Chapter 22

~Riley’s POV~

I couldn't tell how long I’d been running but what I did know was that I was cold, my feet ached, I had scratches and bruises in places I didn’t think it possible to get scratches and bruises, a skinned knee, torn pants and I was as filthier than I’d ever been in my life.

All that, plus a gnawing hunger that had settled in my stomach hours ago and my parched throat. The more I ran, the more I was sure Kyle was laying hurt somewhere, probably feeling one hundred times worse than I was.

I’d started tearing up a few times whenever thoughts of him surfaced and had to will the tears away. I had to concentrate on getting back, make sure I didn’t take a wrong turn or I would probably miss him all together, that is, if he himself hadn’t taken another path.

By now I was half running half walking; the stitch in my side and my aching feet preventing much more exertion. I managed to sidestep a protruding root, when I heard a loud siren flood the air.

It was loud enough that I could hear it clearly, but not so loud that I had to cover my ears to shut out the sound of it. It was just another one of the many alerts I’d heard being issued from the prison since I’d started the journey and as with the others, I had no idea what this one meant. I continued on, my worry over Kyle steadily increasing the further I went without any sign of him.

It was just when I felt as if I’d just collapse from exhaustion, that I saw the silhouette of a man bounding through the trees toward me; way too big to be Kyle. I let out a squeak and spun on my heels as fast as my tired body could take me.

My heart was firmly lodged in my throat as I began running away from the quickly approaching figure, my mind racing, wondering if this was it, if this was the moment I’d get caught and hauled back to my lonely cell.

It felt like the wind had been knocked out of me when something hard and large slammed into me from behind, knocking me onto my chest. I could feel the heat coming from the man’s body and his warm breath on the back of my neck and I struggled to get up, fighting with everything I had to be freed of the foreign weight pressing me into the soil.

I screamed and kicked and tried to crawl away, stabbing my nails into the thick mud as I tried to drag myself out from under him, but the man had other ideas. I felt the a large calloused hand clamp over my mouth successfully muffling my shouts for help and for a moment my head went light and I become dizzy from the lack of air.

I could feel my lungs burning in my chest as my nostrils fought to keep up a healthy supply of air in and out of my body, but my panic soon had me hyperventilating while I still fought to be free. I could hear the man shouting something but it felt as though large cotton balls now inhabited the space where my ears were and all I could pick up was a distant rumbling.

I bit down hard on the hand until I tasted blood and with what I imagined to be a curse, the man pulled his hand away swiftly and I gasped for air.

“Help!” I howled into the forest. Not sure who I expected to help me. This was it, the man would either crush me to death or drag me back to prison and both prospects sounded equally disturbing.

“Help!” I screamed again, using my elbows as weapons to jab them into the stranger’s flesh.

“Help!”

“Who the hell do you think’s gonna help you? Will you just shut up and calm down for a second!” the man’s voice rumbled above me and when I let in another jab; this time pretty sure I’d caught a rib or something equally sensitive, he cursed and I froze.

I knew that voice, but no…it couldn’t be. I twisted and turned until finally the pressure eased and I was no longer being pressed into the ground. I managed to flip onto my back and when I saw who it was looming over me, looking as annoyed as I’d ever seen him, I gasped.

I was pretty sure I was a sight, laying there, staring up at him with wide eyes and my mouth hanging open. For a moment I wondered if this was all a dream or if I’d become delirious from the hunger and I closed my eyes, shook my head and opened them again, but no he was there.

Nate was actually here, in the forest, looking at me as if he wanted to reach over and smack me in the head, but he was here none the less.

I gaped at him and watched in awe as he reached down and took hold of my arm, pulling me from the ground.

“You alright?” he was asking and it took him asking one more time for me to snap out of my trance and answer him.

“I’m fine.” I whispered, “I don’t understa-”

He was pulling me across the forest floor before I even got the rest of the sentence out and I had no choice but to allow it.

“They sounded the alarm, they’ll be out looking for us by now.” Nate was saying, bringing me back to the seriousness of the situation and why I was out here in the first place.

