Pull Me Under

Chapter Twelve - Uncovered

It was still dark when I was shaken awake, Noah was no longer beside me, I turned and looked expecting to see his face only to have one I didn't recognize stare back at me.

"The van is here." A woman, dressed in dark clothing whispered. "We have to leave now."

I sat up, disoriented, still dressed in only my bra and panties. I pulled the sheet up to cover myself and shook my head.

"Now?" I whispered.

"There is a method to the madness, something a civilian wouldn't understand. Quickly, get dressed. We need to leave."

The woman threw clothing at me, and in a daze I pulled it on. Where was Noah? I wanted to say goodbye.

As soon as I was dressed though she pulled me to my feet and guided me to the door. I looked back into the empty room and said nothing. The facility was dead quiet, there was no one around, no one except us. We walked outside, and a black van awaited us, still running. The woman opened the door, made sure I got in, then hopped in the front.

"Go, now." She advised her driver.

"Yes ma'am." he replied.

"M.O said we'd only have a window of ten minutes. So we don't have time to stop for reds, got me?"

"Clear as day ma'am."

Window of time? I understood that being under witness protection was about safety, which set off alarm bells in my head. Why was there a window of time, and why was running red lights a good idea?

"Can I ask where I'm being placed?" I murmured.

The woman's head turned and she regarded me coolly.

"Somewhere where you'll be in great company." She mused. "Don't worry. Real dreamscape. You won't want to leave."

The ambiguous answers, the dangerous directions, it all filled me with an intuition I just couldn't ignore. Luckily for me the driver ignored his own orders and slowed to a stop at a red light, I tugged on the van door, inwardly praying that it wasn't locked.

If I was wrong, the worst that could happen would be Noah finding me and telling me off for evading witness protection, but if I was right I needed to get out of here. Now.

The door slid open and as the car was still moving at barely 3 miles per hour I leapt out and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I heard the woman yell out behind me, but I was gone before she or the driver could chase after me.

I ran into the hoards of people heading in to work slipping between them as quickly as I could. I ran until my breath was hot in my lungs, burning me from the inside out.

After five minutes, or maybe ten I stopped and looked behind me. There was no one there. With no number to call and no way to find myself back to the compound I was at a loss. I walked to a pay phone and lifted the receiver, but before I could make a call there was a tap on my shoulder. My stomach dropped and I dropped the receiver, it hung from its cord, and swung from side to side.

I turned slowly, ready to face my fate only to find it was the two agents who'd questioned me the day before. I let out a relieved sigh. "I think I took the wrong ride."

"You did. And you managed to escape. Pretty impressive for a civilian. Agent 100 asked us to bring you to her."

I nodded. "Lets go."

I followed the two men through the street and then down an alleyway where they'd left a car. I hopped into the back and within a minute we were back on the road. Instead of returning to the compound though the agents drove me to an office building. I followed them through the building, we stopped outside a door.