The Raven Conspiracy

Chapter 34 - Escape and Recovery

Chapter 34 – Escape and Recovery

“Maya?”

I jumped up, unsure if I’d hit my head too hard. Kairo stood in the doorway, staring at me.

“Maya, you’re bleeding,” he said. “I thought I told you to run. What - ”

Before he could say anything further, I grabbed him in a tight hug.

“You’re getting blood on my shirt...” he complained, staggering.

“Deal with it! I’m never running again...” my voice trailed off. I noticed a dark patch on the front of his shirt and touched it.

“There’s blood on your shirt already,” I whispered, my eyes widening. I released him, noticing the red bruise around his neck and how pale his skin was.

“It’s nothing; I’ll sort it out later. We have to get out of here, now,” he brushed off my concern, pressing his palm against the wound.

“Are you okay to go somewhere? Can you move okay?”

“I can. Where to?”

“Somewhere safe...”

“I, um...” I touched my forehead, thinking. I felt the world spin a little, but it steadied itself.

“Let’s not waste time. Come on.”

He strode across the office and kicked the back wall. It shuddered, and he kicked it again so that the plaster fell away to reveal a door.

“Hurry.”

Through the door was a large garage, filled with all sorts of cars. I saw a van, an expensive sports car, and a beaten-up old vehicle. Kairo plucked a set of keys off a hook on the wall and pulled open the door of a decidedly plain-looking family car.

“Get in,” he ordered.

I staggered into the front seat, glad to sit down. Wincing, he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. I noticed that he kept one hand on where he’d gotten hurt.

“What happened in the fight? How’d you get that injury?”

“No time for questions now.”

He floored the accelerator and the car raced out an open garage door. I was surprised to see us exiting the parking lot of the local mall.

“How did we?”

“I’m trying to concentrate, Maya,” he cut me off.

I tried not to get annoyed; I was in too much pain to ask too many questions anyway. I reclined the seat back and decided to use the drive to rest. The adrenaline was leaching out of my system, draining my energy with it. I pressed a hand to my forehead, hoping to ease the throbbing. It came away wet with blood. I pulled a strip of fabric off my already-torn shirt and held it against the wound.  I hoped it wouldn’t need stitches. Every few seconds, I glanced in the rear-view mirror. I was sure that there would be someone chasing us.

Soon, we were driving through the university district at a slower pace. Kairo turned down some side roads, finding his way through the maze of high-rise Residences and student accommodation. He pulled into the parking lot of one of the apartment blocks.

“We’ll be staying here for a day or two,” he said. “Call your mom and let her know you’ll be visiting a friend or something. You can’t go home tonight – they’ll find you and follow you there.”

“But – “

“I know what I’m doing, Maya. This is serious.”

He climbed out of the car and headed straight for the stairs. I glared at his retreating figure. I knew that it was serious.