Blood Rose

Chapter Thirteen: The Escape

I woke with a start, noticing a silhouette covering the amber sunset. Joseph's voice poked out, saying, "he found me! I got some food but we betta keep movin' befo' he comes back!"

Without warning, he grabbed my arms and pulled, while Lana pushed me out of the hole. I crouched down and found my balance, and started to do the same with Remmie, then Camana. I heard the distant sound of my brother's yells cutting through the air. "Evy! Stop!"

I heard a second set of footsteps, and I assumed Lincomb wasn't far behind. As they came closer to the edge of the forest, I pulled faster on Ollie's arms. Camana grabbed onto her shoulders and pushed down with her feet, but it was no use. Ollie's dress was caught on the root of a tree.

Joseph yelled at us to pull harder, to move faster. Camana shook and broke down into tears, still pulling on her wife's arms as Evian and Lincomb came even closer. Soon, everything behind me turned into a blur. All I was focused on was getting Ollie out of that hole.

Suddenly, I heard a crash behind me as a large tree fell in the wind. I turned my head to see the two men struggling to climb over it, and Joseph standing behind me with a rusty, dirt-covered ax in his hand, and a smug look on his face. I turned back to Ollie and continued to pull, still to no avail. Seeing our issue and not deciding to yell at us, Joseph jumped into the hole and fumbled with Ollie's dress.

Just as Lana began to scream at us, saying Evian and Lincomb were almost over the fallen tree, Ollie was free. Camana and I pulled with all our strength, and she was hoisted out of the hole. I reached down to help Joseph, but he was already pulling himself up next to me.

All of us were out, so we ran. We ran as fast and far as our legs could carry us, and we didn't stop until daylight fell over the forest.

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"There should be a train headed north from Louisiana, so if we can somehow get onto that-" I started, but Joseph cut me off.

"Louisiana? That's southern blood," he protested. "We'll have no chance of safeteh."

"But it's a quick way out," I noted.

Lana took a deep breath and spoke up. "I think we shouldn't riskit, Evelyn."

I sighed out of my nose and leaned against a tree trunk, my hands covering my closed eyes. As I pried my eyelids open, I examined the dirt and grime that had rested atop my legs for days. The beautiful orange skirt I had worn was now a dusty brown, and the blue blouse on my upper body was loose and several buttons were missing. The coral shawl that I had adored was shredded at the ends, and my hairstyle was resorted to a disheveled mess.

As this was the only time of relaxation I had gotten in several days, I was finally able to notice how torn apart I had become. Surrounded by unspoken conflict, I wished to be back home with my family. Not my insane brother, my deteriorating mother, and my wounded father. My real family. But I knew I could never get that back.

Before I knew it, I was drowning in my own thoughts and the lull of whisper-yelling sunk me into sleep. It was peaceful, leaning against the wood. I woke up after several hours; the sun's light was a faint blue against the sky, just enough to see. I could just barely make out the silhouettes of Lana and Camana in front of me, hugging their knees to their chests.

I yawned, covering my mouth with my fingertips. I could feel Camana turn around with her back against my knee, and she whispered, "Evelyn? Are ya awake?"

I noticed that the sun was rising, and my eyes immediately widened. "Camana, we need to go now."

She looked around, confused, and turned to me for an explanation, but I was already on my feet. I bent down to my right and shook Joseph's shoulder, urging him to wake up. His eyes rolled open and his head shot up to meet my gaze. "Wha... what's happening?"

"The sun is rising. Anyone could see us. We need to find a place to hide now."

Without questioning me, Joseph lunged for his daughter, picked her up, and shook his wife awake. Remmie woke up crying, and a now-awake Lana put a kind hand over her mouth. She whispered, "we godda stay quiet baby."

Camana got to Ollie in a matter of seconds and started to gather her few things. Soon, Ollie, Joseph, Camana, and I all had our packs on and we were running across the train tracks, towards the forest across from us. Lana gathered the rest of her belongings and broke into a sprint, trying to catch up.

Just as we had reached the forest, we heard a thud behind us. Camana turned back and, before I had a chance to look, I heard a gunshot ring out into the open air, followed by a shrill scream from the child next to me.