Tender (Book 1 - Complete)

Chapter 31 - Lynn

       

We stay slouched against the wall for at least ten minutes, waiting for the inevitable, but we never hear any car doors slam. The cop just sits in his vehicle watching the building. Through our whispered chatter, we've determined that this cop has probably been stationed here to keep trespassers out. Too bad he showed up a little too late—or too early in our case. I don't think he even realizes that we're in the building at all.

Once we come to this conclusion, Jamie and I begin making our way towards the stairs. I'm on all fours as I crawl along the filthy ground, but Jamie is basically crab-walking across the floor, only he's got his legs dragging behind him and has to keep taking breaks to rest his arms. The lights from the police car outside offer wonderful guidance as we maneuver our way through the rickety old structure. Finding the stairs to the basement, we creep our way down as quickly as possible.

We backtrack until we spot the broken window that we'd entered, and that's when we see them. Well, their shadows anyway. Normally, I'd be spooked out of my mind at the site of three dark, human-shaped images in the distance, but with the police standing guard outside, all fear of the paranormal has vanished.

A hissing noise from Jamie's direction has me pausing to ask if he's okay.

"Yeah," he mutters, though his voice sounds slightly strained. "Just stepped on something. Let's keep going."

I don't question him further, too anxious to get out of this stupid place to be bothered.

Finally approaching the rest of the group, the five of us try our best to come up with some kind of brilliant plan of escape. The best we can think of is to climb out the way we came and then crawl our way beneath the headlight beams.

I've never done anything so epic and thrilling as trying to sneak past a cop. It's a beautiful moment. As my elbows dig into the ground and my legs press me forward, I peer over at the vehicle idling not even ten meters away. I feel all James Bond and Jason Bourne minus the cool confidence. It might not show on the outside, but I'm quivering like a leaf in the breeze as I do my best to shuffle, undetected, beneath the headlights. There's barely even a foot of leeway, so if I lift my head even a fraction too high, we're caught.

The house we just vacated stands halfway inside an alcove of trees, and now, as we slither gracelessly across the ground, I'm wondering if I'll ever make it into the wooded protection. Those trees scream freedom, but they feel miles away.

Not a word is uttered as five teenagers do their best to not get caught breaking the law. And somehow, we manage to survive. Once we're all safely inside the tree line, we break out into a run. I'm not even sure if we're headed in the right direction, but Dillon's got the lead and I find myself trusting his mental map.

Reaching the edge of the property presents another obstacle. Apparently, the entire Ably land is protected by a wire fence. Not a simple wire fence though. This thing looks mean with barbed wires sticking out at all angles ready to impale any intruders. I don't realize that Jamie's lagging behind until I hear him approaching a moment later, his breathing ragged and his steps exaggerated by a limp.

"We're just going to have to do it," Rosa tells us, clearly not rattled by the idea of having her skin shredded. "Or, we wait out the cop and backtrack the way we came."

"My mom's gonna kill me," I mumble to myself.

"Maybe not," Jamie says, smirking, even though there's a pained look beneath the smile. "She liked your hair. Maybe she supports law-breaking too."

"I suppose it's possible," I agree. "Though, not likely."

"Aren't you sleeping at Justine's house tonight?" Dillon asks.