RUN

Chapter 15

"Umm, guys, we need to go!" Christina said urgently, flinging open the car door and hopping in. The rest of us followed her, and soon enough, we were driving away in silence.

The air in the car was thick with tension. As we pulled up to the hotel, Paul and William quickly exited the car. Christina and I started to follow, but Paul stopped us.

"You two stay here," he said, his voice firm. "Precautionary reasons."

The boys ran into the hotel, leaving us behind. Christina had already passed out, leaning against the window. I, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. The booms from earlier echoed in my head, over and over: Boom. Boom. Boom. My body was tense, and my mind wouldn't calm down. I couldn't help but feel the dread tightening in my chest.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the boys returned—but with no suitcases. No weapons. No clothes. Just empty hands.

My stomach twisted with concern. "Where's our stuff?" I demanded.

Paul didn't answer. He just slammed the car into gear and sped off at 50 mph, not looking back.

William broke the silence. "It's gone," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Everything's gone. Our clothes, our weapons..."

"Still got some," Christina mumbled sleepily, her voice groggy but still sharp.

"The only thing we've got left are our coats," William finished.

I was too stunned to respond, too confused to even ask where we were going. I had an unsettling feeling, but I knew better than to ask too many questions. For the next half hour, we all sat in silence. Christina was still asleep. Paul and William didn't speak. I was bored out of my mind, and the anticipation in the air was stifling.

Suddenly, Paul slammed on the brakes, and we all lurched forward. Christina's head hit the dashboard—yet she didn't stir. I couldn't help but laugh quietly despite the tension. I mean, how did she sleep through that?

Paul and William exchanged seats without a word. William behind the wheel. That scared me. The last time he drove, we almost died. Seriously. He hadn't exactly earned my trust behind the wheel.

Before he could drive off, I turned to Paul. "Hey, want to switch places with me?" I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

Paul nodded without hesitation, his expression oddly relaxed.

I slid into the passenger seat, buckling up as William revved the engine. We pulled onto the road, and I braced myself for the worst. Surprisingly, we didn't crash. William actually drove pretty well.

I couldn't hold my curiosity anymore. "William," I asked cautiously, "do you know where we're going?"

He nodded slowly, eyes on the road. "We're going somewhere so safe not even those Siasms can hurt us."

And just like that, I was out. The exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave, and I drifted into a deep sleep.

When I woke up, the sun was high, and the car was still moving. I groggily glanced at the clock. It was 10:30 AM. We were definitely lost. The road stretched endlessly in front of us, flanked by nothing but grass on both sides. No signs of civilization. No other cars.

I looked over at William, sitting calmly in the driver's seat. He looked so unfazed, but my gut churned with unease.

"William, where are we going?" I asked, my voice betraying my nerves.

He sighed, a little exasperated, as though I should already know the answer. "Kris, I've already told you. Trust me, I think you need to see—"

"I'm up!" Christina suddenly shouted from the back seat, stretching and rubbing her eyes. "Hey, why aren't there any cars? And why isn't Kristen sitting next to me?"

"Well, William's taking us somewhere," I said, barely glancing at him. "And he won't tell me." I shot him a mock glare, though I couldn't keep a straight face. "And while you were snoring, Paul and I switched places so he could be by you and I could be by William."

Christina looked at me, half-exasperated and half-amused, before her attention shifted to the road.

Finally, we spotted trees in the distance and then—a house. A house out here?

William pulled the car up next to it, parking with a quick motion. He leaped out of the car and ran toward the front door without looking back.

Christina started to follow him, but I reached out and grabbed her arm. "Wait. Something doesn't feel right about this."

Christina shrugged me off, her curiosity getting the better of her. "It's probably just an old couple or a big family. Let's go."

I still had this terrible feeling in my stomach, but I followed her. We both stepped out of the car and walked toward William. He was laughing with a guy I didn't recognize. A guy who didn't look anything like William, but who seemed completely at ease with him.

"Hey, I know him!" Christina said, her face lighting up. "He used to always be at the basketball and football games. Yelled the loudest, got the crowd hyped. He was awesome."

I wasn't really paying attention to Christina at this point, my eyes locked on William and his companion. They were finishing some kind of joke, laughing together like they'd known each other for years.

"Then I said, 'You have to floss your teeth with rope!' It was so stupid." William's voice was still laced with laughter, and he slapped the guy's shoulder in amusement.

Christina fake coughed, drawing their attention. William looked over, his arm still around me, and I instinctively laced my fingers with Christina's.

"Nathan, this is my girlfriend, Kristen," William said, his voice warm. "And our best friend, Christina." He glanced at me before continuing, "Christina, Kris, this is Nathan... my brother."

My breath caught in my throat. Nathan. His brother? The whole time, I hadn't even known.