42nd Country Road

Can You Hear Me?

"Ev, if you can hear me..." Mark said.

"I can hear you Mark, I can hear you," I said loudly

"You need to stay with me," Mark said.

"I'm right here Mark," I said choking on tears. He couldn't hear me, but I could hear him.

"Ev?" I felt another hand join mine, "It's me, Jack, I-I want you to make it, you need to make it,"

"I'm fine," I replied. Suddenly I wasn't in my head anymore. I could see the fresh, crisp, white room around me. I saw Mark and Jack's faces.

"Oh my gosh, Ev," Mark said, embracing me, I thought that I lost you,"

"You could never lose me," I said weakly. Jack and Mark both laughed. The dark came up in me.

"Morning boys," I said.

"Pretty's back," Jack said.

"Ya she is," Mark said in return.

"When are we leaving," I said, sitting up.

"Soon, Pretty," Mark said stroking my hair, "Soon," I suddenly went back to normal. Mark and Jack did so as well. I pulled air in and out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

"How much... did they take," I asked through pants.

"Two pints of blood," Jack replied, "And they still need more," I breathed out.

"We are going to get you out of here, tonight," Mark said.

"Mark... how," I said.

"Somehow... I don't know yet, but we'll get you out, I promise," Mark said. He sat next to the bed holding my hand.

"Well, well, well, look who's up, the queen killer herself," Aaron said bursting into the room "You know, I thought the coma stuff would last longer than just a couple days, guess not,"

"Get out Aaron," Jack said sternly

"That's not how you talk to the leader of the New Era," Aaron said.

"I'm sorry, the New Era?" Jack said.

"That's where you are, that's the new way, this is now us," Aaron said cheesily. Jack went to the curtain and threw it open. There were metal buildings, and large screens that filled what was supposedly a square. There were cars and people filling an empty space.

"What the hell," Jack said, Mark looked over Jack's shoulder.

"This looks like the future," Mark said. I suddenly saw the dagger in the rim of Mark's jeans. I stood up and grabbed it. Mark whipped around and caught my waist. I looked back at him giving him the sign that it was me. He let go and looked at me in trust. I looked up to face Aaron who had a fairly large gun.

"Never bring a knife to a gunfight," He said, his red hair falling into his face.

"You talk too much," I threw the knife hitting a man behind him.

"Oh, that is an interesting talent you got there, see now what I was really going to propose was a game," Aaron said.

"What game?" I asked, sourly..

"I give you 48 hours to hide where ever you want in this city and if I find you, then I win, if I don't you can leave... Let's say no charge,"

"What?" Mark asked.

"48 hours, you hide, if I find you I get everything that I need, you successfully hide, I let you go," Aaron said, "So you better start going," Mark grabbed my hand and started to run. He ran through a maze of halls eventually getting out into a busy street. Mark shoved through a crowd of people soon asking getting a small car. He sat me in the back and started to drive.

"I haven't driven in traffic in so long," Mark said

"Can't say you've missed it though," Jack said laughing

"No, can't say I have," Mark laughed back

"Where are we going?" I asked leaning into the front.

"Somewhere," Mark said. I looked into the futuristic streets and saw a drainage system. The dark crawled up in me.

"Stop the car handsome," I said. Mark slammed on the breaks causing the car behind us to screech to a stop. I climbed out of the car and walked into the open streets. The boys followed. People started to notice that our eyes were black. I slipped into the drainage system and the boys followed. Once we were all in I peeked up at a man, summoning him to the edge of the hole in the street. He cautiously walked closer.

"If you tell anyone where we are, I will find you, and kill you myself, got it?" I said through my teeth. The man shakily nodded, as I ducked back into the pipe following Mark and Jack.