Page 23 of Fallen to Thievery
I panted as he slept unbothered, unaware of just how close he had come to death. I had to move. I’ve wasted enough time. The closet door banged against the wall as I picked up one of the hiking bags and flung it over my shoulder. The guns that were laid against the inside wall made me halt. There were three rifles and the handgun. I would keep the handgun but hide the rifles in the woods as I went. Who knew how long it would take to reach the campsite and people? They would hunt me down like a deer with these rifles when they came to. I took them out and placed them by the door. I hurried up the stairs with the bag to pack in a few extra clothes. Never mind a toothbrush, there was no time. Hopefully there was one in the bag already. I just wanted to get out of here. The map was next, which I hastily pulled from the secret drawer and pushed it, along with the photo,into one of the larger pockets of my pants. I had made a promise to help that woman and her little girl. I needed the photo to show the police when I was free.
Back in the corridor, I opened the first door next to my room. It was a small laundry room. The last door was a bedroom much like the one I was kept in. It just looked a bit more lived in. I rummaged through every space trying to find a cell phone, tablet, computer or two-way radio. Anything that could be used to make contact with someone who could help me. There was nothing. But I found a pair of hiking boots that belonged to the woman. They fit perfectly and I couldn’t help but laugh at my good fortune. I ran down the stairs and looked through every nook and cranny, but again, there was nothing I could use to call for help. I gave up with a heavy heart and dropped the bag in front of the fridge. Too much time had been wasted. With a few food items from the kitchen, I fastened the heavy pack on my back. It wastooheavy, but it would have to do.
I was finally ready. With one last glance at my captors, I picked up the rifles and darted out the door.
Iranlikehell.My knees and back protested from the weight of the guns and hiking bag, but I kept going. I pushed on, wading through dense underbrush and ducking low branches, even when it felt like my lungs had collapsed. I didn’t dare to stop. Not until a good half hour did I allow my feet to slow, only barely, into a brisk walk. Pacing myself was an impossible feat. My body had a visceral need to get as far away from that cabin as possible. I wanted to be far enough ahead, that they had no chance of catching up to me, of dragging me back there.
No way. I intended to live.
I walked for hours. My only thoughts were of putting as much distance between me and my captors. It took me a while to register my surroundings, and that uneasiness clawing at my ribs, to understand the gravity of what I was doing. I was walking in the woods atnight.
My ears perked up, processing the sounds around me for the first time. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Shit.
An ungodly scream, that seemed particularly close, pierced my ears and I shot to the ground. It didn’t sound human or animal. I kept my eyes low. At all costs, you shouldneverlook at it. But I listened. I listened for anymovement in the underbrush around me. I stayed perfectly still while I listened.
After a while of silence, I found the courage to stand back up. Whatever lurked in these woods scared the shit out of me, but there was no choice but to keep moving. Dumping the rifles inside a bush freed my hands to carry the handgun—ready to fire. The gun would probably be useless for this purpose, but it made me feel a bit better.
My pace was fast, but calm. I had been an idiot for running earlier. My eyes never ventured further than a few feet ahead, andneverto the treetops. My nerves got the better of me after another few hours of walking. Every sound made me want to crawl out of my skin. The last straw was a flash of something moving inhumanly fast to my right, through the underbrush. I only had a quick glimpse of sickly greyish flesh, but it was my wakeup call. I was insane for walking exposed like this, for so long.
I followed the faint tug in my mind and found a large mother tree with a hollowed-out base, beckoning me to safety. It was big enough for me to crawl inside and place the bag in front of the hole.
Within a few minutes of gathering myself and easing my tensed muscles, the cold registered. So, I unclipped the sleeping bag and unrolled it. My body was shivering, but it wasn’t just the cold. I huddled into the sleeping bag and rested my head against the tree.
You are going to get through this.
You’re gonna be okay.
I hadn’t noticed when I fell asleep, but a squirrel scurrying above my head startled me awake. The first light of day shone through the hole in the tree.
I was still alive. My prayers hadn’t gone unanswered. The hiking bag was still covering the hole, so I pushed it back with my foot to climb out. A sigh of relief washed through me as the birds and little animals scurried through the treetops. There was a stark difference between the woods at night and in daytime. I rummaged through the pack for the first time. It would be a good thing to know exactly what I was working with. I found a watch that doubled as a compass and quickly strapped it around my wrist. It was the first time in a while that I had a sense of time. There was also a first aid kit; foldable hiking sticks; cooking utensils; an emergency tent and tarps; freeze dried food pouches and an empty water bottle. That made me curse out loud. I hadn’t thought of packing water. Could the water in the streams be drinkable this deep in the forest? I’ve never been this deep in. If I ever came across a stream or river, I’d have to make a fire to boil the water, just to be safe. There should be fire starters in the pack, but I wasn’t sitting around any longer to look. It was time to go. My captors could wake any moment, and I had to put more distance between us. I would have to do without water for now. I could always extract water from safe plants, if necessary. Everything was packed away, except for an apple that would serve as my breakfast.
With the map, my new compass, and a few head scratches later, my path was set. I just needed to keep heading east, and I would come across the hiking trail. But was it a full day’s walk? Two maybe? I hauled the bag onto my back and pressed my forehead to the tree, thanking her for protectingme, then started walking. My feet were swift and light as I manoeuvred over the forest terrain; so much easier now that it was daytime. The air was chilly, but I welcomed it. I felt nervous. Did I put enough distance between me and them?
That thought made me pick up my pace.
By noon, my mouth was as dry as my plants at home surely were. Rachel had never been good at remembering to water them. The water I’d collected at a stream was tempting me. And I didn’t dare to stop long enough to tap into one of the many Wild Grapevines along my path. Instead, I pulled out an orange, hoping it would help. I ate as I walked. There was no time to rest.
A sudden loud bang had me ducking down. It was a gunshot. I moved as swiftly as I could behind a tree. Did they find me? My heart was banging in my throat.
No. No. The robbers’ guns were dumped under a bush. It couldn’t be them. Even in the unlikely possibility that they found the rifles, I was too far ahead.It couldn’t be them, I tried to reassure myself again. I meticulously surveyed the area around me, just to be sure. There was another shot, closer this time. The birds flew from the treetops, trying to get away. I had to make a decision.
“Hello?” I yelled into the air, not sure which direction the gunshot came from.
Silence.
My stomach was making flip flops. “Hello?” I yelled again, a bit harder. A bit more desperate.
Silence. And then, “Who’s there?” It was a man’s voice yelling back at me. But it wasn’t Grayson’s. And I was pretty sure it wasn’t the surfer either.
I shot to my feet, running towards the sound of his voice. “I’m here! Help me, please!”
“Who are you?” he yelled back. He was closer! I ran as fast as I could, already sobbing, towards his voice. I had found someone! Gods, I was going home! They had answered my prayers.
I almost ran right into him, before noticing him. Coming to an abrupt stop, I toppled over, but the man caught me, steadying me by my arms. My fingers clasped painfully onto his dirty jacket as I cried. The sobs racked through my body so violently, I couldn’t speak.
He was a heavy-set man with a grey beard. He looked like he could be in his late forties and dressed in camo from head to toes. He was shushing me, patting my arm. “It’s okay. Calm yerself, girly. You’re all right.”