“I gotta find Kyle, I think he’s hurt out here somewhere, what if they find him?” even I could hear the fear in my voice, but Nate sounded more or less calm and collected when he responded to my breathy words.

“He’s fine, he’s with John.”

I was shaking my head even though he was staring straight ahead and had no way of seeing the action.

“No Nate, you don’t understand, he’s not, he followed me from the prison, he was running with me but...but I don’t know where he is.’ I tried to make him understand and he finally slowed and turned to look at me.

“I’m aware of that. He’s with John, I passed them up ahead and they’re on their way back to the prison.” He told me. It had been a while since I’d seen such a coldness in his eyes.

My brows furrowed. “John’s here? But… I don’t understand...why is he….why are you even…what’s going on here?” I asked, the confusion clear in my tone and expression. None of this was making any sense and my confusion only seemed to be giving me a headache.

He paused again and we came to a stop. “Which part don’t you understand Riley? You decided to play the fool and escaped, your ridiculously loyal friend Kyle followed you and John went after him. Now I’m here to drag you back and hope that by some fucking miracle we can get ourselves out of this massive shithole you’ve buried us in.” he said harshly and I could only stare at him in shock.

“Oh my God, we’re all fugitives now aren’t we?” I asked in horror. “I never meant for you guys to get yourselves in trouble. I just... I just had to go, I-” and then his words finally sunk in and I pulled my arm from his.

“What do you mean drag me back? I’m not going back.” Nathan sighed, dragged a hand over his face and looked at the tree before him for a long time before looking back at me. It was then that I got the chance to take in his frame. He looked tired, probably just as tired as I felt if not more so. His clothes were also ripped. There was a smudge of dirt on his left cheek, blood stained a patch of hair at his hairline and there was dried blood on the arm of his shirt.

“The trouble we’re all in right now is unimaginable. You escaped from prison.” He was speaking calmly like he had explained himself a million times and he was using his very last drop of energy to get these next few words out. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen once we get back but turning ourselves in is the only option open to us right now.” I began to offer words of protest and he held up a hand.

“Believe it or not Riley, there’s not one person in that prison that wants to be there, but there’s a reason only so few of inmates actually escaped today, so when I tell you we need to get back; I’m not playing around.” He ended. He hadn’t looked at me once, just continued staring at the tree as if it was the only thing keeping him rooted and once again I got the suspicious feeling he was restraining himself from reaching over an doing me some damage.

I took a step back and had opened my mouth to speak, when I heard someone shout my name and not a minute later Kyle and John came bursting through the trees. Kyle plummeted into me, his arms tight around my neck.

“Thank God Thank God Thank God.” he was whispering over and over and the relief I felt at seeing that he was safe and unhurt, sent such a wave of relief through me that my knees almost buckled.

He finally pulled away and looked me up and down, a huge smile on his face. “You have no idea how worried I’ve been!” he exclaimed and enveloped me in yet another hug. He was acting like my mother...or rather like a mother and I didn’t care; too happy to see him to protest.

“…thought you were taking him back.” I heard Nathan telling John and I looked over at the two, who, after noticing my interest in their conversation, lowered their voices so that all I could hear was Kyle’s incessant chattering and the sound of the prison alarm in the distance.

“…actually came looking for me and Nate came looking for you too isn’t that awesome? They must really love us…” Kyle trailed off with a dreamy look in his eyes and I nodded absently.

If John had run off after Kyle then it was understandable why Nate was here. John was his best friend after all, he would have wanted to help him out.

That didn't mean that I didn't know that Nathan was also here to help me out; Nate was a protector after all, he had this thing where he thought he had to look out for every member of his crew; that was just who he was and whatever his reasons, I’d be lying if I said I wasn't relieved to see him here, relieved to see them all. I grabbed Kyle’s hand and squeezed and he smiled at me.

