If We Survive The Night

Out

Jaden

The moment I touch him, Casey whirls around, letting out a shriek of terror. I can't really blame him under the circumstances, but my heart still leaps in my throat. I press a finger to my lips and quickly check our surroundings. I can't see anyone in front of the building, only the car with its headlights on. I still can't tell if there's anyone inside it.

Casey stares at me blankly. Perhaps he doesn't recognize me without a vacuum cleaner.

"It's me—Jaden." Now that I think of it, he might not know my name. His stepmother only mentioned it to him once, and he wasn't paying attention. He blinks at me, looking lightheaded.

"You don't know who I am?"

"Of course, I know who you are," he whispers.

"Good. Let's go, then. We need to get out."

He nods. "That way?" He motions in the direction of the main gates.

"No." I pull him the other way.

"But the exit is there!"

"There's a car parked there. Probably of those who're... doing this. We can't go there. Just follow me."

I turn around and run across the lawn, darting from one tree to another, not bothering to check if he's following. It's only when I reach the deeper shadows under the garden trees that I glance back.

He's right behind me, his eyes huge with shock.

"Did you call the police?" he whispers, grabbing my arm. "Do you have a phone?"

"Hazel pressed the alarm button." I shake my hand free and start moving again, heading deeper into the trees, away from the mansion. "She's going to call them, too."

"Hazel?" he says behind me. "She's here? This late?"

"Of course she is." Hazel always stays late, but he apparently doesn't know that, spending the evenings in his room. Does he think that dirty dishes just take care of themselves?

"We can't leave her!"

"She's hiding in the cellar. Now, hurry up," I snap, both angry with him for slowing me down and the fact that I, too, feel pretty shitty about leaving Hazel behind. Now that I'm out of her immediate presence, the effect of her authority has dissipated a bit, and I feel like a coward for running away. Although what could I do if I stayed? I don't have a gun or anything to protect us, and she's so big she can barely walk, let alone run. Hiding and waiting this out is her best shot, just as running away is mine.

"I hope she's all right," Casey says behind me.

"Your whole family is out there, and you worry about Hazel?" That annoys me, too, because Hazel is mine to worry about. I'm not sure I can call a woman that could easily be my grandmother a friend, but she does feel like that, even if she insists on treating me like a child.

For a while, he follows me in silence.

"I worry about my family, too," he says at last.

I pause to glance back. He stops, looking guilty.

"I hope they're all right," he says. "I mean, I'm not all that close to them, but they don't deserve... this. Whatever this is." He shudders, then takes a deep breath. "Anyway, where're are we going? There's no exit that way."

"There is." I start walking again. "You should know. It's your house."

"It's not exactly mine."

I hum to myself. If I lived in a mansion like this, I'd be exploring every corner of it rather than sitting in my room, glued to my phone. The garden alone is awesome. Hewston made sure of that, although his efforts aren't too visible in the dark. It's lucky he left all those big trees at the back of the garden untrimmed. It's like a forest here, making me feel hidden and protected.

We finally reach the tall iron fence, the side of it where one of the metallic bars is bent a little, allowing anyone skinny enough to squeeze through. I do exactly that, slipping to the other side. Casey touches the fence warily, as if to make sure it's not an electric one.

I really have no time for this.

"All right, I'm out of here," I say. "Don't tell the cops I was here."

"Wait, what?" He starts squeezing between the bars. "Where're you going?"

"Home," I say, backing away. "You should hide somewhere until the police show up."

I look right and left at the empty road. There are streetlights, but the area still looks shadowy and desolate, despite this being a fancy neighborhood. The emptiness of the road feels sinister, making me feel exposed. I haven't heard any gunshots in a while, and I'm not sure it's good news. The attackers could be making their way through the garden now, heading our way. They could have seen from the second-floor windows which way we went.

Casey checks the road.

"Where do you live? Is it a long walk?"

"It's a ride." I nod at my car, parked down the road.

His eyebrows go up. "You have a car? I thought you were, like, dirt poor."

"Not dirt poor," I say, too distracted to even get pissed at this.

"Can I come with you?"

That snaps me back into focus. "What? No!"

"But where should I go?"

"I told you, hide somewhere. Go to the neighbors, maybe. Come out when the police show up."

"Police?" He blinks, as if remembering something. "The guy with the gun wore a police uniform."

"What?" That gives me pause. "Seriously? You saw him?"

"Yes." He nods. "He saw me, too."

"Hmm," I say. "Well, anyway, I'll be going."

"Wait," he says. "Don't leave me."

I give him a look over, only now noticing that he's barefoot. He's got some old jeans on, and an oversized shirt, the kind of comfy things he wears around the house. He looks paler and smaller than usual, standing by the side of the road, like a kid lost in the night. I shake my head, trying to focus again. I've done enough for him, way more than I had to.

"I just helped you get out of there, okay? I want nothing to do with any of this."

"Could I... use your phone to call my friend to pick me up?"

"No! Didn't you hear me? Forget I was here! Just hide, and then tell them you got out on your own. You can manage that much, can't you?"

Before he can say anything else, I turn away and head for my car.

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