Cameron nodded quickly and made her way into the tattered town-home and inside the first room she spotted. Much to her dismay, the suspicions she had were confirmed by the woman with the stern voice. They were after the steel box. And they knew that she was the one who had been transporting it. Perfect. This stupid box was going to get her killed for information she didn't even know. If it was any other elder who gave it to her, she would have probably just thrown it to the small group outside and wished them the best, but the conviction John had when he told her to bring it North was the only thing that kept her lugging it around. Cameron knew it was important, [i]too[/i] important to fall into the wrong hands. 

Her racing thoughts were interrupted by Justin’s yelling voice. She followed him quickly out the rear end of the town-home and did her best to match his pace while they ran, which the gunfire made pretty easy. “I’m sorry!” she admitted as she followed his lead. “I underestimated this fuckin’ thing. I had no idea any one knew, I…” she stopped talking, keeping her eyes on him to make sure he didn’t take any dramatics turns. She felt awful – he was too nice to be put in such a predicament, especially one that got him home attacked. Her eyes began to tear up a bit at the thought of having to see another village flattened, dead bodies littering the ground and any survivors pleading for help. She probably wouldn’t be able to say something that would make things better, so she remained silent as they sprinted.

Cameron looked back and saw no trace of their aggressors, so she waved Justin down to stop for a moment. Her hands rested on her knees as she practically wheezed over the ground. Jesus, she was out of shape. She hocked a loogie over to the side and looked up to the man who’s week (at least) she had ruined, wincing in both physical and emotional pain. They were near an old, dilapidated apartment building, and she nudged her head in its direction to suggest that they take a break inside. “I need a minute,” she said in a breathily manner before beginning to cough. 

As they made their way inside, Cameron thought of some good way to explain her situation without sounding crazy, but she knew that probably wouldn’t happen. [i]The mystical box in my backpack will somehow save multitudes of lives, and I, the girl who the village wouldn’t trust as far as they could throw her, am being depended on to deliver it to someone when I just get that feeling that they are “the one.”[/i] Yeah. That was going to go wonderfully.

Once they found and scoped a room, she closed the door behind her and threw her backpack on the ground. “Look, I have no idea what’s in the box. I just know it’s important. Really important. I guess to more people than I thought.” She unzipped the large pack and pulled it out, tossing it to Justin. “I think,” she began, still catching her breath, “someone is supposed to have a key, I think? My instructions were very vague.” Cameron frowned a bit as she looked at Justin. “I really am sorry. I didn’t know this would happen.”