Elk Creek

Chapter 4

They had been in Doug house for less than an hour but as Raina accelerated down the winding driveway she found that both the fog and the snow had picked up. Barely ten feet was visible before the car. Multiple times the thought to simply switch off her light in hopes of seeing further crossed her mind, though the thought was always pushed aside. With Raina's luck she'd hit something the second she switched off her lights.

Gripping the wheel tightly, Raina let hot tears tumble down her cheeks as she attempted to stay on the road. This is the only way! She couldn't stay with Izabelle and Doug. Carter would find her. There wasn't a doubt in her mind about that. Under no circumstances was Raina going to put the ones she loved in Carter's destructive path. Leaving was her only option. For Izabelle. The muscles in her shoulders stung with the tension that racked her body. At least Izabelle will know her father. Katrina had seen the resemblance and it wouldn't take Doug long to figure out that she knew. When he did—if he didn't strangle Val first—he would tell his longtime friend. A stable home would be good for Iza. For a brief moment, Raina let herself wonder what it would be like to provide a stable home for her daughter. Providing a safe house with white paint, and a yard for Iza to play in. A place with many rooms to fill with happy memories and stories. She could have a dog. In Raina's mind a tall man stood beside her, watching their little girl play in the grass.

~*~

Glaring out the windshield, Val attempted to spot Raina's Chrysler through the snow and fog. What would get into that woman's mind to drive off in the middle of the night? The light from the low beams bounced back off the fog, making it impossible to see more than a vehicle length ahead of his cruiser. Gritting his teeth, he sped up, knowing full well that he could slide off the road while going around one of the winding bends. Anyone unfamiliar with the roads wouldn't have taken the risk, but Val needed to catch up with Raina. He wasn't going to let her run away again. Four years ago he had let her go. Why she'd run, he didn't know, but Val was determined to keep it from happening again.

Eyes squinted against the fog, windshield wipers on full blast, Val pulled around a bend in the road, hugging the center line. Off the road, a yellow glint caught his eye. The cruiser slowed to a stop by the side of the road. Slowly he stepped from the vehicle.

~*~

Snow pelted the car in rapid succession. As soon as the windshield wipers cleared the front window it was covered in fluffy crystals once again. Unable to see and consumed by the image of the life she wanted for her daughter, Raina allowed her hands to loosen on the wheel.

Before she had time to react, the car went flying off the road. Hands suddenly gripping the steering wheel like it was her only tie to life, Raina's eyes grew wide as she watched the oncoming trees. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die! Fear gripped her, causing her throat to grow tight, preventing her from screaming. What seemed to be at the last second, the nose of the car dipped downward.

A moment later, the hood was consumed in several feet of powder.

~*~

Several feet of snow covered the ground on the other side of the barrier of snow along the side of the road. Standing in a gap in the barrier—which he assumed was created by the half buried Chrysler—Val attempted to figure out the best way to reach the car. The smooth surface of the snow gave no clue as to what lay beneath it. Sighing, he began to wade through the thigh high snow. Raina needed him and he wasn't going to waste time trying to find the driest way to reach her.

Coming up alongside the snow covered car, Val knocked lightly on the side. He didn't want to scare Raina when he opened the door. As quickly as he could, he pushed snow away from the door until he found the driver's side door handle. No sound came from inside the car. That scared him. Hand closed around the door handle, Val yanked on the door. It barely moved. A small squeak came from inside the car. Despite himself, Val found himself smiling for the briefest moment. At least she's awake. The smile disappeared as he tugged on the door again, this time getting it open a couple inches.