“Alright, come on let’s go.” This was Nate who was once again coming towards me with purpose. I watched as John latched onto Kyle’s arm, ushering him into the direction of the prison and I took a few steps back, holding out my hands in front of me to ward Nathan off.

“I’m not going back.” I said firmly.

Nate wasn’t having it, his expression remained unchanged as he continued toward me and I kept backing up until I was up against a tree and Nate was standing before me.

“Riley we don’t have much time. Right now I guarantee they’re out looking for us and our best chance is to make them see that we’re turning ourselves in, co-”

“You don’t know what it’s like there Nate, you might be there but you don’t really know!” I began, eyes pleading. “Nothing fazes you but it’s killing me, I’ll go crazy in that place and I won’t, I won’t go back.” I finished.

I could tell I wasn’t getting through to him, “You can talk to the prison psychologist about this Riley, it’ll help.” He was saying and I shook my head.

“I don’t want to talk to anybody, I just need to go, I need to get away from here and I need to solve my case and get on with my life.”

He was getting pissed now. “How do you expect to solve the case when the police can’t even do it? Riley, you’re grasping at straws here and it won’t get you anywhere. Now come on.” He finally grabbed hold of my arm and I grabbed his wrist, rooted in my position, which caused him to look up into my eyes. I don’t know what it was he saw there but he froze in surprise.

“I’d rather die than go back and if you force me through those walls then I’ll end it. I’d rather die.” I said it with such certainty, with such conviction that no one who was listening could doubt my words.

“We’ll let them put him on suicide watch.” I heard John say, “Come on Nate, we gotta go.”

“You think suicide watch can save someone who wants to die?” I asked through gritted teeth. “Let me go Nate, I can do this, I can solve my case and then I’ll be free, but no matter what I won’t be going back.” And I was dead serious about it too.

I think that’s what Nate saw why he finally released me and took a step back. He looked…disappointed? Angry? Or was it a combination of the two? but for once I didn’t care what he thought, for once I took my own life into consideration and suddenly I felt stronger, I felt like I could do this, I could solve the case and I’d be free.

“You guys go back, I’m sorry for all the trouble, but I’ll be fine and everything will work out, you’ll see.” I tried to reassure them even if my small smile didn’t quite reach my eyes.

“So what, you’ll just solve your case and you think everything will be okay? Things are never that easy.” Nate was saying.

I nodded. “But it’s worth a try.”

I watched as he looked between me and John, gritted his teeth and took a breath.

“John, take Kyle back to the prison.” He bit out, throwing me a nasty look and with furrowed brows I watched the exchange.

John was looking on at him in disbelief. “Nate don’t tell me you’re gonna do what I think you’re gonna do.” He said.

“I’ll help him solve this case and if it doesn’t work out then…I’ll see what happens.” He said.

My eyes widened in surprise, hope blossoming in my chest as I watched them.

“You understand what you’re saying right? Everything we’ve worked for, everything we-”

“I know.” Nate said harshly cutting off whatever it was John had been about to say. “but he’ll get himself killed out here and….” He shook his head “Just take Kyle back, I’ll take care of everything else.”

John stood looking at his best friend for the longest moment, some silent communication seemed to pass between the two and finally John let go of Kyle’s arm.

“You might need some backup.” John said then, though he didn’t look particularly pleased as he said the words.

“I can’t ask you to do that John. If this doesn’t go the way I’m hoping it will, then that’s it for us.”

“Good thing you didn’t ask then.” John was saying, “If we have any hope of solving this case we need to head out now.” John said and I finally understood what he was saying. John would be coming along!

Expression grave, Nate gripped John’s shoulder briefly and John nodded, no other words passed between the two.

“If we wait till nightfall they’ll have all the roads blocked and we’ll be boxed in. We need to get out of town within the next couple of hours or we won’t be going anywhere.” John continued seriously. Nate nodded.

“Then let’s go.” He said and when they made to take an unfamiliar path, I spoke up.

“Wait, there’s a river that way, the trees start thinning on the other side of it, which means it’s not that far out of the forest.” I told them.

