Safe Haven

Twenty One

Aiden's P.O.V

It was an eternity of worrying before Bill's truck came to a steady halt at a gas station in a sleepy nameless town. I hopped out, and thanked him for all his help, then race walked to the employee parking in the back of the confectionary hut. There was one car to chose from, and I glanced around to make sure no one was watching before I hot wired it.

People were just careless out here.

Putting the little bucket in neutral, I rolled out of the station as quietly as I could and didn't start the engine until I was a good distance away. Creeping out into the empty road, I decided that I should try and look for some clues; maybe ask around a bit. But if Shahana and her captors haven't stopped at all in this town, then I was outta luck. If only there was some sort of obvious sign that would point me in the right direction...

Maybe I'd just get lucky if I continued down the only road this tiny civilization had to offer. Maybe Shahana put up a fight and left some evidence.

Shahana...

Images of her petite frame, wild black hair and light eyes flickered through my thoughts in rapid succession. She was a beautiful young woman, with all the courage and fire of a viper, and I hated to think that Price's men were breaking her spirit. I knew she was smart, and she'd do whatever it takes to survive, so she had to have left something. She had to.

I kept my eyes peeled and left the town; it only took 5 minutes to drive through. I should probably pull over to see what I could find now that the corn fields were behind me. I slammed the door and studied the ground and surrounding area for disturbances or signs, and I found one.  

A bloody kernel from the corn field-- though we were way past it, was idly by itself. I knew it wasn't much to go by, but it was the only lead I had and my hope needed to go into something.

I pocketed the kernel and returned to my Volvo.  

_____________________________________________________________________________

 Shahana's P.O.V

I needed to get out of here. Elarick seemed completely relaxed; drumming his fingers along with the music and obeying all the laws of the road. I thought it was a little ironic, since he didn't follow the basic laws of being an American citizen.

I dropped a few more kernels and then pressed my hand to my wound to make sure the blood still coated them.  

It hurt so bad. I was sweating and my hand (that probably had a hairline fracture) was swollen so I could hardly open it. At least I didn't have to mind losing the corn.

"Feeling any better, love?"

I jumped, then frowned, hating the pet name I've seemed to adopted. No one would ever be allowed to call me 'Love' again.

"I, uh, I'm fine... Still queasy." Why did he care?  I mean, he is the asshole who shot me in the first place and hit me multiple times in the head. 

Elarick nodded and I didn't miss his sideways glance and coy smile as he slowed to a stop on the side of the road. Tensing up, I waited for his next move.

"Get out of the car." He ordered, taking the safety off the menacing metal that threatened me from his waistband. I got out at a cautious pace--afraid he'd shoot me just for the Hell of it. I waited as he got out and made a show of brandishing his gun, inspecting the metal and then finally pointing it at me. 

"Walk." he tilted his head towards an abandoned warehouse located just beyond the tall itchy grass off the road. I dropped all the kernals I'd been harboring since Aiden wouldn't be able to see them in the grass anyway, and shuffled to the edge of where nature met man.