Page 51 of In Every Lifetime
“I left the door unlocked,” Fai explained softly. The words may have been for me, but it seemed as though he were putting the pieces together himself—what gave him away.
“Must have been Fai,” Gabriel mused. “I’ll wait for you in the living room.”
Finally, he walked away, his steps growing distant. I turned back to Fai, who motioned toward the window with his head. We climbed through the running shower together, the water soaking through my shirt and leggings, my socks squishing under my feet as I stepped.
Fai took my hand, helping me step out of the window and onto the front porch. He followed slowly, his steps silent as he landed next to me. I started to speak, but he turned to me quickly, shaking his head. He closed the window slowly and softly.
I looked out at the property, seeing dark clouds rolling in from the distance. They only added to my fear, as I was still unsure of what was happening—only knowing I trusted Fai and that we needed to leave.
He picked up his hoodie from the porch deck, pulling it over my head. Taking my hand in his, he pulled me toward his truck, which was parked a few dozen feet away. I saw the plan and understood the plan, but there was one issue.
Each tire was flat.
I pulled him to a stop, pointing out the problem. He swore under his breath, looking around for another way to escape, but there was none. For the first time since we had arrived, I began to understand just how utterly alone we were out here.
We were stopped halfway between the house and the truck when the front door flew open, rebounding against the side of the house and shaking on the hinges.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Gabriel yelled to us, stalking toward us.
Fai pulled me behind him, shielding me with his body. We had less than thirty seconds until Gabriel would be on us. I looked around, seeing where we could hide. I didn’t want to go back into the house, knowing Gabriel could lock us in together. Our best bet for safety was out here. I looked in the distance, seeing the treeline at the back of the property. It was less than a quarter-mile away, with another quarter-mile until the trees became dense enough that you couldn’t see deeper.
I threaded my fingers through Fai’s, squeezing slightly. I stood on my tiptoes, whispering one word—one command.
“Run.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. The two of us took off on foot, sprinting around the house and toward the trees. Fai let go of my hand, allowing me to run freely but keeping me in front of him at all times, acting as a physical barrier between Gabriel and myself.
“Fuck!” Fai yelled. I tried to turn to see what he was worried about, but he took my hand and ran faster, now pulling me behind him. “Do not stop, you hear me? Do not stop!”
I didn’t nod, I didn’t speak. I just pumped my legs harder, watching the treeline grow closer and closer… and then I heard it.
Boom.
The shotgun echoed around us, reverberating off the trees and the house.
“Run!” Fai yelled again.
We broke into the treeline, the leaves obscuring the sky and branches snapping under our feet.
Boom.
I ducked as a tree to my right exploded from the impact. I wanted to cower; I wanted to scream and cry. I wanted to demand answers from Fai about what the fuck was happening, but we didn’t have time. We kept running, winding through trees, the sounds of Gabriel’s pursuit growing fainter behind us.
Boom.
The shotgun was fired again, but it didn’t scare me this time. It was farther away, the sound obscured by the trees growing denser with each step. Fai took my hand again, leading me up the mountain. Our steps slowed from a sprint to a run after a few minutes, to a fast walk after another half hour, and finally to a slow crawl once another hour had passed.
The trees surrounding us were tall, reaching high into the sky. The ground was only dirt, covered in snapped twigs, leaves, and the occasional fallen, rotting tree. The sounds of Gabriel had ceased miles back, but we didn’t stop moving, putting as much distance between us as possible.
Finally, we came to a rest. Fai collapsed onto the ground as he fought to catch his breath. While his clothes had dried from the shower, they were damp again from sweat, a bead dripping down his forehead.
I breathed heavily, bracing my hands on my knees and looking down at my torn, dirtied socks. I knew my feet were beat up, but the adrenaline still pumping through my body obscured the pain.
“What the fuck just happened?” I finally asked through heavy breaths.
Fai looked up at me, the dangerous edge I had seen in his eyes earlier melting away the longer they were trained on me. “I don’t actually know.”
“Okay.” I raised a hand toward him, the other on my hip. “What made you sneak into the bathroom and get us out via thewindow? How did you know Gabriel was going to… snap? Shoot at us? What the hell just happened, Fai?”
