Lost Rewritten

Chapter 6

Scarlett's lungs screamed, but she kept her breath as silent as possible, hoping they wouldn't find her in the dumpster. I can't believe I'm hiding in a dumpster, she thought revoltingly. But what has to be done has to be done. She heard voices outside. Two men came stomping on the pavement. They stopped right outside the dumpster and looked around. Scarlett held her breath. Her heart thumped so loudly, she hoped they didn't hear it. Eventually, they moved on. After their voices and footsteps were long gone, she opened the dumpster lid and peeked out. When the coast was clear, she grabbed her drawstring bag and got out. She ran as fast and quietly as she could in the opposite direction from where the men left.

I gotta get out of this city. They'll catch me if I stay, she thought. Maybe I should hitchhike? No, just run.

So she ran. As fast as she could for as long as she could. After half an hour of running, it slowed a joke, which then slowed to a walk. After three hours, Scarlett sat at the edge of a curb in Flagstaff, Arizona. It had been three weeks since Scarlett left Pine Bluff. Everyday she thought of her sister, but everyday she thought of what she had to sacrifice to see her sister too. Her best friend. Her only friend. All to see Serena... Scarlett thought. It has to be worth it. It will be worth it. I'll see Serena and we'll be so happy.

When she was done catching her breath, Scarlett kept walking. Focus on something else. Look at the sky. It's so nice today. It's blue. And there are no clouds. Feel the warmth on your skin, Scarlett thought, trying to distract herself from any emotional pain. She watched each passing car, each tumbleweed that passed by, each crack on the sidewalk that she walked on.

Since Scarlett had left Arkansas, she'd been chased down five times by those men that wanted to capture her and bring her back. She'd been almost caught twice. But no matter who stood in her way, her desire to see Serena was much stronger than anyone else's will. The first chase was shortly after she got to Texas. After that, she knew it wasn't safe to take shuttles anymore, so walking or hitchhiking were her only options. And hitchhiking wasn't very safe either. Walking was her best bet. It shouldn't be long until I get to Cali, Scarlett thought. In the first week she had burned through the snack packs she brought, except for one. And sometime in the second week, she had ripped her shirt on a fence, so all she had left was a pair of jeans in her bag and the last snack pack. And some money she picked up at fast food restaurants, if she was lucky.

One care pulled over to where she was walking. It was a silver Hyundai Genesis, and the windows were tinted so dark Scarlett couldn't see anything. The driver window rolled down and she saw a man with close-cropped black hair and dark shades sitting in the driver seat. "Need a ride?" He asked in a smooth, deep voice.

"No thanks," Scarlett said.

"You look like you could use some help."

"I'm fine on my own thanks," Scarlett said as she kept walking. I hope he doesn't follow me. But he did. Very slowly, to match her pace, he drive behind her. As she picked up the pace, so did he. How am I gonna get away? She thought. Then she saw a gas station ahead and ran to it. She ran inside and speed-walked to the restrooms. Scarlett went inside a stall and waited. And waited. A solid half hour passed until she peeked out of the door, the man not in sight. She wearily left the restrooms and looked outside. His car wasn't in the parking lot. He left, she thought thankfully.

Scarlett jogged the rest of that day. And the next. And the next. Finally, she reached Las Vegas. Alright, so now I need to go west. And then I'll find myself in Thousand Oaks, Cali...