15 | Addison
I’m an idiot.
I know it, and yet here I am, going to a location I know Cade would have my head for. The one rule with him finding Clara is that I wasn’t allowed to be involved. He might as well have told me I couldn’t breathe—it would be easier. Knowing we have a chance to find her, and knowing I can help, there is no way I can let it go.
So, I may or may not have snooped in Jackson’s office after I overheard them talking about finding the ‘stash’ location in the woods. I’m not going in, I just want to check it out. That’s if I can find it, the directions were sketchy at best, and from what I can gather they had to torture them out of some junkie who used to work with Marshall. Either way, I just want to see if I can find out anything about what’s going on in there.
Quickly in and out, looking from afar.
That’s it.
Trudging through the thick woods, I move beside a long, dense dirt road that leads to a large opening. There is nothing in the opening, though. Walking around, I can see tire tracks, but literally no sign on anyone else. For hours, I follow the path, but I see nothing. Not a single fucking thing.
I must be missing something.
This is where it said to go.
Maybe there was part of the instructions Jackson didn’t write down.
Still, the dirt road comes to an end and after the clearing, it narrows off into a track no vehicle would be able to fit. So, I go on foot, and that just leads me deeper and deeper into the woods. I’m not willing to risk going in farther and getting hurt, so, I turn around and begin the long trek back out. Frustrated, I can’t figure out what the hell I’m missing here.
I mean sure, they wouldn’t just have a location at the end of a dirt road that anyone could find, and from what it looks like, there isn’t a soul around. You wouldn’t leave something like that unguarded which means I’m on the wrong track, or they’ve been given incorrect instructions. Just before I reach the clearing, I notice that when I look down through the trees, it almost seems like there is a part through them.
Every other tree in the place is cluttered together by the next, making it almost impossible to get through, but these trees have a gap big enough for a person to be able to get through with no problems and, as I near, I see the track does look as though it has been walked through. Biting my lip, I contemplate if it’s worth the risk, but decide I’ll just go check it out.
If someone catches me, I’ll play dumb.
I was on a walk and got lost. Oopsie.
Walking down the narrow track for what feels like an eternity, I finally come to a dense area with large rocks and trees, shrubs and fallen logs. It’s almost impossible to keep going past it. A dead end, of course it’s a damned dead end. This looks almost impossible to get through, even for an experienced hiker or trail blazer. Exhaling, I go to turn when one of the rocks catches my eye.
It has a small opening, very cave like.
You’d never get this far out here unless you had directions, no way in the world would somebody stumble across this by chance and so it has me curious, maybe that opening leads somewhere. Walking toward it, I use my phone flashlight to shine inside. It’s narrow, incredibly so, but I could swear I see an opening on the other side. Daring to risk it, I squeeze my body through the tight gap until I manage to push out the exit.
Panting, I stare around.
It’s a cave, but there doesn’t seem to be anything spectacular about it.
Overgrown, large, but it certainly isn’t full of treasure.
No pot of gold at the end of this rainbow.
Still, I poke around, using my flashlight to look at everything.
I’m about to turn away when I see something small on the ground. It’s so tiny, you’d miss it without a light. Leaning down, I push the dirt away to find a tiny diamond. It’s small enough that without my phone, I would have missed it just glistening beneath the dust. Placing it in my hand, I see it looks like it has been chipped off something bigger. It is irregular in shape.
It's definitely a diamond though. At least, I think it is.
It could be fake, but something about the sharp edges and smooth surface tells me it isn’t.
Putting it in my pocket, I turn and decide I had better get out of here before it becomes dark.
As I make it out of the cave, I can hear leaves crunching in the distance.
Someone is coming.
Heart racing, I glance around. I can’t run through the thick woods, it is too dense out there and if I go down the path, someone will see me. As a male voice can be heard, I know I have to hide and so I very quickly find a large rock and slide myself behind it, holding my breath as the voice turns into two, and they near closer. The crackling sound of a radio can be heard.
“In the cave?” a man asks, his voice gruff.
“She was seen on surveillance about half an hour ago entering the cave.”
Surveillance.
Oh god.
I didn’t think of that.
Someone has seen me come in here.
Pulling my hoodie up over my head, I hold my breath as the two men stop in front of the cave entrance.
“Refresh it, tell us what you see. We’re going in for a look. Haven’t found her yet.”
If they refresh it, they’ll see me exiting and hiding.
I have to get the fuck out of here.
When I’m certain the men have entered the cave, I run.
