Navy Wolf

Chapter 26

In moonlit meadows, 

the wolves' whispers carry ancient tales to the curious hearts. 

☾

4 days flew by in a flash. And I suddenly found myself at the ferry terminal again. Drinking my smoothie I got from the little shop behind me, slurping silently with a tired frown on my face. My gaze darted to my phone, checking the clock. The ferry should be here in a couple of minutes.

I sighed, looking around.

My dad offered me a second time this morning to accompany me on this short trip to the police station in Nanaimo, but I refused. I didn't want him to be involved in this again. It should be done for him, they've endured enough. Unlike me, I was the lucky one who didn't have to fear for my life or others to be at gun point and potentially be killed.

God, what a nightmare that must have been for them.

In the distance I could see the ferry now, which was going to take me to the Nanaimo terminal, as it slowly approached the bay I was standing on. The wind blew, and I could hear the squawks of seagulls announcing its arrival.

The ferry docked at the bay, passengers disembarked like ants and I hopped on, looking for a seat at a window to sit at. Minutes later we sailed on to our destination Nanaimo bay ferry terminal.

I took my phone checking the clock again. My stomach fluttered, as I thought I was going back to the other side of British Columbia. The taste of these bittersweet memories pulled me down into a spiral, which reminded me of a person I didn't want to think of, but it was too late. Kaven's face appeared in my minds eye and I winced, squinting to myself.

I let out a deep breath, looking out of the window, trying to distract myself. This felt too heavy to bare and I wanted to get off this ferry now.

I shifted in my seat, which creaked under my weight. A couple of seagulls flew by my window, and I put my music on shuffle. Popping one earplug in, I recognized the song immediately. Chase Atlantics song Right Here started playing, and my eyes fell shut.

Maybe a little music is going to sooth the ache in me.

***

"Please sign here."

The police officer handed me a pen while laying the piece of paper in front of me, which was my witness statement. I read through the lines he had typed out recognizing my words I had said out loud a couple of minutes earlier.

I was sitting in a way too small office with a middle aged officer. Wearing his official police badge on his right chest, fixated on the screen in front of him he typed something on his keyboard, not caring what I was doing. The sun was shut out by the blinds of this office, which smelled of coffee and freshly printed paper, when the lines in front of me took me somewhere else.

The armed attack, when the glasses were shattered by bullets, or when my dad told me to hide with Riley. My mom screaming, my sister crying, me panicking. My dad trying to protect us all. The way I got swiped away by the waves, remembering every single sting of the ice cold water and finally stranding in Parksville.

Returning back from my memories, I took the pen and was about to sign the paper, as a loud male voice yelled at someone outside of the office I was sitting in.

"You will pay for this!," I heard him shout, furious in his being, followed by slammed doors and angry steps hitting the linoleum floor.

"Sir, please calm down," I heard another one reply, way too familiar.

My head turned to the squared glass windows which separated us from the hallway outside of this room, when the man, who must have yelled just seconds ago, stepped into vision, being pulled and held by another tall man, who was twice his size.

I pulled myself together, trying not to stare and focused on my statement in front of me.

"Here," I announced being done with reading and signing.

"Perfect," he replied, taking it out of my hand. "We're done here. Thank you for coming."

I got up, smiled and walked out of the door, when a familiar stature emerged into my vision. My brows furrowed.

This can't be.

My legs started walking, following the guy down the hallway, past the exit doors, that I should be taking to go back home. But my mind went silent, and my legs took control. My target in front of me, almost reaching the ceiling with his height, wore a white shirt, with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, walking down the hall, unknowing that he was being followed by me. Or my legs, to be exact.

The guy turned left, his dark silhouette revealing his man bun I hadn't noticed from the distance and my heart started banging against my ribs.
I ran this time, trying to keep up. And before I knew it, this man turned around, raising his eyebrows and question marks appeared all around his face, when he saw me.
It's him. It's... wait-

"Can I help you, Miss?"
That question in combination with his now in daylight exposed face brought me back to reality. I froze before stepping back as he frowned again.
"Are you okay, Miss?"
This guy I had never met before stared at me with his dark eyes and a full beard covering half of his face. I blinked until everything set in.

God.
It wasn't him.

"I-... I'm sorry," I stammered waving my hand up and down. "I thought you were someone else."
He nodded. "It's alright," he replied, rubbing his neck. "It's just... you're not allowed to be in this area of this place, so-"

"Colton!"
He turned around and I looked past him to the direction where the male voice came from.
"Robert," he said in acknowledgement as it hit me.
Robert Parks.
Kaven's dad. This was his work place.
"We need you, the guy from earlier's being difficult again," Robert ordered, his voice echoing over to us.

Oh no.

I didn't know what came over me, but my legs took over control again.
I started running in the opposite direction, back to the exit, which showed up to my right and I hurried through the swing door, down the stairs. 

Cars drove past, cyclists almost crashed with me. I kept running. Honking sounds mixed with the roaring of engines ringed in my ears and the scent of car exhausts filled my lungs. I was fully alert, constantly checking the traffic but kept on running. Over crosswalks and sometimes across the street to save time. 

Just when I reached the bay, I stopped running. My feet feeling sore, my lungs threatening me to burst, my eyes failing me. I coughed and snorted, blinking to clear my vision.

The ten-minute-run went by so fast, that I hadn't realized how exhausting this was. I couldn't even hear the people talking around me, my pulse was banging way too loud in my ears.
And then, all while my body was pumping blood and oxygen through me, I saw my latest nightmare in the distance.

The last ferry back to Vancouver.
I missed it.

*****

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