A few of the F.B.I. Agents broke from the pack and headed over to the SUVs surrounding the building I had escaped from. One by one, they popped open the trunks and stepped back. Large German Shepherds climbed out and stood near the Agents. I was quite concerned by the fact that they were not leashed. Police dogs are always leashed because they are aggressive and eager to rip off the limbs of the perps (a.k.a, me). So much for not killing me upon contact. There's no controlling those menacing dogs if they get near me, I thought eyeballing the dog covered in blood. It was already glaring at me. I have to find another way out. I can't go back into the woods.
I had a good look around before I stood up and positioned myself behind a tree. They weren't moving at the moment, so I had time to get away. I darted down the side of the wooded area. All I wanted was to get out of here and as far away as possible. I had little to no idea why I was even wanted by the F.B.I., but none of it could be any good.
The bitter wind howled and whipped at my skin. It didn't help that my clothes were terrible for a winter's night like this. My lungs burned from the cool air and shortness of breath from the exertion of running. I was panting like a heavy coated dog on a hot day.
I moved closer towards the forest and merged into the woods for better coverage, but that was a bad idea. A large animal pounced onto me knocking me to the ground; its sharp fangs sunk into my forearm and tore my flesh. I pushed my thumb into its eye. It clawed at me, shredding me up pretty good, so I pushed harder making it yelp. It was a dog. I kicked it off me and watched it flop into the bushes. It didn't take much long for the dog to recover and lunge at me. I barely caught the dog in time before it had a chance to rip my face off. It snapped its teeth at me and tried to grab at my arms that kept it at a distance from me. The dog barked and snarled. I kicked it with all my strength tossing it further away from me and scrambled up onto my feet. The dog began to bark and loped towards me, so I ran for it. It leaped onto me and clung to my back, driving its claws into my skin and bitting my shoulder. I tried to fling it off, but its grip was sturdy, so I backed up and rammed into a tree; bones crunched upon impact. The dog fell to the foot of the tree. I grabbed a rock and smashed its head. Blood caked on my face from the splatter. When the rage had wilted away from me, I stood up and ran away.
It wasn't long before I found a road. I hid among the bushes in silence and waited for a vehicle to turn up. What was I going to do if a car did turn up? I could use a ruse to stop them and knock them out with something to steal their car. What a crazy idea, but what choice do I have?, I pondered, searching for a weapon of some sort.
I climbed further into the bushes and felt around. My hand felt a rugged object that seemed to be suitable; a hefty stick. I held it and made my way back to my hiding spot where I waited.
A car roared around the corner into view and flew down the road towards me. I jumped out onto the road at the right moment. The car screeched to a halt almost hitting me. The occupant bolted out of the car, not even bothering to shut the car off. "What is wrong with you?" he asked, freaking out, "I could have killed you."
"I need help," I faked a groan, "some wild animal attacked me."
It made it easier to gain their sympathy considering I was drenched in blood. "I have first aid, let me help," he responded walking over to me.
I struck him on the head with the stick, knocking him out, and dragged his limp body to the side of the road. I ensured he was alive before I got into his car and drove off.
He was heading into the town, so I turned the car around and sped away.
I shook violently. Pumped full of adrenaline, my pasty skin was laced with goose bumps. I increased the heat and soaked it in. It was dangerously dark out. I was fortunate this beater had high beams. The only thing distinguishable from the pitch black were the stars that covered the entire sky and a sliver of the moon. I felt unnerved from the intense silence, so I turned the radio on.
My vision blurred from the tears; they slid swiftly down my hot cheeks. Occasionally, I had to wipe my eyes. The harsh realization of the situation sunk in. Am I safe now? I’ll have to acquire a new identity just in case. It won't even affect me as I don't recall anything before waking up in that forest, so it should be a relatively smooth transition. Will I ever know who I am? I can’t handle that question right now. Just survive and create a new life. If only it were that simple, I thought.
A glimpse of the sun peaked over the horizon. Morning was near. Something rather small caught my attention; it had scurried across the street into the lane I was in. Panicked, I dug my foot into the brake. It was too late, so I steered away from it, but struck it and drove over the ledge on the side of the road and plummeted into a lake. My body jolted forward smashing my face into the steering wheel, knocking me out.
By the time I had awoken, the water had risen up to my neck. Condensation had built up on all the windows. The water was frigid, every breath from my lips showed as a plume of condensed vapor. My hands quivered violently as I reached for the seat belt; I had to look down as the sensations in my fingers were completely gone. The water was still gradually rising, applying immense pressure on me to hurry. I took heed to this and pushed the seat belt buckle. It was horrifying not being able to feel. The strap released its tight grip over my torso and floated away from me. I rolled the window down and swam out just in the nick of time. As soon as I escaped, the water swallowed the car up entirely.
The weight of the pants made it difficult to swim, but I managed. My eyes surveyed the shores for imminent danger. I had stalled and allowed my body to sink until the water was level with my eyes for concealment. There appeared to be no danger, so I front crawled to the closest shore and plopped down on the sandy beach. Exasperated, I rested for merely a moment before making my way back up to the road. I was leery as I was unsure if the animal was still there. I bet it was one of those German Shepherds. Here’s to hoping it was one of them, I thought to myself with a simper.
My theory was partially correct. There was a patch of blood on the pavement. I knelt down and dipped my finger into it. The blood was still warm. This is fresh. The creature must be close. Still, there is a chance it could have been one, but I am not waiting here to find out.
I withdrew my finger and stood up, scanning the street and forest across me. It was oddly silent and vacant. Yep, time for me to get the hell out of here, I thought breaking into a brisk walk. I ensured that I stayed opposite the forest as a precaution.
The trek was protracted and tiresome. As the day spun through its course, the sun rose high above me. Its glistening rays scorched my flesh and blinded me. With each minute that went by, the longing to take coverage in the forest where an abundant of shade was intensified.
A ford truck pulled up beside me and a man stuck his head out. "Need a lift, beautiful?" he flirted, "where you headed?"
I pushed my matted hair behind my ear and analyzed him quietly. He checked me out and his eyes widened at the sight of my ghastly clothing. Nothing like bloodied clothes to kill the mood. With that, he spun off. How rude, I thought grimacing.
The idea of hitching a ride was dangerous; you just never know who the driver will be. Could possibly end up in the car with someone who works for the F.B.I. or someone interested in killing me. I couldn't take a chance.
I carried on, but gave in to my wants and walked across the street to hide from the sun. It felt so good to cool down and give my skin a breather from the sun. Although, the forest soon came to an end where it met with a field with long dry grass, so I crossed back over to the other side.
Many hours later, I came upon a grotty old sign that read Welcome to Felican Grove. I looked up ahead and saw the city that the name belonged to. It appeared to be larger than the town I walked from.
