Blue Moon

Chapter 17

Arlo had stayed awake for a little bit. He had walked further down the path that led alongside the river. He hoped the tunnels led to Jonas's bathhouse.

Alona was sleeping so good that she was slightly snoring. Arlo had laughed at her snores.

He finally had settled down next to her and rested; his leg and arm were feeling better but they were still bruised and sore. He sure was happy he had stolen that syringe from the castle before he left the castle guard, otherwise, they would be screwed.

He looked over at Alona. He was surprised at how well she was adjusting. She listened carefully to every noise. She had learned how to walk quieter and how to look for things in the distance.

He wondered if he could have fit into hers. If he could have just as easily become a police officer. He had always wanted to protect good people. That was why he had joined the castle guard long ago.

He laid down on his back and stared at the roof of the cave.

----

For the first time in awhile, Alona didn't have a nightmare. She hadn't dreamt at all. She had sleep surprisingly good.

When she woke up Arlo was asleep. She sat up and stretched out her legs and arms, her ribs aching as she did.

"Sleep well darlin'?" She heard a voice say by the tunnel entrance.

She jumped and looked over at where the voice came from.

A tall man stepped out of the shadows.

"Arlo!" She yelled as a whole band of grimy men stepped out of the dark.

Arlo jerked awake, immediately jumping up his rifle already pulled into his shoulder. He jerked Alona behind him.

Alona stumbled from the force. She held on to the back of his shirt. She wished there was more light, she could barely see the men. She wished for her lost pistol.

Arlo aimed at the intruders.

"Now, now. Ain't no reason to git all worked up. You know what we want." He stared at Alona. His men chuckled and agreed with him. His sly smile grew and blackened teeth hid beneath his cracked lips.

Arlo signaled Alona and she grabbed their bags. Arlo began backing away, his rifle still held steady at the man's head.

"Come on man. Be a waste. A purty gurl like 'at. And a big ole guy like you." He spat a big wad of funk onto the cave floor.

Alona recognized them, they were the men from the cave they hid in before.

"You know what I am." Arlo taunted, "You really want to do this?"

Alona stared at the side of Arlo's head. She didn't understand, he was trying to scare them into leaving them alone.

The men laughed. "Yeah, you're an ex-member of the guard. That s'posed to scare us?"

He smiled, "No, not that." He smiled a wicked smiled, his revealing his teeth shining in the dim light. The men's faces paled. "I'm a Volkov."

"Alona. Remember that talk about following orders."

"Yeah." She whispered.

"Run!" He yelled. She turned and ran down the tunnel following the path that led alongside the water.

Behind her, she heard a man scream. Then she heard cussing and the man with black teeth yelling out orders. She heard gunfire. A beam exploded next to her foot. She jumped and ran harder.