Chased by a wolf

2. Relentless

It took only 3 months to find a lead. Chicago. Now he was one step closer to her and he could feel the rush of adrenaline running through his body. He was born to do this and he was good at it. No one had ever slipped through his fingers. No one had ever managed to hide from him. He worked alone because he hated distractions. This case was no exception. 

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Evelyn was lucky. Bertha's brother owned a diner and needed to hire someone fast because one of his employees had moved to another city without notice. The work was easy so she learned it fast. She had warned Bertha's brother, Billy, that she wouldn't stay long. But Evelyn had stayed longer than she had planned. She enjoyed the surrounding forests. She was able to escape whenever she felt the need to feel the wilderness around her. She also realized it was smart to stay awhile; she needed the money because she would need to buy more meds soon. Evelyn hoped her fake prescription wouldn't be a problem in the town pharmacy. She doubted she could get a better one here. There were no suspicious people here. Well, she was, at least according to herself. But everyone else seemed too sweet for their own good. She still stayed at the motel, because Bertha had insisted that she should. Evelyn paid her room by helping Bertha to clean, which wasn't that hard because there were only a few guests. Bertha loved having her around. Evelyn guessed she felt lonely because her husband had passed away and her only child hardly ever visited her. And Evelyn didn't mind Bertha. She was never intrusive; she never asked about Evelyn's past or why she had come to the town. They usually talked about the town, its residents and truck drivers who sometimes rested there during their long drives. 

One evening, they sat in the reception area and drank tea. Bertha looked at Evelyn as if she was arguing with herself whether not to ask what was on her mind. Finally, she put her cup down.

"Evelyn, I've been thinking... I don't mean to pry, but is everything alright?" 

Evelyn quickly looked away from this gentle older lady, who could've been her grandmother. 

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked trying to hide her nervousness. 

"Well, it is quite unusual that a young woman comes to this town," she said with a careful tone. Her eyes were filled with worry. "Are you running from someone?"

"Oh, Bertha. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not running from anyone. I'm not a criminal or a victim of abuse," Evelyn laughed. She tried to act like Bertha's questions weren't bothering her. She gently put her hand on Bertha's arm. "I just haven't found my place yet. I mean, I'm trying to figure out who I am and what I want from my life."

"Hmm. What about your parents? Aren't they worried about you?" Bertha asked.

Evelyn shook her head. "My mom died when I was a baby, and I never knew my father." She was surprised how easy it was to reveal this to Bertha. Bertha looked horrified.

"I'm so sorry, dear!" she cried out. 

"No, it's fine. I guess not having a family made my restless. I just can't seem to find a place that feels like home. That's why I'm here." Evelyn tried to smile. She had revealed enough. 

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"When was the last time you heard about her?" he asked the couple, who stood by there door. They hadn't asked him to come inside.

"We never heard about her after the social workers took her away. We didn't want to have anything to do with her after what happened," the woman said. Her words made him curious.

"After what happened?" he asked.

"She was a little beast. I've never met a child like that," she spat out. Even a thought of that girl disgusted her. 

"Yeah, we just wanted her gone. We didn't ask any questions when they took her," the man mumbled. He was clearly drunk. 

"Do you have a picture of her? Or anything that belongs to her?"

Both the man and woman snorted. "We burned everything."

The following night he broke into a government building and found his next lead. Her file. Everything that people knew about her. He copied the file to his USB flash drive and left. No one would know he had been there. When he got to his hotel, he opened the file on his laptop. 

"Evelyn Magdalena Hales," he whispered and went through her basic information. Her birth date was left blank, also her parents's names were missing. She had been found when she was just a couple of months old. Someone had left her in a gas station restroom wrapped in a blanket with a note saying: I love you, Evelyn Magdalena. Love, mom. Apparently, she was given Hales as a last name, because her first foster parents were Jill and Marc Hales. He learned that after she turned 8, she moved from one foster home to another and never stayed long. Then there were medical reports. She had turned aggressive but doctors couldn't find out what was wrong with her. She was a shy little girl with violent tantrums. During these tantrums, she had hurt herself and anyone around her. During these tantrums, it was hard to calm her down and it required several adults to push her down on the floor and to keep her there. Doctors had prescribed strong antipsychotics and her aggression had disappeared. He moved on and found out that from the age of 10-15 she used to run away from her foster homes. And when she turned 16 she had disappeared completely. 

After reading through her file, he took his phone and called someone who owed him a huge favor. 

"It's me. Find out everything you know about Evelyn Magdalena Hales. H-A-L-E-S. Aged 24. I'll send you her childhood picture." When he ended the call, there was an angry knock on the door. He was expecting it. 

"Open the fucking door! You are trespassing on our land." he heard and sighed. There was a gun on the side table, but he didn't bother to reach for it. Instead, he opened the door and saw two angry males standing there ready to attack. When they saw him, they were taken aback. They sensed who he was: a tracker.