White Rose

Chapter 27: Teresa's POV

A/N: I just hit 4K you are all super duper fantastic!!! When I started on here I had no idea how much people would like my writing, and it's helped me learn a lot about myself. As always, thanks for your persistence though this train wreck.

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~*~

Keep running. Just keep running. They'll be looking for us, we just have to keep running. My body is screaming but we can't stop. Not now, not ever. I can feel blood start to soak into my boot. We need to stop. No, we can't. Annie is getting farther and farther away. I'm not as fit as I used to be but I feel like I could run forever. Because if I don't I could die.

"Annie!" I yell, not caring about anyone hearing us, "Annie!"

She turns around and runs towards me, "What do we do?"

"It's almost night." I gasp, "We need to find a road and soon."

"I don't hear any cars." She pants.

"Help me." I wrap an arm around her shoulder and she helps me walk, "We keep going until it's night. We'll have to find somewhere to bed down and we'll have to be careful. He'll send everyone out once night falls."

"Okay, let's go." We keep moving and my leg feels like it's burning.

"Yeah, let's go." I wince, inhaling sharply, "Let's go."

~*~*~

In the next few hours we go maybe 15 miles, I'm not sure. Annie can keep going but I won't send her off alone. Selfish. The sky is turning a misty pink as the sun sets and stars begin to illuminate the sky. It's getting colder but we can't start a fire.

"Annie, over there!" I point to what looks like a cave, the entrance covered by plants.

"Let me go look. Stay here."

"Be careful, okay?" I let out a groan and flop down on the forest floor before inspecting my foot.

I can see the bullet but it hurts too badly now, I can't risk removing it so I tighten the belt around my calf and hope it slows the bleeding. I've lost too much blood to stay healthy much longer.

"Aunt Reese!" She whisper-yells, "It looks good. It's empty."

"Come here, help me up." I wave my hands and wince when Annie grabs my hands and pulls me up strongly, "Let's see this."

~*~*~

It's simple. It's just a cave, maybe five feet square. Big enough for the two of us, yet small enough as to not draw attention. Annie helps me sit on the floor of the cave and brings me a rock so I can prop up my foot. Que wincing again. Before I can say anything, Annie is curled up on my lap, her head resting on my chest.

"Shh, go to sleep okay?" I run my hand through her hair and kiss her forehead, "I'll stay up."

"Aunt Reese you need to sleep." She argues, her voice dazed, "You need it more than me, you're hurt."

I wouldn't normally give in this easy but I'm exhausted. I feel more drained than I ever have in my entire life, even after working with Jane.

Jane. I hope he had an idea or found a clue or something and that he was coming to find us. He must be worried sick, thinking he'll lose us to the same monster that killed his family. Sleep. Annie wants you to sleep. Stop thinking about Jane and just close your eyes.

"Alright." I whisper, "Wake me if you hear anything, alright?"

"Mhm."

~*~*~

"Don't you know I could be." Volker whispers, gripping my face, "Don't you know I could be?"

I feel his hot breath on my cheek, burning like acid. I try to pull away but I can't, I'm bound to one of the chairs. My heart is beating at the speed of light and I throw my weight back against the chair but it doesn't budge.

"Oh Teresa," he coos, "Why must you fight?" He jerks my face back to look at him and I squeeze my eyes shut, "Let me see those beautiful eyes."

"No!" I cry out, my voice breaking, "Let go of me!"

"Oh sweetie," he laughs, "don't you know we're playing by Red John's rules?"

"Please, please don't do this." I cry as I hear him open a knife, "Please!"

"You don't make the rules." He smiles, "You're just a pawn in His game."

I scream into the darkness when I feel him cut from my shoulder to my wrist. I can feel the blood pouring out and everything starts to blur. Stay awake Teresa, stay awake. Once you fall asleep you've lost.

Everything starts fading to black when I hear the door break open, followed by a gunshot. I couldn't fight anymore. If it was Red John he would kill me, I couldn't do anything to stop him.

"Lisbon!" A familiar voice exclaims and I am instantly met by a pair of warm hands on my cheeks, "Teresa can you hear me?"

"Jane. You found me." I whisper and everything fades to black.

~*~*~

My eyes jerk open and I'm brought back to the harsh reality of our current situation. It's still dark out and it keeps getting colder. I reach up to brush a piece of hair from my face when I notice I'm sweating. I'm going into shock and I think I'm running a fever. We need food and water, but most of all we need to get rescued.

"Find them!" I hear the blonde woman's voice and I instinctively draw a breath, "Find them NOW!"

Jane where are you, please find us.