If I Never Knew You

Chapter 8: Dead Arcade

If I never Knew You

Chapter 8

Dead Arcade

Penny was soaked to the bone, it didn't help that her feet kept pounding the pavement as she moved. Her hood had been pulled up over her hair long ago to hide her face. She knew Claws men were relentless and she was sure one followed her inside the old rundown mall. She couldn't go into the shops, the owners would take one look at the police uniforms and sell her out like the bus driver did.

She knew there was one hope, she needed to get to a phone, she needed to call her uncle. Now only if she could remember her uncle's personal phone number. She was never given it, but she had seen it written down once or twice.

Her head was beginning to hurt from overthinking, the cold, and her chattering teeth. Bursting through the doors of the mall into an alleyway on the other side.

How long had she been running? Wasn't that long right? Her stomach protested loudly, she couldn't keep going, she had to stop and wait. Find a place to hide till she could...she hid behind a dumpster and gulped, he found her?

She held her breath as the large unknown fake police officer lumpered by with a flashlight. It had gotten darker. Penny knew that once he turned around she would be spotted. This was bad, she felt the tears running down her face. She couldn't, not like this. She slowly reached up and...yes! The door opened, she tried to be as soundless as she could as she slowly closed the door quietly. She pressed her forehead against the door listening to the thick footfalls of the agent.

Yes...he passed her by. That was so close, she turned to apologize to the family she might have encroached on, but there was no one there. Just a bunch of gaming cabinets covered by old dusty trash bags. She looked around and smirked. It reminded her of an old movie she watched not too long ago. Quietly she went around the room and spotted what she hoped she would find, now only if it would work? She lifted the phone and listened, nothing...she closed her eyes and set the phone down and looked around the room suddenly wishing that she had at least saved half of that sandwich.

She looked around the lonely dusty room, hunger forgotten over the one desire she had. To be held by the one person she missed most of all.

Her teeth chattered as she sniffled and ran her arm over her nose. She needed to find a way to get warm. This wasn't exactly a warm season. She opened another door and looked inside, finding what looked like old table cloths for the restaurant, too bad it was closed too, she suddenly found out the reason why. The roof had fallen in. the place must have fallen into disrepair and closed down. She picked up one of the table cloths and pulled it around herself, and then another, and even terry cloth for her hair. It'll have to do. She yawned and looked down at herself.

She wasn't too sure what it was, but she was sure her uncle was looking for her. She needed to get to him, but...

She yawned again pushing herself into a closet and pushed the door closed taking yet another cloth and tied it around the door knob and the cabinet next to it, it would have to do as a lock. She was too tired, and she was sure it was definitely late now.

Curling up on a huge mound of papers she closed her eyes. Her last thoughts were of her uncle and if he were missing her as dearly as she missed him.

She wanted to go home, so much more than anyone would ever know. She needed to get home, she needed her uncle and she was sure he wanted to find her too.

Now only if she could get there.