In Your Arms

In Your Arms
The ground sucked at their hands and knees as they crawled, every movement slow, deliberate. Mud clung to their clothes, squelching with each shift. Sophie’s chest rose and fell too quickly, her breathing louder than the night itself.

“Be quiet,” Talia whispered, her lips close to Sophie’s ear. “Steady… one breath at a time…..You’re doing fine. Don’t let fear make us slip.”

Sophie nodded weakly, fighting the urge to gasp for air. Her pulse thundered as her hand slipped on the wet earth, but she steadied herself, keeping pace with Talia’s calm rhythm.

Together they pushed deeper into the thickets. The flashlights behind them shrank into faint specks, the men became little more than shadows at the edge of sight. Branches scraped their arms and faces, mud dragged at their feet, but they dared not stop.

As sophie try to lift her leg she stumbled ,her shoe, heavy with mud, caught against a root, and she went down hard. Pain shot through her ankle as she collapsed forward, a muffled cry breaking from her lips.

“Are you okay ?,” Talia breathed, catching her before she hit the ground. She clamped a hand gently over Sophie’s mouth, silencing her before the sound would attract attention to them . Sophie tried to rise, but her ankle gave way again, forcing her back down.

Talia glanced over her shoulder. The guards were too far to see, but not far enough to risk noise. Without hesitation, she slid an arm beneath Sophie’s knees and another behind her back. With a strength born of sheer will, she lifted her and carried her through the mud.

Sophie buried her face against Talia’s shoulder, shame and gratitude twisting in her chest.

They reached the shelter of a wide tree, its roots jutting from the earth like claws. Talia lowered Sophie carefully against the trunk, her touch steady, deliberate.

Flicking on Sophie’s phone torch for only a second, she tore a strip from her damp shirt and wrapped it tightly around Sophie’s ankle. Sophie winced, clutching Talia’s arm, but held back a cry. When it was done, Talia switched off the light and pressed her gently against the tree. She sat beside her, chest heaving from exhaustion, though her eyes never left Sophie.

“I’m sorry,” Sophie whispered, breaking the silence. “I nearly ruined everything. With the puddle, with….”

Talia turned to her, brushing a muddy strand of hair from her cheek. Her voice was low but firm. “Don’t apologize. You did well. We survived this round that’s all that matters.”

Sophie blinked hard, her throat tightening. Slowly, she leaned into Talia, her head settling against her shoulder. Her voice trembled against Talia’s chest. “With you here… I know we’ll get out safely. And if there’s only a chance for one of us… I’d rather it be you.”

For a moment, Talia stilled, her heart catching in her chest. She tried to pull back, but Sophie’s headpressed gently against her chest , keeping her close. With a quiet sigh, Talia laid her hand over Sophie’s hair, stroking slowly.

“No need to choose who lives or dies,” she murmured. “Because I’m bringing both of us out of here.”

Sophie lifted her head, ready to respond, but her words froze. As her eyes caught, faint headlights flickered in the distance.

“Maybe that’s a city we are getting closer to the city ,” she whispered, hope threading into her fear.

“City?” Talia asked, following her gaze.

“Yes. Look the lights. Maybe we’re safe now. Maybe we can walk there, find shelter, ask for help and Tommorrow we can return.”

“Or maybe it’s another danger,” Talia countered, calm but firm. “Whatever it is, we can’t risk it at night. We’ll stay here till daybreak. Tomorrow ,when day break we’ll check which one it is maybe city or danger .”

Sophie wanted to argue, but the quiet certainty in Talia’s voice stilled her. She nodded faintly and curled closer.

Talia wrapped both arms around her, shielding her from the night’s damp chill. She swatted away mosquitoes, shifted so Sophie could rest more comfortably, and pressed her cheek lightly against Sophie’s hair.

Little by little, Little by little, Sophie’s breathing slowed against her chest, sleep pulling her under. But Talia’s eyes never left the shadows. For every sigh of the wind, every rustle in the brush, her grip tightened.

And so the night passed long, heavy, endless. But Sophie slept soundly, because Talia refused to let the world take her .