Safe Haven

Chapter 6

The next few days passed in an uneventful blur. Olive camped out on the couch, her ankle still keeping her from the guest rooms upstairs. It did heal, slowly, the bruise starting to change from brilliant purple to a terrible shade of yellow and green. Ren kept her company most of the time. Donovan had already left, gone back to the main pack to pick up his duties again, and Benjamin seemingly was keeping his distance as well. He spent a great deal of time upstairs, leaving Olive to wonder constantly if she'd done something wrong. Ren kept assuring her she hadn't, but there was an underlying look in his eyes that said something otherwise.

Day six began bright and early. Olive woke with the sun, restless and impatient before she'd even gotten off the couch. She wasn't used to sitting for so long without doing anything, it was starting to drive her crazy. She rose carefully, testing her ankle as she'd done every morning. It still hurt a bit, but this time, for the first time, it held her weight and she took a few steps across the room, testing just how bad the pain was. It was manageable, especially after she'd taken a few ibuprofen from the bottle on the kitchen counter where Ren had left it.

The house was quiet, no sounds drifting down from upstairs, so it seemed like for the moment she was the only one awake. An idea blossomed at the back of her mind and without questioning it Olive began to move.She slipped soundlessly into the bathroom and quickly changed out of the borrowed sweats she'd been using as pajamas and back into her jeans that were barely holding together and shirt with the smallest amount of holes.

She gathered the rest of her things from the counter and slipped back into the living room. Her pack sat beside the couch and she shoved everything into it, cramming it down so she could pull the zipper. Her heart was beginning to race as she tiptoed to the door, boots dangling from her fingers.

Benjamin had said he wouldn't let her go, but if she could leave now, before he woke, maybe she could put enough distance between them that he wouldn't follow her. Olive had meant what she said. She wouldn't let them get involved in her mess.

The door swung open easily and she slipped out, latching it carefully behind her. She paused on the porch just long enough to slip her boots on and tighten the laces and then she jogged as quickly as she could across the lawn to the cover of the trees. Her ankle was stiff, the pain a nuisance but not a hindrance, and she picked up the pace a bit, staying in the trees. They'd probably expect her to go back towards the road but she wasn't giving them that advantage. Right now Olive didn't care if she got lost in the woods. If she couldn't find her way out maybe they wouldn't find their way to her.

She jogged until the muscles in her legs cried for a break, and even then she didn't stop, just slowed down a bit to catch her breath. She successfully had no idea where she was, had no clue how far she'd gone. Olive hadn't been running in a straight line. She'd doubled back and taken a few different paths to try to confuse anyone that would follow.

She was thankful she'd had the foresight to sneak some food into her pack when she knew nobody was looking, granola bars and a few apples. Hopefully it would be enough to keep her going. There were a couple bottles of water in the bottom too, hidden under her underpants where she doubted anyone had been brave enough to sneak a look even if they'd been snooping.

The sun was nearly directly above her when she finally stopped, leaning against a tree for a few moments. Her stomach was growling so she pulled out an apple and dropped to the ground, allowing herself to relax a little. She'd heard nothing but her own ragged breathing and a few birds since she'd left. She was betting she'd put at least a few miles between herself and the cabin. It felt a little safer and it was easier to breath out here where she didn't have to be torn between feeling trapped and feeling grateful for the respite. Her throat felt a bit tight as she wondered what had happened when the guys had discovered she wasn't there, and then she shoved the thought out of her head.