Bond in Blood

Chapter 2 - An Epic Creciendo

A/N: Russian translations may be off, I do not know what I am saying! Potential medical inaccuracies as well. 

I had been sitting in a park when it happened. First one large black SUV zoomed past. Strange, I thought, the road didn't really lead anywhere, but it didn't concern me. A second followed suit. My heart twisted. Odd.

A third pulled into the parking lot. Not a hundred feet away from me. I decided it would be best to get out of there before something went down. I dropped what I was doing, tied my skirt so it was up around my knees and walked as quickly as I could to a red trail. It wasn't a loop, and it'd get me as far as I needed away from whatever the situation was up here. I turned around for a split second and saw 3 more SUV's had joined the one in the parking lot.

Instinct told me to run.

I started to sprint down the red trail. It was a cool fall day, so I felt the wind bite at my throat as I ran. I was fast, as one had to be these days. Whatever was going down would be long behind me in a couple minutes. I heard footsteps behind me, something crunching. My stomach dropped. Not looking back, I went off trail. My shoes didn't have the support I needed for the running I was doing.

I kept hearing crunching behind me. It sure sounded like somebody was chasing after me. I turned, narrowly avoiding eating shit and running into a tree. No matter how fast I ran, it seemed that it wasn't enough. One set of footsteps turned to three, and then it seemed that there were people on all sides of me. I could feel tears burn in my throat and eyes. What had I done wrong?

I hadn't eaten yet today, and as my legs grew weak there was no viable way I could maintain this speed and also get away from the situation. I would need to be clever. I could climb something. My eyes traced the trees in front of me, looking for ones with branches low and strong enough I could clamber up.

A white pine appeared in front of me. I jumped, grabbing a branch and scrambling up it as quickly as I could. My clothes got covered in sap, and a branch scratched my brow enough to draw blood. I moved up ten feet, then fifteen, before trying to settle somewhere. I stared at the ground below, waiting for a troupe of people to come running around in all directions. My breath was shallow as I tried to catch it.

A cool sweat grew on my forehead as I waited for something to happen. 5 minutes passed, 20 minutes passed. Then an hour. Finally I let out the breath I'd been holding. Of course it was nothing. I was losing it. Of course. I slowly got down from my perch and began the long walk back home.

I really think I'm going insane. Eyes seemed to be everywhere. As I sat on the bus, I could swear everyone was staring at me. Maybe it was because I was covered in sap. Maybe it was the dried blood above my eye. I shivered. Something seemed wrong. Even the air was thick with something.

When I got off at my stop and continued the mile or so to where I was staying, the feeling of being watched didn't stop. I saw another SUV. Parked just a few feet from the bus stop. I tried to turn, tried to get back on but the bus had already sped off. I was so exhausted, and I couldn't just run off - my money and my phone and my photos and everything I loved were back at my place.

Whatever this was, whatever it would turn out to be, I was going to have to go back before I could leave again.

I turned around, trying to avoid black SUV's when I could. I would sneak in through the backyard. My bedroom was on the first floor. I had a go bag ready, as mama had taught me to do. I would just need to grab it from its spot by the window. Then I could get out of there.

I wove through neighborhoods, taking the longest route imaginable. The backyard was small, with a fence to hop, so I knew the second it was in my sights I would need to hurry and sprint until I was home free.