Chapter 35
Allie ran a few feet into the woods and stopped, leaning against a tree truck and wondering which way to go.
She didn’t want to run in the wrong direction if she could avoid it.
The sound of gunfire had already stopped.
She didn’t know what had been the source of it, but she wasn’t going back to find out.
She was free; now she just needed to figure out which way to go.
She looked around to get her bearings. The road was to her left.
She could follow that and hope she ran into someone.
People had started walking along the road in black gear with guns.
She didn’t know if they were friendly or not, and it wasn’t worth the chance to find out.
It was best to stay in the woods for a while but keep going in this direction.
Allie pushed off the tree and started making her way deeper into the woods when she heard a branch snap. She looked around her for the source and saw Yurgio entering the tree line and searching for her.
He wasn’t far away. His eyes were wide and angry as his gaze darted around. “Where are you, Allie?” he shouted. “I know you’re in here; I saw you run in here.”
Allie ducked down and looked at the ground for something. She grabbed a rock before throwing it in the opposite direction of where she was.
Yurgio ran off in the direction of the sound. Allie ran further into the woods, following the same path as the road. There had to be another house along this way. She could ask to borrow their phone and call the police.
Allie didn’t dare look back as she ran. She stayed focused ahead, watching her feet, so she didn’t trip over tree roots. There was no pathway to follow, so she just had to hope she was going in the right direction.
Suddenly a force slammed into her from the side, and she went tumbling across the forest floor, feeling the wind knocked out her. The knife went sailing out of her grip.
Allie knew she couldn’t just lie there and wait to catch her breath. She had to survive. She had to get up.
Allie rolled to her feet and darted after the knife as Yurgio grabbed her legs and pulled back. He flipped her over onto her back and started to scramble on top of her.
Allie managed to get her foot between them and kicked him in the stomach where she had wounded him. He fell back, and she flipped back over to grip the knife.
She rose up and turned with the knife as Yurgio crashed back into her like a freight train, his weight knocking her onto her back. Her hand holding the knife was pressed out, away from her.
Yurgio dropped his weight on her chest as he leaned over her to reach for the knife. He had two hands to use against her one.
With his weight shifted to the side, Allie bucked him off of her, and she could use her second hand to keep her grip on the knife.
Yurgio released one hand from the knife and slammed a fist into the side of her face. Allie felt momentarily dazed. Her ears were ringing, and her head felt fuzzy. She had never been hit before. Even in mock fights with her brothers and dad, no one had ever struck her.
Yurgio used her fuzzy state to rip the knife from her grip and raise it over her chest. Her eyes widened as the knife came down toward her heart. She raised her arms to ward off the strike, when suddenly Yurgio was pulled away from her.
Allie sat up as she watched Carson and Yurgio fighting over the knife. She turned when she heard more footsteps. It was Jack. He looked out of breath. “You have to help Carson,” she yelled at Jack.
“There’s no need,” Jack responded, tilting his head back toward Carson and Yurgio.
Allie turned back to see the fight already over. Carson had twisted Yurgio’s wrist to the point of breaking. Yurgio cried out and dropped the knife, and Carson quickly subdued him.
Jack ran over to take him from Carson. They whispered a few words to each other before Jack left with Yurgio in tow.
Carson walked over to Allie and held out a hand to help her stand. Allie took it. “Are you alright?” he asked her, his eyes looking over her injuries, but otherwise didn’t try to check himself.
That’s all he had to say to her? Allie pulled her hand away.
Now that the danger had passed, her anger with him returned.
“No, I am not alright. I don’t even know the man I have been dating the past few weeks.
This is clerical work?” she scoffed, pointing at his blackout outfit.
“And don’t feed me that bullshit, it was from your SEAL days.
I got kidnapped by this guy who was seeking vengeance against you and planned to use a special knife to kill me.
Why? Because you killed his brother. I thought it was from back when you were a SEAL.
No, that was two weeks ago. I was forced to protect myself from bad guys I didn’t even know existed.
I shot someone. Was chased down in the woods like some kind of animal and almost killed, and I still don’t know why this guy was after me or who he really is.
I know nothing. I am constantly kept in the dark.
For what? My protection? That turned out well.
So no, Carson, I am not alright. I am very much not alright.
” She felt completely drained by the time she was done.
The adrenaline was wearing off, and she felt her knees weaken, but she locked them in place.
“I’m going home.” She turned toward the direction she had seen Jack go.
The rest of his coworkers must be at the house, which meant they had been the ones shooting there.
If only she had stayed at the house, she could have been rescued sooner.
It didn’t matter now. One of them would surely give her a ride home, and she could get out of this nightmare and forget it ever happened.
Not that she was likely to forget today anytime soon.