After a brief nod, then we all started off in the direction I’d indicated. Nate took the lead, with John bringing up the rear and Kyle and I running side by side between them.

This all felt like a dream and I wondered when I’d wake up and find myself still trapped in my little cell back at the prison. The fatigue from earlier had all but dissipated and I felt as though I could actually do this. With Kyle by my side and Nate trying to help me I felt like I could accomplish anything.

…………………………………………..

We stopped to rest every forty-five minutes for ten minutes, after which we kept up a jogger’s pace. I found myself dropping back every once in a while but with John’s encouragement I somehow managed to keep the pace.

I think everyone was in a better mood once we’d managed to cross the river, but it still only made us colder and soon I was dying for our ten minute break. At one point Kyle had asked almost out of breath, that in the event that the police had tracker dogs, if crossing the river had managed to kill our scent and Nate had answered in an annoyed tone “it doesn’t quite work like that.” And that was it for any conversation any of us thought of having.

The spacing of the trees after we’d crossed the river, made it easier to navigate and it wasn’t long before we were able to see where the forest finally ended. When we were close enough, Nate made us slow to a walk and we were all to be very quiet while he and John surveyed the area. There was a field beyond and in the distance I could see what looked like a little farm house behind which stood a dilapidated unpainted barn, or was it a shed?

John didn’t like the idea of cutting across the field which would make us visible to anyone nearby who chose to look, but with no other choice we set off. It was the most heart wrenching two minute run of my life. I had expected a chopper to descend at any moment and pluck us one by one off the clearing and I’d instantly missed the cover of trees.

Then finally we were behind the shed and Nate went off the look around. I bit my lip, my gaze planted firmly on the back on Kyle’s head as we crouched behind the building waiting for Nate to get back.

Luckily it wasn’t much longer that we had to wait and soon we were entering the barn, as quietly as possible, which would be our rest stop while they figured out what to do next.

As we sat there trying to catch our breath, I found myself wondering if I would have been able to make it this far on my own. When I looked back on the journey, I wasn’t every optimistic about the possibility.

Kyle sat, legs outstretched and half his body resting on John who spoke quietly with Nathan. They were trying to figure out our next course of action. I sat as far away from Nate as possible which was probably wise because ever since the start of the journey he hadn’t once glanced my way and whenever I was lucky enough to get a look at his face, he looked as though he’d been sucking on a very potent slice of lime.

He didn’t want to be here, it was as clear as day but as selfish as it sounded I was glad he was.

“We’re not very far from the main road, I can hear horns.” Kyle announced.

“Hey look, it looks like…clothes!” I exclaimed, pushing up from the ground to go examine the scraps of cloth that were hanging by a rusted nail across the room.

Well looking at it now, I don’t think anyone could call it clothes. It was filthy and torn in some places. It looked like work scraps, probably whoever owned the land used it whenever they were in the farm or whatever it was they did here.

I held it up for the others to see.

“Look around, see if you can find anymore.” Nate said, and he too got up and began searching.

In the end though, it was the only pair and they were so small they could only fit me or Kyle. I handed the pants to Kyle who took it scornfully.

“Put it on over your clothes. It’s too cold to strip down.” Nate said and we did. When it was safely over my head I had to breathe through my mouth lest the smell of dried sweat and some other unidentified scent made me dizzy.

“Alright, we’re gonna go check out the area. You find somewhere and hide; make sure you’re fully covered. If you hear anything at all, stay hidden. You’ll know if it’s us.” John told us and we nodded.

Not long after that, they were off and Kyle and I were scrambling around the small storage trying to find a suitable hiding place. Turned out that the only available space was under a muddy tarpaulin, which we flattened out as much as we could so that if anyone were to enter, it wouldn’t be obvious that two bodies were hidden underneath.

Without John and Nate there we didn’t dare speak, too afraid that at any moment some stranger would enter and find us. I could feel the pounding of Kyle heart in his chest, which was pressed against my arm and I could hear the blaring of car horns not far from here.