The Hills [ S.R. ]

chapter 15

TW: Mentions of drowning, blood, and stabbing.

You woke up just before dawn. You were going through with your plan. You stretched as much as you could in your seat. You stood up and began to pace around the barn. Your heart twisted at the thought of hurting Patrick. He was the only one who had tried to be nice. You knew deep in your heart that he didn't want to take you. If Menendez was behind all of this because he wanted to know where your dad was, he was just as screwed as you. You knew the longer you stayed there, the more at risk you were of getting harmed for not giving up the location of your father -which you genuinely didn't know. To make matters worse, you knew exactly where Edward was and he was even more valuable than your dad. You needed to make a decision. You slumped down in the chair and let out a loud frustrated sigh when you heard a car pull up and park on the gravel outside. You heard the door of the car open, close, and footsteps coming toward the barn.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Your eyes lit up at the sight of Patrick as he jogged over to you.

"Look, I know you took the screwdriver from the back and I'm so thankful. I put it there on purpose. This is what we're gonna do..."

You nodded your head along to the instructions he was giving you. You repeated the words in your head as he began to take off the tape. He had told you he knew you could break out of them easily but you'd need your strength to carry out what he told you. Once you were ready he grabbed your wrist and pulled you toward the car, he handed you a pair of Sketchers.

"I know these are probably gonna be too big but that's all I had," he said looking around while you put them on. "Okay, get in the front seat." You followed his instructions as he got in, started the car and began driving on a worn dirt road. He gave you a small water bottle and a tangerine this time. You snacked as you took in your previous surroundings. There wasn't anything around for the morning glow to bounce off of- it was just barren. You looked back at the barn, realizing it had been part of an abandoned farm. The machinery around was rusted and the windows were broken in, there was spray paint on the outside walls of the barn. 

On the ride you got to know Patrick a little bit more, he even said yes when you found out Menendez was his father. "He raised me to take over once he's gone but... I don't want any part of this. You're not the first person I've helped either. It just sucks that other men had to die because I wanted to help. Uh- don't worry though, they were just as bad as my father," he shared. He finally pulled up to the main freeway. "This is as far as I can go without getting caught. Please be careful (Y/n), I don't want you to have done so much just to get caught again." You shoot him a grateful smile.

"Thank you so much Patrick. Be careful," and with that he was gone.

...

You had followed his instructions as you walked on the right side of the road looking for trees that would stand out. When you picked one, you carved in a big "O" into the trunk of it making it very noticeable. You didn't really understand why Patrick was so adamant about this part but he saved you; you weren't going to argue. You spent all day doing just that. You were hungry and tired and you had finished your water bottle around what you assumed to be the afternoon because of how hot and humid it had been. Your feet were hurting and you reached an arm out to lean against a tree. Patrick had told you that at the end of the day you should be good to hitchhike out of there. Well, the sun had just set and it was getting darker by the minute. You did not want to be in the wilderness of Virginia at night. 

That's when you heard it, the quiet hum of the engine of a car; and it was coming your way. You tucked the screwdriver back in your leggings and ran out onto the right side of the street as you saw the headlights of the car on the left side. You flailed your arms around in the air, yelling at the car to stop. It slowed next to you. The driver was an older man in an SUV. His outfit didn't seem to fit the car, his khaki fishing vest over a flannel contrasting against the sleek vehicle.