Hide (Sequel to RUN)

Chapter 10

"Lekia. Hey, sweetheart. Sweetheart, open your eyes for me." My eyes felt like they'd been glued together. I opened them with a great deal of difficulty.

Lansing blurred in and out of focus in front of me.

"Five more minutes," I breathed, hugging the pillow someone had given me tighter.

"We've given you two days, Sweetheart," the blur resonated like a Chinese gong.

"I don't wanna go," I slurred. "It smells good here. It...it calms me down."

"We gotta go, Sweetheart," Lansing's voice came again. My eyes had closed of their own accord. Strong hands slipped under my legs and back to pick me up. I clung to the pillow and leaned into Lansing.

"Lekia, you can't keep the pillow."

"It calms me down," I murmured again, clutching it tighter.

"She can keep it," a second voice came into the mix. Maki? I moved my head towards his voice.

"Where are we?" I asked in a soft whisper. Lansing started moving. Back towards the couch, but at a different angle. The door.

"We're at Maki's house, Sweetheart."

"Mmmhmm," I hummed. A door opened and fresh air filled my nostrils. I opened my eyes again, the fresh air waking me up a bit. My hand pushed firmly on Lansing's chest, making me fall out of his arms.

I scared the crap out of Lansing and landed on my feet.

"I'll walk." My footsteps were slow, but sure. The truck already had my rocket in the back of it.

My hand dragged on the smooth metal of the truck as I walked past it, its sturdiness keeping me steady. I was still drowsy, but that was the best sleep I'd gotten in a long time.

I hadn't had one nightmare.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ironically, it was the nightmares woke me. I woke up tangled in sheets, reliving shackles and men forcing themselves on me. My eyes darted around the room I was in, trying to catch my brain up.

It was my room. Not the room I used on occasion at Lansing's, but my actual room at my actual house. I hadn't slept in this room since...

My brain tried to stop at the thought, but my thoughts rushed on. Since the day I'd been taken.

I threw my legs over the edge of the bed. They were still covered in camo. I was still fully clothed, so that was good. No one had taken the liberty and changed my clothes.

My ears perked as I heard noises downstairs. People were shouting. Most likely men by the sound of it. I pushed off the bed, my bare feet hitting the carpet softly, and took off running. A thunk resounded throughout the house as I reached the door and pulled it open. I had already constructed somewhat of what was happening. Two men were fighting in the living room and it was rough. Best possibility: Dad and Lansing were fighting.

I reached the end of the stairs in the kitchen and darted around the corner, not wasting any time in bull-running one of the men. Dad. He hit the ground a second later with me on top of him.

Silence overtook the room as I stood up. Dad grabbed for my ankles, but I was already dancing away.

"One of you is going to tell me what's going on," was all I said while I kept a close eye on Dad. He had sat up with an impressed look on his face.

"And how are you going to make us talk, Lekia?" he asked, smirking in that oh-so-familiar way. I scoffed and turned on Lansing.

"Why did you bring me back here?" I demanded. I could practically feel Dad's disappointment radiating onto my back when I turned to Lansing.