Love Unspoken

When Landon got back, he didn't head down the mountain. They just chilled up there for three days.

During those days, he figured out how to use the earthen stove and got pretty good at it, so Abigail barely had to step into the kitchen. Landon had stocked up on a ton of daily stuff, so they were set, except for the occasional firewood run.

Abigail had always been curious about the forest critters. Today, they ran out of firewood, so she and Landon headed into the woods. The place had been deserted for ages. The ground was covered in thick, soft, rotting leaves, crawling with bugs.

Abigail wasn't freaked out by the bugs. Sometimes, she'd spot a big snail on a tree and take it down, asking Landon, "Can we eat this big guy?" Landon glanced back, saw the snail in her hand, which was as big as a spoon, and frowned. "Eat it if you don't mind the bacteria." Abigail pouted and tossed the snail back.

She kept looking for other critters. "Can we eat grasshoppers?" "Look, a cicada pupa!" she exclaimed.

Landon kept gathering firewood, ignoring her. After a while of no response, Abigail got bored and stopped asking.

Every now and then, they'd see colorful butterflies in the forest. Abigail caught a couple and played with them for a bit before letting them go. After a bit, Landon cback with an armful of firewood and handed it to her. "Let's head back," he said.

Abigail casually took the bundle and looked him over. "Why aren't you carrying it?" she asked.

"I gathered it," Landon replied.

"Ever seen a hostage doing chores?" Abigail shot back.

Landon gave her a look. He didn't say anything, but it was clear: she had to do chores.

Abigail smirked and carried the firewood back.

Landon followed her, and they walked back to the yard at a relaxed pace. Just as they were about to get there, Landon grabbed Abigail's arm. "Hold up," he said.

Abigail stopped and looked back at him. "What's up?" she asked.

"There's someone inside," Landon replied.

Abigail's face changed, and she instinctively stepped back, standing next to Landon.

They hid behind a tree, and from there, they could vaguely see figures moving in the yard. Judging by their uniforms, they looked like cops.

Abigail instinctively glanced at Landon beside her. He stood there calmly, quietly watching the yard. She gently put the firewood down and leaned closer to the tree. After watching for a bit, she saw Alvin. Landon said, "Your dad's here. Aren't you going over?" Abigail was silent for a moment, looking at Alvin, who was talking to the cops in the yard, with a complicated expression. She whispered, "If I go out now, he'll think I ran off with you." Landon turned to look at her.

Abigail lowered her head, staying silent along with Landon.

"We've already searched. There's no one inside, but the car's still here, so they must've gone out," one of the officers said.

Alvin said anxiously, "Then go look outside. My daughter wouldn't have been killed by Landon, right?" "Alvin, chill out. The supplies here are for two people, so Abigail should be fine. But are you sure she was kidnapped?" one of the officers asked.

Alvin snapped, "Didn't you see the surveillance footage? If she wasn't kidnapped, then what was it?" "Alright, let's check outside," the officer suggested.

Alvin nodded and led the way. The mountain was huge, making it tough to search everywhere.

Alvin cto the tree and spotted the bundle of firewood. "Look here!" he shouted.

The cops cover and saw the neatly placed firewood, clearly put there by someone.

Alvin said, "Looks like they just got back and haven't gone far. Please, helpfind Abigail. Landon must have threatened her!" As he was talking, Oliver showed up with more people.

Seeing Alvin, he felt a headache coming on.

He walked over reluctantly, pulled Alvin's sleeve, and whispered, "Dad, why are you here?" Alvin glared at him. "If I didn't come, when would you find Abigail? You've been searching for days without finding her, and now you finally show up. Oliver, you better not be hiding anything from me." Oliver was silent for a moment and sighed, "How could I? I've been looking for them all along and just found this place. Have you found them?" "They ran off long ago. But they don't have a car, so they can't be far. Go find them now. No matter what, bring Abigail back today, or don't cback at all!" Alvin demanded.

He then followed the group of police officers.

Without noticing that Abigail and Landon were crouching in the bushes opposite, they went in the direction where the firewood was left.

Abigail peeked through the bushes and saw that there was no one in the yard.

She whispered, "There's no one inside. Let's go in and drive away." Landon grabbed her and pulled her back down. "Don't rush. There's someone waiting for us inside." Abigail frowned. She hadn't seen anyone.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Our car is still in there. To prevent us from leaving, someone must be hiding inside to ambush us. Besides, there were fifteen people in the yard just now, but only ten left," Landon explained. Abigail was slightly shocked. In her panic, she hadn't noticed how many people were inside, but Landon had already counted them. So, there must be someone hiding inside, waiting to catch them as soon as they entered.

Landon said, "Are you really not going out?"

"If I go out, what about you?" Abigail asked, turning to look at him, the worry clear on her face. She could on claim she was kidnapped by Landon and escaped, but that would add to his list of crimes. "Are you concerned about me?" Landon asked. Abigail opened her mouth, wanting to retort. However, she had no mood to argue with him and stared straight at him.

For the first time, when Landon asked such a vague question, she met his gaze openly.

The appearance of these people made her realize that Landon was in immediate peril and could be Rilled apy mondent. After a moment of intense eye contact, Landon looked away, turning his attention to the yard. at He said, "You have one last choice: go out and leave with them, or..." He didn't finish his sentence.

Abigail didn't care what he wanted to say and asked, "If I go out, can you still get away?" Landon didn't answer.