Survival

•Seventeen•

^Arlo's boss^

She quietly led them through the corridors, stopping often to make sure no one was coming. The dimly lit hallways made it easy to hide in the shadows and keep out of sight.

Finally, she stopped at a door and turned to them. She was about to say something when her eyes widened and she swung open the door.

"Run!" She yelled and let them go through, hurrying after them. Arlo located the door within a second, pulling Carren along behind him. They sprinted across the familiar garage and Evelynne hung back, hitting a button on the wall and causing the large door to creak open.

"Keep going!" She shouted, right behind them.

Just then, a loud bang rang into the air. Carren and Arlo glanced back to see Evelynne stop running. Her face was filled with pain and tears leaked down cheeks.

"G-go..." She choked, sinking to her knees, her hands gripping her stomach tightly as blood flowed from the gaping hole.

Arlo hesitated, then saw that she wouldn't last very long, as the bullet had punctured a vital organ. He regripped Carren's hand, and pulled her out of the building with him.

They continued running until Carren collapsed, crying. Arlo picked her up and kept going, knowing they couldn't stop.

After a long time, Arlo knew he needed to rest. However, they were in the middle of nowhere. So, he laid Carren down on the ground beside a road and sat down beside her.

Not too long after, a car came driving by and slammed on its brakes when they saw Arlo and Carren. A man opened the sleek black door and stepped out, staring at Arlo in awe.

"Impossible." He whispered. The man knelt down in front of Arlo. "How are you alive?" He asked.

"It's a long story, sir," Arlo said tiredly.

"And you do remember me?" The man asked, glancing at Carren.

"Yes, sir, I do."

"Amazing...I thought for sure we had lost you. And who is this?" The man looked kindly down at Carren who was sleeping, her head on Arlo's lap.

"Someone who helped me a lot." Arlo hesitated. "I'm sorry sir, but they have the chip that was inside me. I failed."

The man simply chuckled, "Don't worry, Arlo. You didn't fail. They were supposed to get the chip. It has fake info in it." He explained. "And I am sorry that we sent you on this mission." He apologized.

Arlo looked up, startled. "They sure got it." Absentmindedly, he rubbed his stomach where the stitches were.

"Well I am still quite astonished that we found you. I had thought you were dead already. Even though I see that you have been through much."

Carren stirred and woke up, "Who are you?" She asked.

"This is my boss, Carren. My real boss." Arlo explained.

"Oh...is he gonna hurt me too?" She whispered into Arlo's ear.

"No." Arlo turned to address Bloodyhand. "Can we go free, please? I'd rather not go back to my former life if that's okay. I'm ready to be done with that kind of stuff."

"I...I believe so. I can take you someplace to start over if you wish." Bloodyhand offered. He stood up and opened the car door for them.

"We would appreciate that. Thank you." Arlo stood up, and gently led Carren into the car. He shut the door behind him.

The man went around to the other side and climbed into the front seat. "Drive on." He said to his driver.

Once they were on the move again, Bloodyhand turned his head to the two passengers, "Where would you like to go?" He asked.

"Somewhere that we can live in peace." Arlo thought of something. "I don't know if I still have a tracker in my arm. Could you have it removed if it's still there?"

"Ah...yes. They probably did put one in you even though we did not. I will have someone remove it when we get back to base. You can rest there for s bit until you are both fully healed. And I can pay you for your services as well." The man added.

Carren snuggled closer to Arlo and peered up at him, "Are we gonna live together? Like a family?"

"Yes, Carren, we will if you want to stay with me, otherwise you are free to go wherever you want." Arlo said with a tired smile.

"Can you be my...dad?" She asked hopefully.

"I would love to." Arlo put an arm around her and closed his eyes, still smiling.

"So I can call you Daddy then?"

"You can call me whatever you want, sweetie." Arlo felt a warmth spreading through his chest, and pulled Carren closer.

"Okay, Daddy." Carren tried out, grinning wildly. She felt ecstatic. She finally had a family who cared for her.

'This is where I belong,' Arlo thought contentedly.

~The End~