Chapter 4
1654 Words
Chapter Four
“We’ve got to move,” Declan said. “I knew it was only a matter of time before they found me.”
“Who? The guys who poisoned you? They’re here?”
“Yeah. Two black SUVs, no license plates. Eight armed men. I’m pretty sure those are the bad guys.”
“What do we do?” she asked, glancing around the office as if it would offer some answer.
“Grab the laptop. We’re running.”
“I can’t just leave. These animals need me.”
He grabbed her shoulders gently, but firmly, and looked into her eyes. “You’re no good to them dead. We’ll come back. I promise.”
Sadie shook her head firmly, despite the panic setting in. “No, we stay and fight. This is my home. I’m not leaving.”
Declan backed away from the window and started unplugging cables from the computer. “We stay, we die.”
“I thought you were some kind of super soldier. And a lion. Afraid of a little scuffle?”
He reared up to his full height, bristling at the insult. “On my best day, with adequate planning and tactics, eight men with assault rifles would be a serious challenge. And this isn’t my best day. We’re outmanned, outgunned, and outmatched. We need to get away. Regroup. Figure out our next move. As it is, we’ll be lucky to make it out of here alive.”
“Running just feels wrong,” she said, defeated.
“It’s a bitter pill for me, too. But I’m not dying for pride. Not today.”
Sadie groaned in frustration. “Alright, fine. Tell me what to do.”
“Do you have any weapons?”
“There’s a tranquilizer rifle. But it’s out front in the van.”
Declan shook his head. “That’s no good. What about cover? You know the land around here. Which direction should we go?”
“There’s mountains to the west. Clear roads to the south, but that’s where the men are out front. North and east are forests. That could provide cover.”
“Okay, that’s good. We’ll head north. Away from these assholes. Then we can loop around through the trees. Let’s move. Stay close to me.”
Sadie grabbed her backpack from the office. She always wore it when she walked the Sanctuary. It was filled with supplies that came in handy when she was away from home base. She never expected she might need it for a day like this.
Declan moved swiftly through the halls of the main building. Sadie struggled to keep up with him. Her heart was beating hard in her chest. She’d faced a lot of dangerous situations in her line of work, but she’d never been confronted by men with guns.
She could barely believe how quickly her life had changed from the night before. Finding Declan had seemed like the answer to all her prayers. Now that discovery had her running for her life.
Declan felt that old, cool calm slip over him as he led Sadie out the back door of the main building. Fighting was the only thing he’d ever known, and he was in his element now. Even though he was in no shape for battle, he could still think strategically. He could save them both.
His eyes scanned their surroundings, finding cover spots and paths of movement. The bright morning sun lit the world in too bright light. They would be exposed once they left the cover of the building.
But the light also provided stark shadows that would shield them from sight, at least at a distance. If they could get from this building to the house, they would be all right.
There were a lot of men looking for them, but not enough to spread out and surround them. If they were quick, they would make it. If not, well, he didn’t even want to think about that.
The woman panting softly next to him made things complicated. He could move more easily without her, but the thought of leaving her behind never crossed his mind. It was his fault she was in danger. If he’d never come here, she’d still be safe.
She was his responsibility now. Oddly enough, she didn’t feel like a burden. If anything, she gave him purpose. A reason to live and a reason to fight. He refused to let her get hurt because of him. The weight of that responsibility laid heavy on his shoulders, but it allowed him to push through the weakness threatening to consume him.
Whatever poison they’d injected him with made it hard to move as swiftly as he was used to. He briefly wondered if this was what normal humans felt like all the time. Weak and powerless. It was a wonder they managed to survive at all.
He turned to Sadie. There was fear in her eyes, but something else too. A set determination. She was strong, not unlike her father. If anyone could get through this, it was her.
He leaned in close to her ear, so close he could smell the clean scent of her. It was distracting. He reminded himself that now was not the time for these kind of thoughts.
“We’re going to make a run to the right side of the house,” he whispered. Stray strands of her hair tickled his cheek, and he fought down the feelings of desire surging within him. So much for cool and calm. “Stay in front of me. If they see us, there might be gunfire.”
