Run

Chapter Eleven

"I can't go out there Alex," I stay seated in my cramped little corner of the room. The sun has long been down.

He dropped my bag on the floor and came to my side. He got down on one of his knees and grabbed one of my hands I had securely wrapped around my legs.

"I promise you'll be fine. I'll be right next to you the whole time," he squeezes my hand gently, "If anyone so much as looks at you for too long I'll be sure to give them a nice broken jaw."

I grip his hand as he slowly pulls me off the floor. My chest heaves as I fight to catch my breath. God only knew what could be waiting outside for us.

"I'm going to keep you safe, but I can only do that if we leave. Just focus on me," he kept a hold on my hand, and I kept a hold on his. I was probably cutting off his circulation, "Jules, I want you to focus on me. You keep your head down, if you look at anything you look at me."

He reaches for the door knob and I try to back away. He yanks on my arm, wrapping himself around my waist. My heart rate picks up and I swear I'm going to faint.

"Alex, please," I try to push off of him and he just holds me tighter, "I'm scared. What if Robert is still out there? Or worse?"

"Then waiting here will only make it easier for them to get us," he guides me outside, protectively holding me to him, "It's only a few blocks to the bus station and then you won't need to worry. Once we get on that bus, you'll be safe again."

I nod slowly; taking a few steady breathes, I grab hold of his shirt and start counting.

"1... 2... 3... 4..." I focus on putting one foot in front of another, and my counting, "5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10..." My concentration breaks when I feel Alex run his hand up from my waist, accidentally ridding up my shirt. I start counting faster, "11, 12, 13, 14, 15..."

I feel a jerk to the side as Alex pulls me in a rush across the street and into an alley.

He presses me to the wall and puts his finger to his lips. I can feel my body trembling as he holds my arms.

"Alex," my voice shudders as the cold night air nips at my lips.

He covers my mouth and I can feel tears welling. I press my lips tightly together as he removes his hand. As the tears fall he wipes them away.

I hear footsteps running, getting closer. I fight the urge to scream in fear as Alex grips my shoulder and wipes my tears.

The footsteps stop and there's nothing but silence.

I can't breathe.

Alex gets tense, inching closer to me.

I hear stomping, and it grows distant as the person retreats.

After a few terrifying minutes, Alex lets go of me and lets out a sigh. I can't fight it anymore.

I drop the bags I'm holding and crouch on the ground, crying hysterically. 

Alex drops with me, gently pulling me to him, "It's alright. He's gone. I promise, he's gone. It's just us. We're almost there."

Between the terror I felt and the cold night air, it was no wonder I was shaking against him as he held me close. Gently he pulled me into the crook of his neck and guided me up the road some more.

"We're here," gently pulling me into a small station with lockers and a ticket booth, he pulls away slightly, "You sit down, I'll get tickets for the first bus we can."

I look around at the few people here; a mother and her two very small children, an older looking business man half asleep reading a newspaper, and a mound under bunches of blankets and jackets.