DARKNESS

DARKNESS | Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

"Harper, wake up!" Hisses a worried voice, drawing me from my sleep. My eyes flutter open, instantly greeted by a golden morning sunlight. Kale's face soon moves into view, his expression serious and anxious.

He swiftly lifts a finger to his lips, telling me to keep quiet. "There are soldiers at the front door; we need to hide."

As though instinctively, my heart begins to race, anticipating the near future. What would happen if we were to be caught? I could only imagine Ashleigh's wrath and it isn't a pleasant thought.

"What do we do?" I question worriedly, unsure of where we could possibly go to escape Ashleigh's loyal forces. I silently sit up in a bed, swinging my legs over the edge.

"Stay quiet," Kale warns as he slips his warm hand into mine, gently pulling me up. Our feet pad softly against the floor as he leads me to the door, poking his head around it first in order to ensure safety.

We creep down the short dimly-lit hallway, the worn floorboards creaking undesirably under our combined weight. With every step I hold my breath, only able to wonder whether or not we'll be found. I was never able to empathise with the situation of a fugitive until now.

Upon reaching what I observe to be the back door of the house, Kale shifts his free hand to the doorknob, slowly twisting it and swinging the door open as silently as the old frame will permit. We slip outside and I take the initiative to close the door behind us, before looking around in utter worry.

Where are we supposed to go where we won't be found?

The absence of Kale's hand from mine draws me out of my thoughts, and I see him climbing a nearby tree, moving higher and higher up into its branches. It's when he's out of my sight that my heart spikes in fear and I'm quick to scramble up after him, desperate to preserve what little life I still possess. Kale helps me up the final branch, setting me just in front of him closest to the trunk of the tree. I clutch onto it for dear life, more out of comfort than anything.

I feel utterly exposed up here. Although the view of our surroundings is largely clouded and obscured by leaves, it feels as though we're on display; like everyone below can easily look up and see us. I feel like we're fooling ourselves into hoping this method of concealing ourselves will actually prove successful.

We hear them before we see them.

"And you say you've had no contact with outside persons within the last twenty-four hours?" A solider interrogates someone inside.

"No, of course not," comes a voice I barely recognise to be Claire's. Moments later, she appears out the back door, flanked by two Shadow soldiers.

"Those extra pairs of shoes in the bedroom," the last guard out the door speaks up, eyeing Claire conspicuously, "who do they belong to?"

"One of them is mine, the other belongs to a family member."

"Don't lie to us now, Ms Anderson."

"Heaven forbid, I'm not lying to you!" Claire exclaims, clearly becoming frustrated. "I'm Lord Ash's sister; what reason would I have to lie to him?"

"We all know of the sour turn your relationship took," the closest guard reminds her, as though offering up that reason.

"Even in spite of that, I wouldn't sink as low as to betray my own kin. I have not kept the presence of Kale in many, many years. Ashleigh knows that as well as I do; as well as you do. Your search of my house is in vain. Please, just leave me alone. I have and want nothing to do with my nephew Kale Anderson."