But right now, in this moment, it means more than anything. It’s the first real sign of humanity that I’ve been shown since starting all of this. It fills me with a hope that I thought was gone.
Logan is going to save me. I know it in this moment. I’m surer of it than I ever have been before. I don’t know who he is or what his plan is, but I know he’s going to keep me safe and steal me away from this place. He all but said it already.
But for some reason, staring at the ocean makes that real for me. He’s risking a lot by taking me out here, I’m sure. If we’re caught, I bet he’ll get in a lot of trouble, maybe even killed. He promised me, though, and he’s keeping his promise.
Best of all, the ocean signifies something for me that I can’t really explain. It’s safety and good memories. It’s the only good thing in my life, really. One day, I want to live by the ocean, and get to feel this way every single day, forever.
“Come on,” Logan says softly. “Wipe dry those tears. Let’s go feel the sand.”
I nod at him, smiling, and wipe the tears away. He squeezes my hand and we walk down the dunes onto the beach. I take off the thin sandals I was given and laugh at the feeling of the sand between my toes.
“I never thought this would actually happen,” I say.
“I don’t tell lies,” he answers, taking off his own shoes. He holds them in one hand and holds my hand with his other. We start walking away from the compound, down along the beach.
It’s beautiful, quiet, and empty this late at night. I guess it’s around midnight, considering where the moon is, but I’m not sure. I smile to myself and for a while I embrace the fiction that we’re just two normal people out for a stroll. I love the feeling of his rough, comforting hand in mine, and I don’t try to overthink this.
“I’ve never been on a beach this late before,” I say.
“First time for everything.”
“It’s nice. Quiet. I wonder if the fish are asleep.”
“The sharks are.” He grins at me. “Want to go swimming?”
“Sharks?” I shake my head. “No thanks.”
“Your loss.” He grins and drops my hand then heads toward the water and the darker, harder sand
“Logan, wait,” I say. “Don’t go in there! It’s dangerous.”
“Oh, don’t worry.” He stops in the shallows where the water just laps at his ankles. “I’m not dumb enough to go further.”
I walk up to him and stand next to him. The water runs over my feet and I laugh. “It’s warm.”
“Pacific Ocean,” he says. “It’s gorgeous during the day.”
“I bet. Do you swim?”
“No,” he says. “I don’t leave the compound much.”
“You should. Come swim for me.”
He smiles. “Okay. I will.”
“Come on. Let’s keep going.”
“Okay. There’s something I want to show you.”
“Oh?”
“It’s a little spot. A private place, I guess you can say.”
“Private place.” I laugh. “Are you trying to get me alone?”
“Damn right I am,” he says, smirking, and takes my hand. “Come on.”
We walk along the beach and I can’t stop smiling. It’s hard to really wrap my mind around the change that I’m going through, but I’m not questioning it. I’ve gone from locked in a cell to walking along the beach, and soon I’ll be back in that cell. I know that’s the truth. But I can pretend I’m free for a little while.
Ahead in the distance, an outcropping of rocks starts to materialize in the moonlight. It’s pretty large and it looks like it’s the start of a little inlet on the other side.
“Just ahead,” he says, pointing.
“The rocks?”
“In the rocks.”
We keep walking and eventually we make it without issue. He hops up, helping me along. I’m weaker than I realized, probably because I’ve been lying around in bed all day long since this all started. I’ve been eating better for the last few days, but before that I was a little malnourished. I’m sure I lost weight, but it doesn’t matter. The rocks are cool under my bare feet and Logan has me, steadying me, and I know I won’t fall.
We pick our way through the rocks until we come to a little crack. Logan squeezes down inside of it and reaches out for me. He helps me inside, and we disappear into our own private little cave.
It’s not enormous, just enough room for us both to stand. It’s maybe ten feet wide, at most, and the ground is cool, comfortable sand. Logan leans up against the rock wall.