Pushing out from behind the rock, I use all my force to run down the path. I have no idea if I’m going to run into someone else, for all I know those two men aren’t alone. The moment I get to an easier area of the path, I’ll go off it and run through the woods instead just in case someone is waiting for me in the clearing.
Heart racing, I shove my way down the narrow trail.
“She’s running!”
The shrill sound of the radio tells me I’m not nearly far enough away.
“Shoot her.”
Oh, shit.
Shit.
Picking up the pace, I run with everything I have, praying to god they don’t shoot me. The moment I find it easier to get off the trail, that’s exactly what I do. Launching my body into the woods, I shove through the trees in the direction of the road I came in on. I could so easily get lost out here, and nobody would be able to find me.
I’m a god damn fool.
What was I thinking?
~*~*~*~
A GUNSHOT RINGS OUT, and I know I don’t have time to get back to my car. I need to hide, and I need to do it now. Panting, I frantically look around for anything that might shelter me. The only way is to go deeper into the woods until nightfall, when I might be able to get out without being seen. Pushing through the trees and shrubs, I find a cluster of bushes that are so thick, I don’t think anyone would see me in them.
Getting amongst them, though, means scratching myself up.
It’s that or die.
Gritting my teeth, I use my hands to push the shrubs aside, shoving my body into them until I’m in the middle. My arms burn with scratches, and it is less than comfortable amongst them. Their thorny branches rub against my body, even when I’m only moving slightly. If I had time, I sure as hell would have picked a better place to hide, but I don’t have time.
Keeping low, I listen out and can hear as the men approach. Their footsteps grow louder as they move down the path, and the constant crackle of the radio alerts me to their scarily close presence.
“She can’t go far. Get someone on the car that’s parked just up the road,” a voice yells across the radio. “Find out who she is and end her.”
They’re not messing around.
I’m in big fucking trouble here.
Carefully pulling out my phone, I see I have no service. It’s not a wonder they hide things out there, no cell service, only a radio can be used, which makes it far less likely for people to wander out this far.
“The car is empty,” a voice growls. “She hasn’t made it back which means she’s still out there. Secure every exit and do not fucking leave until you have her.”
Heart racing, I know this is bad. It’s really fucking bad. If I can’t get out the way I came in, then how the fuck am I going to get out at all? Closing my eyes, I take a minute to gather myself. I’m smart, I’ve been in worse situations than this, I can get out of here. I just can’t use the track. Peering through the shrubs, I see the woods only get thicker. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get through them easily, or without sound.
I just need to get far enough to get service, to get Cade to create a distraction, and maybe I can get out of here.
“She’s not anywhere on the path,” a voice yells out. “She must have gone off the track. Start lookin’, she can’t have gotten far in that scrub.”
If I stay here, they’ll find me, but I’m afraid if I move, they’ll hear me.
My eyes burn with unshed tears, because I’m a god damned idiot for thinking it was a good idea to snoop. I should have known somewhere like this wouldn’t remain unprotected, I am an old lady for Christ’s sake, I know how these things work. Staring down at my phone again, I type out a message to Cade so the very second I get service, I can send it.
I fucked up. I came to check out the location where Clara was last seen. They figured out I was here. I’m hiding but they’re going to find me soon. I’m stuck. You need to create a big enough distraction that I can get out. I’m sorry.
Carefully, moving inch by inch, I push out of the shrubs and keep down low as I crawl through the woods. I’m getting scratched and scraped, cut and poked, but I don’t stop. I crawl until the voices seem to be getting farther and farther away, which only means I’m getting deeper into the unknown and farther away from help. It’s the only option I have, so it’s the option I’ll take.
After an hour of crawling, my phone gets one bar. It comes and goes, so I pause, holding my breath as I stretch my hand up to the sky, praying it is enough to send the message. Opening it, I push send and watch with bated breath as the message loads for a few minutes, then the god damned amazing whoosh of it sending fills my ears.
Less than two minutes later, I get a reply.
Please fucking tell me you’re joking. Where the fuck are you?
I don’t have time to go back and forth with Cade, I need him to get out here and find a way to get me out.
I’m barely in service. I’m not joking. I don’t know where I am. I had to go off the track. Please. Come quickly.
The message won’t send.
It doesn’t matter where I hold it or how, the one bar I found in a moment of pure miracle mode, has now gone. Wanting to scream with frustration, I know there isn’t much I can do except stay in one spot and wait. Cade got the message, and I know he won’t take it lightly, I just have to wait.
Finding a large rock, I sit down and press my back against it, stomach rumbling as the horizon begins to slowly change.
It’ll be night soon, and lord only knows what’s out here.
I can’t stay that long.
Come on, Cade.
Please.