Breaking Their Hold

"Are you Louise?" Mel heard Pierre asking an older woman quietly the next morning as they stood outside of a very well-concealed grass hut in the middle of a thick of trees. She carefully brought her hand up to the necklace that Mara had given her when they'd been in California. It seemed so long ago that she'd seen the strange girl, and yet she knew it probably hadn't been more than a month or two.

She wondered how Mara was doing now and whether or not she'd finally been caught by the Government. She dearly hoped that she hadn't; that all of them including Jacobs were still alright. She wanted them to all be safe. They'd helped her and the others get started on this trip. Mel knew that if it hadn't been for Mara, she never would have made it out of California and that she probably would have already been caught by Schlagger and the rest of the Government Police.

The older woman eyed the necklace that Mel was wearing and her eyes widened upon seeing it before she nodded, holding her head a little bit stiffer. "Did my niece send you?" She asked quietly before she looked at Mel more inquisitively. "Is she dead? Her father?"

"No, no," Pierre shook his head. "Mara and Jacobs are doing as well as can be expected at the time being. They're in no danger of getting caught. She sent us here for your help."

The woman thought about it for a moment and then took a step closer to Mel before she narrowed her eyes; not in anger, but rather in question. She was studying her, as if she was trying to find any kind of flaw that would give her away as one of the rumored Government spies that were sent out to seek out Independents from time to time. When she saw no hint of dishonesty in Mel's appearance, she just nodded before a small smile formed on her face.

"I've been expecting the two of you," she finally spoke. "Pierre and Mel, correct?"

Pierre nodded and then a wide smile formed on his face as Louise opened her arms in welcome for them. She was obviously happy to see the two of them here and that was definitely something he'd been counting on.

The truth was, Pierre hadn't been completely sure that Louise was going to be as willing to help them as Mara had been. The older Independents were often less willing to help the younger generation of runaways; especially ones as high-profile as Mel and Pierre had become. They remembered clearly a time of freedom; a time when people thought the worst the country could get was when it was run by a President who had one too many sexual exploits or a President who didn't know how to enforce or create new laws. Before Schlagger, no one had ever thought the country could take the path it had. And yet, here they were; in a situation that almost seemed to mirror the Holocaust of Germany.

"Mara sent word that you would appear a little ragged, but I wasn't expecting you to both look so starved," Louise said before she led them inside of her grass hut before ushering them to sit down on some crudely built benches. "I've got some soup brewing; it should be ready before long. Until then, if you'd like some berries or roots, I've got an ample supply. Winter is coming fast this year."

"Yes, please," Pierre said in a grateful tone, giving Mel a look that told her to accept the food that had been offered to her.

Mel just nodded and allowed the older woman to fill her hands with an assortment of red, purple, and slightly green berries that she had no idea the names of, as well as a few pieces of unidentified root. She didn't know if she'd actually be able to stomach eating the food, but she knew that she needed to try. She and Pierre were guests here; not residents, and they needed to look at each act of kindness with extreme gratitude. Mel knew that Louise was risking a lot just by feeding them, and it was very humbling to her to realize just how much so many people had been willing to sacrifice for her since she'd escaped Haverly Hospital with Pierre, Jimmy, and Matt. A darkened look overtook her face when she thought of Sophia, wondering what had happened to the girl.

She knew that chances were, Sophia was probably dead right now. She'd sacrificed her life to get Mel out of Haverly alive and that was something she was hardly able to comprehend. What had Sophia been able to gain by giving her life? Absolutely nothing, and yet she'd been willing to do so without hesitation.

"You both can rest here for the night as well," Louise spoke up. "My nephew has a hut down a little further, and it's well equipped for guests. I'm sure you'll be more than comfortable there."

"Thank you for your kindness," Pierre told her before he started to slowly eat the berries. He didn't make a single face as he ate them, though Mel was unable to stop her face from puckering slightly when she tasted how bitter the berries tasted. The older woman chuckled and then wiped her hands on the old apron she was wearing before she looked over at Mel.

"They're winterberries," she explained with a small smile. "The red ones taste a little better, if you like sweet. They're buffalo berries."

Mel nodded and then started to eat the red berries like she'd been suggested to and then smiled softly at the slightly better taste. She was glad to be here, even if she was apprehensive about the whole journey. She missed Jimmy more than anything and she wished like crazy that he was here with her, even though she knew that he would prefer to be right where he was.

"So, what path are you planning on taking?" Louise asked, taking a handful of berries for herself and eating them before she looked at Pierre, knowing that he would more than likely have the answers as opposed to Mel.

He finished eating his berries before he looked up at her as well, a clear look of determination on his face.

"My plan is to cut through the Dakotas briefly and go through Minnesota," he told the older woman. "The Dakotas will buy some time, even though it's a little riskier."

"Indeed it is risky," Louise nodded, a darkened look taking over her face. "Last week two men were caught passing through there. They were shot on site; not even given a chance to be arrested. I'll be glad if I never see another police man in my life," she muttered under her breath.

Mel's heart skipped a beat at the woman's words, wondering whether or not the two men had been Jimmy and Matt. They hadn't said they'd be going through the Dakotas, but she knew there was always a chance that they'd either gotten lost or decided to take a different route. She knew she couldn't ask, but it was all she could do to pray like Hell to whatever God existed that the two of them were still alive. If she reached the end of this journey and found out that Jimmy wasn't alive anymore, she had no idea how she'd react.

"It wasn't them, Mel," Pierre murmured softly. "I'd have found out while I was at the debriefing if Matt and Jimmy had been caught. They'd have warned me to get on your tail a little faster."

Mel nodded, relief flooding through her body before she bit her bottom lip. She wanted to see Jimmy again right now, but she knew she needed to wait. It was still going to be a few months at least until they reached Canada; or at least, by her estimation it would be.

She had no idea how they could walk from here to Canada in less than a month, even if that was what Pierre thought they'd be able to do. It frightened her to know that he was so determined to get there so quickly. Wasn't it more risky to go fast? She didn't like moving fast, especially when it was a situation like this. But she knew that she needed to listen to Pierre in this situation.

"I can help you get to your destination a little bit faster," Louise spoke with a kind voice. "My nephew, the one you'll be staying with tonight, has a Turncoat for a best friend. He's on our side and he's already agreed to drive you in a vehicle to the checkpoint in Spearfish. That's in South Dakota. It'll get you almost into North Dakota."

Pierre nodded and then looked over at Mel. He knew this was going to be a hard trip for her, but he knew she was going to be able to handle it. She was stronger than she took herself for and Pierre knew that by the end of all this, she was going to be surprised at just how much she could persevere.