He felt her trembling. The urge to take her in his arms was overwhelming. There was no time. Comfort was a luxury they couldn’t afford just then.
“Are you ready?” he asked, still whispering. She nodded, her face set in hard lines of resolve. “Go.”
She took off in the direction he’d indicated, moving like a rabbit across the open ground. Declan rushed to follow, stealing glances behind him. He couldn’t see any movement in the windows of the main building.
So far so good.
They were in the cool shadows of the house in seconds. Sadie seemed a little winded, but otherwise okay. Declan was feeling the effects of the sprint more than she was. His limbs were trembling with fatigue. Not a good sign.
He hated feeling this way. Right when he needed his strength the most, he was failing. Quitting wasn’t an option. If not for himself, he had to keep it together for the girl.
“Okay,” he said, quietly, breathing more heavily than he liked. “We’re going to head for the building with the cages. From there, we’ll move to the tree line, keeping that building between us and the main building. That should keep them from spotting us.”
She nodded. “Aye aye, captain.”
He glanced at her sideways, unsure if she was making fun of him. “I hope you’re taking this seriously. It’s a good distance to the other building. We’re going to be exposed for longer than I’d like.”
“You don’t have to tell me it’s serious. It’s my place those assholes are ransacking.” She gestured back to the main building.
Sadie was right. He could see them now, moving through the rooms. Searching for them.
The shadow of the house provided them with some cover, but one look out the window and they would be toast. “Once we start running, you keep running. No matter what happens.”
She nodded and then shot a wistful look back at the main building.
“Okay, go.”
They ran around the back of the house and then they were out in the open. Declan could just hear the shouts coming from the main building over the sound of his heart banging in his chest.
But the sound of gunshots a moment later was unmistakable.
Sadie moved as if in a dream. The coughing sound of gunfire in the distance didn’t seem real. There was no way people were actually shooting at her. This wasn’t her life. This had to be happening to someone else.
The thought seemed to help her keep moving, even though every instinct told her to freeze and curl up into the fetal position.
The holding area building seemed so far away. How could it be this far away? There was no way she’d ever make it. Not with bullets raining around her, sending up geysers of dirt around her feet.
A shadow fell over her. Declan ran beside her, putting his body between the hail of lead and her. He placed his hand on her back, comforting her and guiding her onward to safety.
His presence gave her strength. She could do this. She could make it.
Energy filled her legs, lengthening her stride. She pushed past the fear threatening to overwhelm her and before she knew it, she was behind cover and safe.
Declan skidded to a stop beside her, gulping in huge gasps of air. His skin looked pale. Almost gray. Except for the bright streak of red trailing down his arm.
“You’ve been shot,” she cried out.
He shook his head. “No,” he said, barely able to speak between panting breaths. “I’m fine.”
“No, look,” she said, pointing at his wounded arm.
He chuckled at the sight of it. “I’ll be damned. I guess I have. Just a scratch. Nothing to worry about.” Sadie opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. “We need to keep moving.”
“You can barely breathe.”
He nodded. “Barely breathing is better than not breathing at all. Which is what will happen if they catch us. Come on.”
He loped away from her, toward the tree line. She followed. The gunshots had silenced once they’d ducked around the building, but she could hear men shouting and the pounding of boots on the hard earth.
They were coming.
Her limbs burned with exertion, but she kept going. If Declan could keep going, so could she. He’d been poisoned, shot, and he was clearly running on empty. Still, he soldiered on. Powered by sheer strength of will alone.
She could see why men followed him into battle. His determination was inspiring. Motivating. Even in his weakened state, she felt better knowing he was at her side.
The tree line was close now. Almost within reach. So close she could smell the clean scent of pines and the lush, earthy richness of the soil.
That’s when she heard the gunfire start again. She risked a glance back. The men were following in a spread out line. But they were far away. Too far away to get a clean shot, it seemed.
Then Sadie and Declan were through the trees, swallowed in cool shadows. The dark woods sheltered them for the time being. But for how long, she had no idea.
- Writer
