and lit up windows. Hayden was cautious and told the three of us to stay hidden while he went to go investigate.

I snagged his sleeve. "Hayden, it's dangerous. You can't go alone," I protested in a whisper.

He looked down at me almost apologetically. I guess he finally felt guilty for yelling at me the night before. "The sun is going down, Tess. If we get stuck out here with no shelter we could freeze to death."

I pursed my lips. "Let me come with you," I insisted, not letting go of his arm.

He sighed exasperatedly, sporting a stressed expression. "Fine. But stay close and hidden unless I need backup," he caved.

I grinned triumphantly, pulling out my loaded gun. I made sure Nick and Lenny were aware of the plan, and then I followed Hayden the rest of the way to the small cabin. I hid behind a tree as he knocked on the door, hoping whoever was inside was friendly.

sorry this chapter is extremely boring lol