Unlocked

Twenty - Sophie

Sophie had absolutely no idea where she was going. She tore down the sidewalk, weaving through the enclosures and dodging everyone in her path.

Scattered stares followed her the farther she ran, but she wouldn't stop. Couldn't stop. The adrenaline was keeping her going, pushing to get as much space between her and her old teacher as she could. She wanted to be dismantled from her past.

She didn't know if Keefe was following her, nor did she care. At this moment, the only thing circulating through her head was run.

Run. Run. RUN.

She pushed her legs past her limits, but did not let up her rapid pace. The last time she had run this fast was when she was carrying Keefe . . .

Her left ankle twisted.

Her foot had caught on a rock in the middle of the sidewalk, and pain shot through her leg. She grit her teeth and dragged herself to a nearby bench, the hot metal searing her skin instantly—no wonder no one was sitting there.

She pulled her leg up to inspect, fighting a grimace. She could tell it wasn't broken, but it still felt like a fire burning in her bones.

She silently cursed herself for being so clumsy.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, she heard screaming. Hundreds of voices yelling out in pure terror. Sophie had no clue where in the zoo she was, but the screams seemed to envelop her. The pain of the voices piercing her mind was almost as bad as hearing their thoughts.

Sophie dropped her head into her hands and rubbed her temples, wondering if she'd imagined the yelling. Maybe the pain of her injury was making her delirious.

But then . . .

She looked up, surprised by the sudden silence. The only sound to be heard was the birds squawking, the animals thrashing in their cages. Everyone was gone, not a soul left in sight. It was only Sophie, alone on a bench, sitting in the afternoon heat.

She suddenly wished she hadn't left Keefe. Where was he?

Sophie could've sworn she heard a cackle, a voice echoing through the empty sidewalks. She was nearly sure that she'd imagined it, but when she heard a second voice, she knew it wasn't a dream.

It was Keefe.

She couldn't hear what he was saying, only that his voice was angry.

Ignoring the searing pain in her ankle, Sophie took off toward the sound.

• • •

Hi guys!

•First off, I'm really sorry my chapters have been short and often cliffhangers (ha ha!). It's kinda tough to make them long when I'm constantly switching between POVs each chapter.

•But thank you guys so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the future chapters!

•The next chapter is already up because this one's super short :)

•Love y'all!

-Jay