Lake Of Sins: Escape

Chapter 18

TRINITY DARTED BEHIND A TREE AS the automated light illuminated the brush. All she had to do was sneak back inside the camp, warn her mom and the others and then help everyone escape. This plan should go smoother than her original one. She snorted. It would be impossible for it to go worse. Especially, since this time the only danger involved was traveling back to the Finishing Camp. Hopefully, that journey would be as uneventful as her trip here.

She'd stayed in the trees as much as possible. She'd passed one of the snail-like predators but it hadn't moved. It was probably too full of Guard. Later, three Cold Creepers stalked her from the bushes below. They'd stayed with her for several miles and then one of them lifted its head and snorted. It scanned the area, snorted again and then the three slunk off into the bushes. Covering herself in Mirra's scent must have worked.

The light moved past. She wanted to zip under the fence and race home, but she needed be cautious. Rushing forward without thinking hadn't worked too well for her the last time. She circled around to the west side of camp and climbed the large oak tree that her dad used to sneak into the encampment. Everything seemed normal, at least what she could see of it. This area was isolated, mostly trees and brush. She inhaled deeply, trying to catch any unusual scents in the air, but the camp was upwind so all she smelled was the slight odor of smoke from the fires.

She started to climb down and then stopped. She didn't have to crawl back under the fence. She could jump to a tree on the inside of the fence like her dad did. She moved from branch to branch and finally settled on a limb, climbing out as far as possible. It wasn't as close to the other tree as she'd like, but it'd have to do. She crouched, her muscles tensing. She couldn't miss. Hitting the ground hurt but landing on the fence rail would cause serious damage. She counted to three and then leapt, grasping the other tree's limb and pulling herself up. She'd done it! Wait until she told Gaar and Mirra. She frowned. Maybe, she shouldn't mention it. They probably wouldn't want to hear about this trip since they weren't going to be happy with her for escaping.

She dropped to the ground and waited. Nothing moved. She was safe. As safe as she could be in a prison where everyone was eventually slaughtered and eaten. She ran along the fence, moving from shadow to shadow toward her home. She passed a couple of produce carts in Hector's section. The maze of crates where Randy had kissed her cast shadows in the yard. It seemed like it had happened a lifetime ago not just seven days. She stopped at the back of her house. In a few minutes she'd see her mom. Her hand trembled as she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The delicious smells of apples, cinnamon and yeast greeted her. Mom's apple-nut bread. She inhaled deeply, moving down the hallway into the kitchen. Across the room a fire crackled, warming the cozy cottage. Her mom moved loaves of bread off a shelf over the fire and into a basket. Mom was still here. Safe. She'd been pretending that because the camp looked normal it meant that everything was the same as when she'd left, but the truth was that nothing changed when someone was removed from camp. It was a fact of their lives that all Producers were taken at some point.

Mom turned toward the table. There were bags under her eyes and her face was drawn and tight. "Trinity," she whispered as she tossed the basket on the table and flew across the room, pulling Trinity into a fierce hug.

She hadn't realized how afraid she'd been until this very moment. Her knees buckled and she leaned against the wall for support. Mom's familiar scent of lemon and wild flowers surrounded her and the tears that she'd been holding back escaped.

"Shhh, shhh." Mom stroked Trinity's hair. "You're home now."

She took a deep breath and forced herself to pull away, keeping a hold of her mom's hands. "I have to tell you..."