Book 1|23. Day and Night

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Music: 'Warzone' by The Wanted (click to listen above)

Chapter 23 – Day and Night

Raine

       

Adrenaline crashed through my rib cage and radiated out to my extremities, leaving my fingers and toes tingling. My skin felt too tight. Sweat beaded at the back of my neck. I had only one goal, one directive, and it wouldn't be denied... freedom!

I drifted silently down a long hallway in the opposite direction of Cage's suites until I located a back stairwell. Much of the layout was duplicated in various parts of the building. With any luck, this path would lead me toward the section of the building closest to the woods. 

With a quick flick of my wrist, I opened the door and slid through. Three flights of steps down and I crashed to a halt before exiting the stairwell. I bent over with my hands on my waist and gulped in large lungfuls of air to regulate my breathing.  A panting, wild-eyed human was sure to draw attention. If I had any chance of breaking free, I needed to control my outward appearance. I needed to appear cool, calm and collected, like I belonged in this section of the building. Not like the scared run-away that I was.

I forced myself to remain in place, and countedslowly . One, two, three...eight, nine...when I reached ten, I straightened and smoothed a hand over my wayward hair. Taking a deep breath, I turned the handle and exited the stairwell. A quick glance to the right and left confirmed the layout was similar to Cage's portion of the estate.

Yes!

I moved as quickly as I could without drawing attention to myself, through the complex maze of hallways, until I reached an exterior door. I examined the door for security sensors. There weren't any that I could see, but that didn't mean I wouldn't trip a silent alarm if I opened it. My heart thumped hard in my chest.

I turned away. It was just too risky. The vampires were smart. There had to be an alarm on the door. Shit, now what? I eyed the long hallway. There were multiple doors leading to unknown rooms. Maybe one of those rooms would have a better option to break through to the outside. I slunk toward the closest door and twisted the handle. It was locked. I bit back a sound of frustration and moved on to the next one. This time, the knob gave way! I inched the door open slowly, refraining from just barging into the darkened room. The odds were probably zero that Vlad could be inside, indulging his primal desires, but after the last time, one couldn't be too careful.

The room was empty. My breath whooshed out of my chest in relief. From the dust and cobwebs on the surfaces, it appeared it hadn't been occupied in a while. Perfect. I ran to the windows. They were much less likely to have sensors. I pried one open and wriggled my body through feet first. There was a six foot drop and then I was standing on the ground!

I didn't hesitate. Instead I ran like hell toward the forest a couple of hundred yards away. It was unlikely the vampires were looking out the windows in the middle of the day, but humans resided there as well. They wouldn't keep my secret if they saw me.

Adrenaline pounded out a drum beat in my head. My arms moved in tandem with my legs, pushing my body faster. This was the point I was most vulnerable. Out in the open.  As soon as I passed the first line of trees, I whipped around, keeping hidden behind the foliage, and looked to see if anyone followed me.  But it was perfectly quiet. No sound. No alarm.

I was free!

Now, I just needed to survive.

I spun around and headed into the forest. My plan was relatively simple. The map had indicated a large clearing about thirty minutes away. After that, I just needed to continue in the direction of the farthest mountain to the east. I could do that. Simple.

I gritted my teeth. Maybe if I chanted the word simple in my head a hundred times, I would actually believe that nonsense.  I forced my heart rate and breathing to slow. I had a long way to go, and needed to conserve as much energy as possible.

Only fifteen minutes later, I burst into the clearing, much faster than I had hoped. That was good. This day was the most critical part of the trip. Cage couldn't track me until the sun went down, which meant I needed to make the most out of every second, putting as much distance as possible between us.

A sobering thought gripped my heart, would he even notice I was gone? He probably planned on staying in Kaitlyn's quarters the entire time. Maybe I was running like a bat out of hell for nothing.  Pain ripped through my chest. I swiped away a tear and forced my emotions into submission. I couldn't indulge my despair right now. Once I was a continent away and guaranteed never to see him again, then I would cry.

Three long hours crawled by. My adrenaline still flowed strong, but my chest and side hurt. My lips and tongue were bone dry from breathing through my mouth as I ran.  Maybe I shouldn't have run off without taking food and water, but I couldn't change it now. I would rather die in the wilderness than go back there.

As I ran, another sound invaded my consciousness, adding to the symphony of the forest noise around me – water! My heart leapt. Grinding to a halt, I pulled the map out of my pocket and studied it. There were several streams interwoven through the landscape. I was a little off of my intended course, but I was going to have to continue with the detour because there was no option. I had to have water.

Ten minutes later, the sound of the rushing current beat through the air, the percussion way too loud to be a meandering stream. It was close! I scrambled up a steep incline and then fell on my butt as I slid down the other side, uprooting rocks and dirt in my path.  

Shit, it was much bigger and faster than it had looked on the map, at least thirty feet wide and who knew how deep. I frowned. Crossing it was going to be a challenge, but I couldn't worry about that now. Right now, I just needed to satisfy my thirst.

I waded in and leaned over, drinking it deeply. It was cold, but since it ran from the mountain, that was to be expected. When I was finally satiated, I examined my surroundings again to see how I was going to get across. I finally decided to travel inside of the stream for as long as I could because it would eliminate my trail. And hopefully, sometime in there, I would find an easier route to cross.

It was frustratingly slow to travel in the stream.

Finally, I saw a large piece of wood at the edge. I picked it up and prayed it would float. It did!

I walked toward the middle. I knew it was extremely dangerous, but I needed to make up the time. I lowered myself into the water and gripped the wood firmly to help me stay afloat. Then I lifted my feet and let the water pull me along.

Another twenty minutes in the water, and I knew I had to get out soon. It would be night in another two hours, and I needed to be dry before the temperature dropped. Thankfully, this section of the stream was much more conducive to my goal. I found my footing and took a minute to steady myself and figure out how to use my legs properly again. I drank deeply one last time, crossed and climbed up the embankment.

I tried to stay in the remaining sunlight, but it still didn't stop the chill. My teeth chattered as I ran again, using the mountain as my guide. If I calculated it correctly, I would eventually reach a small town if I kept going in this direction. But there was no guarantee. I didn't know how old the map was.

After a while, I noticed the sun begin to descend in the sky. Anxiety wound through me. The nighttime would be the most difficult. I wouldn't be able to travel unless the moon was bright and the trees sparse enough for me to see it. Cage would be free to track me now and if that were not enough, there were plenty of wild animals in these areas that might find me tasty.

As night finally covered the sky, I sank to the ground near some bushes, trying to use them for as much cover as possible. I was exhausted and couldn't continue. I lay down. The bumpiness of the earth and all of the little potential critter-crawly things didn't bother me. I was too tired. My eyes drifted shut.

..........

I wasn't sure how much later it was that I awoke. It could have been a minute or three hours. The dense night still blanketed the sky, but I had heard something!

There was movement in the woods around me!

Shit! Shit! Shit! I held my breath.

"Please let it be a bear, please let it be a bear, "I prayed, thinking how strange it was that I was wishing for a wild animal to find me.

But it wasn't a bear.

Abruptly, strong arms wound around me. I tried to scream but he placed a hand over my mouth and whispered, "Shh...You are okay now."

Shock coursed through my system.

It wasn't Cage!

But the voice almost sounded familiar. My heart raced.

He whispered again, "Are you going to stay quiet?"

I nodded. He let me go.

I turned around to find Hayden!

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